LeBron Sees Casino Opportunity With Dallas, Agent Suggests
The free agent sweepstakes for the 41-year-old LeBron James is underway, and casino gambling may play a role in his choice for his next destination.
According to an early-July podcast episode featuring his agent, Rich Paul, the league’s all-time leading scorer has the Dallas Mavericks on his shortlist for finishing out his career. It’s a long shortlist, so the Mavs might not be a likely choice. Still, money talks, and Dallas could, in theory, give James the largest net-worth boost.
Speaking of Dallas, Paul said:
“They got oil, they got golf, you got Macau and the Sands Group, and with Masai [Ujiri], you got the whole continent of Africa,” Paul said of the new Dallas president and the ownership group that has casinos in Singapore and China. Sands divested from Las Vegas in 2022.
“A lot comes with Dallas,” Paul added.
Casinos in the Mix for LeBron?
Las Vegas Sands Corp. has been lobbying for years to bring casino gambling to the untapped Texas market. Well, mostly untapped, as many Texans make the trek to neighboring states to gamble.
Building an enormous so-called “destination casino resort” in the Lone Star State is Sands’ dream. So far, Texans and their policymakers have resisted.
James already hawks online NFL sports betting for DraftKings Sportsbook, which isn’t legal in Texas. He promotes the product nationally. The sports betting industry has also lobbied hard for online wagering in Texas. Former Mavs majority owner Mark Cuban and former Gov. Rick Perry are among the big names who have supported state-sanctioned online gambling in Texas.
One could imagine a universe in which James is a part-owner of a future Texas casino, should the state constitution be amended to allow it. It’s a long shot, but apparently James’ agent sees a gambling-related opportunity, citing the casino enclave of Macau and Las Vegas Sands.
Billionaire Miriam Adelson and her family, majority owners of Las Vegas Sands, bought control of the franchise in December 2023.
Would Dallas Become Las Vegas?
James doesn’t have that many more playing years left, so he’d presumably make Texas one of his home bases long-term if he went there to play before retiring.
But there has been speculation that the Mavs could be on the move.
Relocation rumors followed the Adelson-Dumont ownership group because of its ties to Las Vegas Sands. However, there is no public evidence that the Mavs are trying to move to Las Vegas. The team has denied it and is reportedly pursuing a new arena site in North Dallas.
The NBA may now be reluctant to put a team in Sin City after a recent string of gambling-related indictments involving active or former players.
Bottom line
Unlike other teams, where James has close friends and viable paths to another championship, Dallas would apparently be about off-the-court wealth.
It would be unfortunate if James became more heavily involved in the gambling industry post-retirement, following Michael Jordan’s lead here.
James’ involvement with DraftKings comes despite worsening attitudes toward state-sanctioned sports betting and public health concerns about harm linked to athlete endorsements.
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