LeBron James is playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, but he's reportedly thinking about living in and commuting from New York City.
This would be unbelievably cruel and embarrassing for the literal city of brotherly love, and absolutely fantastic for New Yorkers, who would be rooting against King James on the court while cheering about the cash that he'll potentially be contributing to our coffers via the state's new pied-à-terre tax.
Under the new law, championed by Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, owners of co-ops or condos with a tax valuation of $1 million or more will be hit with a surcharge of up to 6.5 percent, while owners of one to three family homes valued at $5 million or more will pay a surcharge of up to 1.3 percent.
Despite rumors of helicopter commuting, James himself has not indicated that he plans to live in New York City for the season, but it would make sense for the NBA's only actively playing billionaire. He already has a nationwide $70 million property portfolio which reportedly spans lavish estates in Ohio, Miami, and Los Angeles. So why not add to his portfolio by investing in the Big Apple?
I have put together three perfect options for James in Manhattan, each near a heliport, with a rough estimate of the (rather reasonable!) second home surcharge he would pay.
Like any good real estate broker, I have considered everything I need to consider: his height (6'9"), budget (net worth: $1.4 billion), family size (one wife, three kids), hobbies (golf, yoga, watching "Tom & Jerry"), and proximity to said heliport. Cue the Alicia Keys.