LeBron James was spotted in Saudi Arabia just weeks after joking he would play there amid rumors of a two-year, $1 billion deal

LeBron James was spotted in Saudi Arabia just weeks after he joked he might play there in the future amid rumors that he was about to receive a $1 billion contract offer from a basketball team there.

The 38-year-old Lakers star shared a selfie of Bader bin Farhan Alsaud – the kingdom’s culture minister – on his Instagram Story on Thursday with the caption: ‘Love my brother!!!’ See you next.’

James’ agent Maverick Carter and two other people were also in the group photo.

The reason the four-time NBA champion was in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, this week is unclear, although an online report claims James has been invited to a friendly at AZM Academy.

Footage of James leaving a building with several business people went viral on social media just a few days ago.

LeBron James (center) with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture Bader bin Farhan Alsaud (front)

Earlier this week footage of James leaving him with Saudi businessmen went viral on social media

However, Lakers fans shouldn’t worry about “The King” leaving the Purple and Gold anytime soon, although it doesn’t seem entirely unrealistic that James could be playing in the Middle Eastern country for a huge sum of money once he time has his NBA career.

In July, James shared a GIF of Forrest Gump sprinting to show fans how quickly he’d go to Saudi Arabia if he was paid an incredible amount of money to play there.

Kylian Mbappe – a French soccer superstar for Paris Saint-German – received a $776m offer to play for Al-Hilal in the summer but turned it down in favor of continuing to play in Europe.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo previously revealed he would transfer to Saudi Arabia if he got an offer he couldn’t refuse.

James has two years left on his $99 million contract with the Lakers, including a player option

James, who has been linked to a two-year, $1 billion deal to play for Al-Hilal, it is said athletemay be in turmoil following his visit to Saudi Arabia over human rights abuses in the kingdom.

But that hasn’t stopped other superstar athletes from relocating there, including Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, who now live in the country.

It’s been a busy summer for James, whose eldest son, Bronny, is still recovering from cardiac arrest in July. The new USC player was later diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.

James also attended a Drake concert and an LA Dodgers game on his bobblehead night with his family last month.

He has two years left on his $99 million contract with the Lakers, including a player option for the 2024-25 season. James has previously stated that if his son is drafted by an NBA team, he would like to be on the same team that takes on Bronny.