by David P. Greisman

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has long enjoyed bragging about his prowess in gambling on sports, often posting images of winning betting slips showing monstrous wagers that turned out to be successful.

Those days may be numbered, though.

“You guys know I like to bet on sports, but I’m looking forward to stepping back from betting in sports now. I’m looking forward to probably getting into ownership of an NBA team,” Mayweather said at a Feb. 29 press conference for a bout between Ashley Theophane, whom he promotes, and Adrien Broner.

But which team?

“I don’t really know right now,” he said.

This isn’t a new desire from Mayweather, who is a big basketball fan, enjoys playing and has been seen at courtside. In fact, it was at a Miami Heat game that Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao had an impromptu conversation that finally led to them facing each other in 2015.

In 2014, Mayweather told reporters he was interested in purchasing the Los Angeles Clippers after then-owner Donald Sterling became embattled over racist comments.

“I called Al today about that to see if me, Leonard and Al, and hopefully Richard and a couple of other guys, a couple other of my billionaire guys, we can come together and see what we can come up with,” Mayweather said back then, according to an article at the time by Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.

“Once I get ownership in the Clippers I can no longer bet, so I have to stop that completely,” he acknowledged back then.

Steve Ballmer wound up purchasing the Clippers that year.

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