James, 40, could surely compete on the basketball floor for a number of more years if he really wanted to. His value may be just as large as the face of a movement and as someone who can help get things done. The politics of sport in Saudi Arabia aside, a new basketball league somehow backed by James would change the game entirely.

LeBron James would like you to know he's working out very hard this summer. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar—amid a summer where the organization has very much made it clear that all decisions revolve around Luka Dončić going forward— posted another workout update on Instagram Thursday.

James has made been very public about his goal of one day owning an NBA team. He's even targeted a city: Las Vegas. He's publicly lobbied for control of an expansion franchise in the desert for years, and for years, his odds of getting that team looked very strong. But two things have changed of late, and neither work in his favor.

Nikola Jokic isn't joining the Lakers and LeBron James isn't signing with the Nuggets. A yacht meeting instead was about starting an international basketball league.

NBA superstars LeBron James and Nikola Jokic would form a dominating duo, which is why there was so much interest in their recent get-together in France.