Las Vegas could take the next step toward landing an NBA expansion team Wednesday, with the initial step in the process up for vote at the league’s board of governors meetings in New York.
The league’s team ownership representatives are scheduled to vote on exploring expansion in Las Vegas and Seattle. To approve this key step in the expansion process, 23 of the 30 NBA owners must vote in favor of exploring expansion.
After talking about the potential for years, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in February that the league would take the next step at its meetings this week, either approving or denying exploring expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle.
Silver noted that he didn’t want it so to seem like he was stringing Las Vegas and Seattle along while mentioning both West Coast cities and expansion for so long.
The NBA would aim to have the teams in Las Vegas and Seattle begin play for the 2028-29 season. Should the teams be awarded to the two cities, the NBA would have to rearrange the Eastern and Western conferences to have the same amount of teams in both.
There are two known groups with interest in landing an NBA expansion team, one lead by NBA hall of famer and business mogul Earvin “Magic” Johnson and the other fronted by Golden Knights owner Bill Foley. NBA superstar LeBron James had initially expressed interest in being part of a Las Vegas NBA team’s ownership group, but he recently said he was no longer interested in that. James is a minority owner in Fenway Sports Group, who own multiple sports entities, including the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool FC.
Johnson’s group, the MAGI, met with Gov. Joe Lombardo last month to discuss NBA expansion. The group is interested in owning a team and potentially an arena/hotel-casino project, or partnering with another group on an arena.
“Las Vegas is my favorite home away from home, and I can’t think of a better place to expand my MJE (Magic Johnson Enterprises),” Johnson said in February,
Foley has said he would invest in $300 million in renovations at T-Mobile Arena should he land an NBA expansion team. Foley didn’t respond to request for comment Tuesday on his NBA expansion team ownership aspirations.
Las Vegas real estate group LVXP has presented plans for an NBA arena and resort project on the north Strip, and the Three Affiliated Tribes has also said they are interested in building an NBA arena on land next to where the Athletics are building their $2 billion, Major League Baseball stadium. Both groups haven’t spoken publicly in recent months about their plans.
Lombardo has met with multiple ownership groups regarding NBA expansion; a Lombardo spokesperson told the Review-Journal.
The expected expansion fee to be paid to the NBA and distributed among the 30 existing teams is between $7 billion and $10 billion.
Landing an NBA team would complete Las Vegas landing the big four of major professional sports, with the NHL kicking off in 2017 with the Golden Knights and the NFL in 2020 with the Raiders. The Athletics are set to begin Major League Baseball play in Las Vegas in 2028, and the NBA for the 2028-29 season, should the league approve expansion.
A group of Nevada delegates, including Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen Jacky Rosen, Rep. Dina Titus, Rep. Susie Lee, Rep. Mark Amodei and Rep Steven Horsford are in support of Las Vegas landing an expansion team, with the six politicians signing and sending a letter of support to the NBA last week.
“Expanding the NBA to Las Vegas would further strengthen the leagues standing not only in the United States, but internationally, serving as a meaningful step towards increasing NBA reach into global markets,” the letter read.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.