LeBron James and Kobe Bryant: "Howdy, neighbor!" (Photo : Harry How | Getty Images Sport)
Even in mid-season, there is always room for wild speculation.
Thus, when LeBron James buys a house "fit for a king" in one of Los Angeles' busiest streets, talks about "replacing Kobe" were thrown around.
However, ESPN cited sources who quickly refuted the claims, as it was simply a vacation home and business headquarters.
"This is not a basketball decision," the source said. "He enjoys L.A. as a vacation spot and as a place to relax in the offseason. His entertainment business interests are continuing to expand, and it gives him a place to conduct business from in the offseason too."
Variety revealed the details of LeBron James' new crib. At a staggering $ 21 million, the "East Coast-style mansion on a plum block in an uber-pricey pocket of L.A.'s Brentwood community was designed by mansion specialist Ken Ungar, and custom built in 2011."
TMZ described Rockingham in Brentwood as one of the "most upscale and notorious" streets of LA, and they also shared that James will have the distinction of living just blocks away from "the home O.J. Simpson owned when his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman were found killed."
Why did LeBron spill out so much to live in the City of Angels? It's not to become neighbors with the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, but it would be a strategic location for him to manage his other business interests as ESPN noted.
"A handful of the entertainment platforms with which James does business -- Warner Brothers, Disney and Starz, as well as his own production company, SpringHill Entertainment, run by his friend and partner, Maverick Carter -- are based in the L.A. area."
Last August, it was reported that LeBron has sold his mansion in Coconut Grove, Florida.
