Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James recently announced that he wants to own an NBA team someday. He added that he would like to own an expansion team in Las Vegas. There have been minor stirrings about potential expansion teams in the league and Las Vegas has been listed as a destination. James, who was officially announced as a billionaire last week, has the means to become an owner. And ESPN's Stephen A. Smith made a bold declaration on LeBron's team-owning desire.

“I put nothing past LeBron James and his team,” Smith said. “With what LeBron has meant to the game of basketball, I’m going to go so far as to say I think the league would owe it to him to facilitate him owning a basketball team. He has not just been a superstar on the court, he's been a superstar off the court.”

The Lakers' star has been a vital piece to the NBA puzzle over the years. The league needed a player-ambassador type of personality following Michael Jordan's retirement, and LeBron James comfortably filled that void. He is more than a superstar talent. LeBron is a celebrity in every sense of the word.

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We are likely a few years away from LeBron actually attempting to pursue ownership of a team. And there aren't any active NBA expansion plans in the works. But once LeBron's time with the Lakers comes to an end, it would not be shocking to see him begin campaigning for a Las Vegas expansion team.