LeBron James has made no secret of his desire to elevate NASCAR talent. In the surge to find the next Bubba Wallace, last week, the LeBron James Family Foundation announced they will be helping a student from Akron, Ohio, live their dreams of being a racecar driver. While his philanthropic efforts outside the basketball court come as no surprise, his NBA team also has a NASCAR connection now!
In the stunning twist that blends hardwood legacy with horsepower, one NASCAR team is now part of the same ownership family as the Los Angeles Lakers. With the iconic NBA team changing hands from the legendary Buss family and billionaire sports mogul Mark Walter stepping in, this powerhouse crossover could reshape the way NASCAR connects with major league fandom, and LeBron’s vision could finally be hitting full throttle.
Lakers ownership shake-up brings NASCAR into the spotlight
According to Jeff Gluck on X, Spire Motorsports is officially joining the same ownership family as the Los Angeles Lakers under new majority owner Mark Walter. Jeff posted, saying, “Spire Motorsports will now be part of the same family as the Los Angeles Lakers.” Here’s the backstory: After nearly 46 years under the Buss family, the Lakers are set to sell control to Mark Walter, head of TWG global, which also controls the Dodgers and soccer team Chelsea FC. The Lakers franchise is being valued at a record-shattering $10 billion, adding another mega asset to Walter’s expanding sports empire.
That means Spire Motorsports will now sit under the same supergroup. TWG already launched TWG Motorsports last year, uniting Cadillac F1, Andretti Global, and now Spire under one advanced motorsports umbrella. Spire Motorsports (NASCAR Cup and Truck Series), Wayne Taylor Racing (IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship), and Walkinshaw Andretti United (Repco Supercars Championship) round out TWG Motorsports’ current team roster.
Spire Motorsports will now be part of the same family as the Los Angeles Lakers. https://t.co/sGXYlU8Rah
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 18, 2025
LeBron’s longtime friend and agent, Rich Paul, and Klutch Sports have also become key players, as Klutch was recently tapped to lead NASCAR’s search for a new Xfinity Series sponsor. This move gives NASCAR deeper access to elite-level sports infrastructure. Spire can now tap into cutting-edge marketing tactics, Karwe leadership experience shaped by F1 and MLB champions, and major sponsorship negotiation horsepower courtesy of Klutch and TWG.
That’s beyond strategy; it’s pit-to-pocket power. It’s also deeply personal for LeBron. He’s previously used this platform to support Bubba Wallace, including bringing Fenway Sports into partnership with Roush Fenway for Wallace’s Xfinity efforts back in 2011. With Spire now riding in the Lakers’ ownership car, it’s not just driver development; it’s also driver spotlight, big league visibility, and perhaps national TV moments that echo arena fame.
The potential? Spire becomes a NASCAR powerhouse backed by a global sports conglomerate, turning underdog ambition into headline dominance.
LeBron puts promise into practice
While boardrooms and billion-dollar sales made headlines, it was a heartfelt exchange between LeBron James and a teenager from his hometown that best captured what this crossover means. During a virtual Q&A hosted by the LeBron James family foundation, CeCe Wilson, Junior at STEM high school in Akron and a member of LeBron’s I Promise program, opened up about his dream of becoming a racecar driver. But that dream, he admitted, came with a painful caveat: “My real passion is to be a race car driver, and that’s like a real hard access sport, since you already have to be, like, rich.”
Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently warned that the price of entry has been soaring. “You need that $50 million charter. And that charter is going to be a hundred million, 150 million, 200… It’s going to be to the moon.” For kids like CeCe, the road from dream to reality isn’t just long, it’s nearly impossible.
It was the kind of blunt truth that rarely gets a chance in motorsport. And CeCe wasn’t wrong. Racing has long been a high-barrier sport. But LeBron didn’t flinch.
He met with CeCe’s challenge head-on. “Say no more, CeCe. I’ll get right on there. Over the last few years, we’ve made a lot of connections with a lot of people in NASCAR, and if that’s something that you’re super passionate about, we will make sure that you will get to some events, be able to be there, get into the cockpit, see some of the cars, how they’re built, how these guys race. We will get that done. I can’t get a lot of those things done, but I can get that done for you.” And he did.
Through his foundation and in collaboration with RFK Racing, LeBron arranged a full VIP NASCAR experience for Wilson. He received a garage tour, access to the pit lane, one-on-one time with drivers, and a behind-the-scenes look at how a top-tier race team operates. The timing of this unforgettable trip couldn’t have been better either. RFK racing was riding a wave of momentum following a triple top 10 finish at Michigan, with their eyes firmly set on a breakthrough win in 2025.
So, with the Los Angeles Lakers going under a NASCAR-linked umbrella, LeBron’s aspirations to help budding racecar drivers just got more realistic. What do you think of Mark Walter’s latest acquisition? Let us know in the comments!
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