LeBron James seems to be inching closer to owning an NBA team, as the 4-time MVP and businessman recently became part owner of Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox. Such a deal expands his net worth and should make it easier to pivot to NBA ownership once he retires from the league.
Michael Jordan is currently the only former player to be a majority owner of an NBA franchise, though several other former players own minority shares. Shaquille O’Neal owns part of the Kings. Grant Hill is part of the Hawks’ ownership group. While James has his eyes on being the next majority owner, could Dirk Nowitzki beat him to the ownership table by becoming a shareholder with the Mavericks?
I asked Cuban if he would be willing to discuss selling Nowitzki a piece of the team back in 2019, he replied, “sure.” I also spoke with Dirk on a few occasions leading up to his retirement from the league and asked him about Cuban’s comments. The future Hall-of-Famer told me that it was an honor that Cuban would even consider it.
“It is an honor that he said that; I want to focus on me still playing, and whatever I decided to do after my career. We will cross that bridge when we get there,” said Nowitzki.
Dirk’s Legacy with Mavericks Continues
When Dirk retired, he would pass the torch to Luka Doncic as the next man to lead the Mavericks into the future. Last week during his All-Star pre-game interview, Doncic talked about his former teammate’s legacy.
“What he did for Dallas, for all of European basketball, it’s just unmatched,” Doncic said. “He’s always going to be the legend, one of the best power forwards the game ever saw.”
Last month, Mark Cuban gave an update on the status of Nowitzki’s status, explaining that the team has hired the sculptor but didn’t when it would be revealed.
” We hired the sculptor, and I signed all the paperwork, so he is working on it. When I don’t know. You have to let an artist be an artist,” said Cuban.
April 9 will mark the two-year anniversary of Dirk announcing his retirement.
