Arsenal director Josh Kroenke is president of NBA franchise Denver Nuggets and LeBron James has spoken about the pair's friendship
Josh Kroenke has been a pivotal part of Arsenal’s resurgence under Mikel Arteta but LeBron James could have helped him enjoy even greater success.
Son of owner Stan Kroenke, supporters have warmed to Josh, an Arsenal director, since his commitment to improve all aspects of the club in the aftermath of the Gunners’ controversial decision to join the European Super League in 2021. Having helped build the team that challenged for the Premier League title last season, the Gunners have spent a further £200m this summer.
Arsenal are not the only sports team that Josh Kroenke holds an interest in, though. He serves a president of both NHL franchise Colorado Avalanche and basketball team Denver Nuggets, who celebrated winning their first NBA Championship in 2023. However, the Nuggets could have been celebrating a league title much earlier if the junior Kroenke had managed to bring ‘King James’ to Denver, back in 2018, as the NBA superstar explained.
“The owner of the team is a very good friend of mine,” James said. “So uh, he discussed it a couple of times to me. And also he sent me the throwback jerseys that I think they’re wearing now, the white ones? With the mountains, I believe that’s on it.
“[He] said you’d look good in one of these. But we’ve been on vacation and things of that nature. We have a great friendship. But I didn’t give it much thought.”
It was reported that on the day the Nuggets requested a meeting with James, he signed for the LA Lakers, despite going on vacation around Italy in his yacht with Josh and another friend, two years earlier. He revealed that he first heard scouts talking about the four-time NBA champion during a high school basketball tournament in Europe, while James was only in the eighth grade.
“Fortunately a few years later I realised that eighth grader he referenced was this guy that no one’s ever heard of called LeBron James,’ Josh said. ‘It turned out it was a pretty good guess on that guy’s part. And I’d guess the eighth grader was a lot better than anything we were doing.“
Arsenal will be hoping to replicate the Nuggets’ recent success as the club attempt to win the Premier League for the first time in 20 years.
ticabdinsu
0
good 👍
itsdjepic
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without proper striker Arsenal will struggle with small teams as they will not let them play
Go and find the striker and send it to Arteta then. You think this is fifa 23?
Tuscdipstz
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Did they force you to read it? We anything relative to football and its development and the story make sense. So why the silly rake as if you're the one the writer?
vecabcky
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Everybody cares about Basketball 🏀 is the second sport people watch the most besides soccer.
Suubdlnuz
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without proper striker Arsenal will struggle with small teams as they will not let them play
Hasan87
3
the reason people downloaded this app is because it's name is "All football" . keep it to football only don't post about all these bullshit . Nobody cares about basketball .