Dwyane Wade says LeBron James as a Laker not comparable to Michael Jordan with Wizards

The only two people of color who now have majority ownership in an NBA team are the Sacramento Kings’ Vivek Ranadive (Indian) and the Brooklyn Nets’ Joe Tsai (Taiwanese). The 2022 Race and Gender Report for the NBA also reported that 82.4% of NBA players were people of color during the 2021-22 season. African American NBA stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul have said they would like to be part of NBA ownership groups in the future. Dwyane Wade (Utah Jazz), David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs) and Grant Hill (Atlanta Hawks) are African Americans who currently have minority ownership of NBA teams while Shaquille O’Neal sold his minority stake in the Sacramento Kings in 2022. Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem, who is Black, also told Andscape that he hopes to become a part of team ownership after his pending retirement. -via Andscape / June 16, 2023

“I looked at that and thought ‘I ain’t buying that’. I know when the season is over and they’re asking [LeBron James] this question in this moment. But also I know, when he gets away, when he goes to Mexico or goes away to the south of France on his Yacht for the summer, he’s gonna look around and say ‘Okay, the King coming back’,” Wade added. -via Clutch Points / June 14, 2023

Wade gave his honest opinion about it on the Club Shay Shay podcast, stating that he doesn’t see LeBron retiring: “You’re talking about the guy who just had 40-10-9 in his last game [with the Lakers]?… I just want to make sure we’re talking about the same guy. All my money is still in my pocket, I ain’t buying nothing. It’s the moment after the game, man. It’s a lot. Obviously, what they came back from, shout out to the Lakers making the moves that they did for making that push,” Wade said. -via Clutch Points / June 14, 2023

Ball Don’t Lie: “Enjoy your light but just know I’m the SUN. I stay on forever!” LeBron had something to say in his latest IG post 😅 pic.twitter.com/oER2MqoJDk -via Twitter @Balldontlie / June 16, 2023

Clutch Points: “They f*cked up. They f*cked mentally and physically. I’m telling you.” LeBron James in the Cavs’ 2016 run to the finals on #MoreThanAnAthlete 🗣 (via @espn , @ESPNPlus) pic.twitter.com/xbtpMuWBcS -via Twitter @ClutchPointsApp / June 16, 2023

There is no longer any majority African American ownership in a predominately Black NBA with Michael Jordan’s sale of his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets. Hornets Sports & Entertainment announced Friday that Jordan reached an agreement to sell his majority stake in the NBA franchise to the Buyer Group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. The NBA legend’s sale of the Hornets is subject to the approval of the NBA Board of Governors. Jordan, who served as the Hornets’ chairman, was the only majority African American owner in the NBA. -via Andscape / June 16, 2023

The percentage of NBA players who classified as Black or African American in the league was 71.8% during the 2021-22 season, according to The 2022 Race and Gender Report Card for the NBA. The Buyer Group, however, also includes two African Americans in rapper J. Cole and Charlotte auto dealership mogul Damian Mills, as well as a woman in Amy Levine Dawson. As part of the transaction, Jordan will retain a minority ownership share of the team. -via Andscape / June 16, 2023