For weeks, experts from across the country have been trying to figure out where LeBron James would end up. No one saw this coming.
According to a reliable source close to LeBron, rumors have it that a hip-hop star who wished to remain anonymous is working on a deal with NBA commissioner David Stern and the city of Richmond to bring an NBA team to the Cap City. Since the team would have unlimited cap room as an expansion team, the will-be owner could offer James and at least one other marquee players the maximum allowable salaries.
Although jumping to an expansion team may seem like a risky move for King James, the same source tells us that LeBron will have special privileges with the new team, such as the right to choose the team’s mascot and serve as a player-coach if he wishes. He will also have an active role in recruiting fellow free agents to join him in the River City. While in Cleveland, analysts often called the Cavaliers “the LeBron’s” and since James will have input into the new team name, possibilities such as the James Rivers or The Richmond Witnesses may be the most realistic.
James will continue to listen to offers from other NBA teams, but because of Richmond’s unique ability to offer James the chance to build a legacy with a brand new team, we are told he could officially announce his decision as early as next week. Based on his statements to other teams, it seems likely that James will make a hard push for members of the Harlem Globe Trotters to join him on the new, yet-to-be-named expansion squad.
Richmond currently lacks a major professional sports team, but based on the recent success of the Richmond Flying Squirrels and the return of baseball to the city, basketball executives are optimistic that a similar scenario could occur with the new team, only on a much larger scale. For now, it appears that games will be played at the Richmond Coliseum, though the city will have to introduce plans for a new basketball arena in order to be granted the expansion team.
The most recent true expansion team in the NBA is the Charlotte Bobcats, who entered the league in 2004. The Oklahoma City Thunder were also born from expansion, although they kept the same roster as the Seattle Supersonics when that team left the Northwest. Though Charlotte has struggled to find expansion success, they lack a true star player, In Oklahoma City, residents have flocked to Thunder games and set records for attendance, in large part thanks to Kevin Durant, another one of the NBA’s top five young players. With James, Richmond should see even better results than OKC.
The owner for the new team remains a mystery, with our source only saying that it was “a well known name in the hip hop industry.” Though no one knows for sure, some have speculated that it could be Lil Wayne, rapper Lil Boosie, who wants to leave a legacy behind before spending the rest of life in prison, or Lil Jon, who when asked about the situation responded, “YEAAAAAAAA.” Because the deal is not yet finalized, the NBA will not release the name of the potential owner.
Calls to the commissioner’s office to confirm the story were not immediately returned.
