LeBron James has made it clear he wants to own an NBA team in Las Vegas, and after the Los Angeles Lakers‘ preseason game in Nevada, he explained why.
“It just makes sense,” James said. “Obviously you have the Raiders here, you have the (Golden Knights) here, you have the Aces here. You got F1 coming very soon. All-Star Weekend has been here a few times. You’ve got the NBA Summer League that’s very popular. Sports is here.”
James believes it is only a matter of time before an NBA team is formed in Las Vegas and is hoping to be a part of it.
“I think adding an NBA franchise here would just add to the momentum that’s going on in this town,” James continued. “It’s an attraction. You don’t have to worry about getting fan support… I think it’s only right. I think it’s only a matter of time and I hope I’m part of that time.”
LeBron James on why he wants to own the NBA’s potential expansion team in Las Vegas: pic.twitter.com/FjrCNlkxae
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 10, 2023
Last year, LeBron had sent a clear message to Commissioner Adam Silver that he wanted to own an NBA team in Las Vegas. James stated they have the best fanbase in the world, and he seems determined to pounce on the opportunity when it does arise.
Silver was very happy to hear that LeBron wanted to own a team in Las Vegas. He felt it was healthy for the league to have a life cycle where players move into ownership.
LeBron James Is Going To Face Competition From A Former Teammate
Considering Las Vegas is such a great location for a team, LeBron was, of course, going to face stiff competition. Silver also stated there is an enormous interest in having an expansion team in the Las Vegas market. While some business tycoons would be in the mix, a former teammate of LeBron will be as well.
Shaquille O’Neal said he wants to own an expansion team in Las Vegas, and he doesn’t want to partner with anybody. O’Neal has been living there for over 20 years and owns 9-10 restaurants in the area as well. He wants to grow with Vegas, as would most businessmen.
While O’Neal is an incredibly rich individual, with a net worth of around $400 million, even he can’t afford to buy a team by himself. It’ll be very interesting to see how this whole situation pans out, but we’ll have to wait for a while for it.
The NBA’s Expansion Plans
For all the talk regarding the expansion, it is still some ways away. Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum spoke about expansion recently, and he made it clear the discussions will only really commence after the current media deals expire.
Tatum stated while there is enough talent to go around, they won’t focus on expansion prior to the expiration of the deals. Well, the media deals will expire in 2025, so don’t expect any new teams for a couple of years at least. Once they end, you also wonder how long the whole process will drag out.
There will be a lot of options to choose from too, as there’ll be interest across the U.S. to get a team. Las Vegas seems certain to get one, though, as the location is just perfect. The interest in basketball is clearly there too, with the WNBA stating that the Las Vegas Aces averaged a league-high 9,551 fans per game this season.
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