LeBron James has been spotted in Saudi Arabia, just weeks after joking that he’d potentially play there in the future amid rumors that he’s set to receive a $1billion contract offer from a basketball team there.
The 38-year-old Lakers star shared a selfie taken by Bader Bin Farhan Alsaud — the Kingdom’s minister of culture — on his Instagram story on Thursday along with the caption: ‘Love my brother!!! Until next.’
James’ agent Maverick Carter and two other individuals were also included in the group picture.
The reason why the four-time NBA champion was in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, this week is unclear although an online report claims that James was invited to attend a friendly match at AZM Academy.
Footage of James exiting a building with several businessmen went viral on social media, just a few days ago, too.
LeBron James (center) with Saudi Arabia’s minister of culture Bader bin Farhan Alsaud (front)
Earlier this week, footage of James leaving with Saudi businessmen went viral on social media
Lakers fan shouldn’t be worried about ‘The King’ leaving the Purple and Gold anytime soon, however, although it doesn’t seem entirely unfeasible that James could play in the Middle Eastern country for a massive amount of money once he calls time on his NBA career.
In July, James shared a GIF of Forrest Gump sprinting to show fans how fast he’d go to Saudi Arabia if he received a staggering amount of money to play there.
Kylian Mbappe – a French soccer superstar for Paris Saint-German – got a proposal of $776million to play for Al-Hilal over the summer, but turned it down to keep playing in Europe.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo previously revealed that he’d move to Saudi Arabia if he received an offer deemed as one he could not refuse.
James has two years left on his $99million contract with the Lakers, including a player option
James, who has been linked with a two-year, $1B deal to play for Al-Hilal, according to Sportsmanor, could find himself in turmoil after visiting Saudi Arabia due to the Kingdom’s history of human rights violations.
But, that hasn’t stopped other superstar athletes from moving there, with Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, among others, now residing in the country.
It’s been a busy summer for James, who’s eldest son, Bronny, is still recovering from a cardiac arrest suffered in July. The incoming USC player was later diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.
James also attended a Drake concert and an LA Dodgers game on his bobblehead night last month with his family.
He has two years left on his $99million contract with the Lakers, including a player option for the 2024-25 season. James has previously stated that he would like to be on the same team that will take on Bronny, if his son is drafted by an NBA team.
