Las Vegas has been booming as a sports city over the past decade. The NHL’s Golden Knights, an expansion team, won the Stanley Cup in the 2023. The WNBA’s Aces have won three championships in four years (2022, 2023, and 2025). The Raiders, who came from Oakland, have not had as much success in Sin City. MLB, too, plans to have a Vegas franchise in the future, with the A’s (formerly the Oakland Athletics) set to move there by 2028.
All this is not to say that the NBA’s presence in Las Vegas is lackluster. The NBA first held its Summer League there in 2004. And recently, the NBA has increased its presence in the area with the NBA Cup. Formerly the In-Season Tournament, this tournament has been held in Las Vegas since 2023.
Is Las Vegas The Right City For NBA Expansion?
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed that all 30 NBA team owners voted to explore expansion opportunities, with Seattle and Vegas being exclusively scouted.
Seattle is a city with plenty of basketball prestige. The Seattle SuperSonics made the finals three times and won it all in 1979. This was before they became the Oklahoma City Thunder. Seattle was also home to lockdown defenders and league superstars Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton during their primes.
Despite this, there is only one investor group interested in owning a Seattle expansion team. This is led by Samantha Holloway, who also owns the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
Las Vegas, on the other hand, is bursting with a handful of investors interested in an NBA franchise. However, is it the right place for a team?
A Word From The Wise
Both the Aces and the Golden Knights have established themselves as popular teams in Las Vegas. However, both have largely been helped by their early arrival in the city and their respective championship success.
Despite their less-than-stellar performance on the field, Raiders games still sell out, according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. This is due to the massive amount of tourism in Las Vegas. Additionally, fans of visiting teams buy tickets to see their favorite squads play in Sin City.
Sports are not Las Vegas’ main draw. However, with many entertainment options come many customers. The Aces’ popularity proves that people in Vegas care about basketball. This suggests that a homegrown NBA team will have a strong fanbase as well. Nevada doesn’t collect income tax, which may also attract some NBA players.
The massive number of investors does not hurt Vegas’ chances either. Bids on expansion teams are expected to fall between $7-10 billion, per ESPN. And Las Vegas is brimming with potential investors who have money to spend.
The Oak View Group is interested in team ownership, as well as building a brand-new arena on the South Strip. The LVXP Group is also bidding for ownership and an arena on the North Strip. Even Magic Johnson‘s MAGI Group wants in, with the goal of renovating T-Mobile Arena.
Other Locations
Aside from Seattle and Las Vegas, there are other cities with the potential to house NBA franchises. Vancouver was previously home to the team that is now the Memphis Grizzlies. Mexico City hosted regular-season games in the past and now has its own G-League team. Kansas boasts several Division 1 basketball teams, and a team in Kansas City could be supported by the existing basketball culture in the area.
In a statement after Wednesday’s vote, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said:
“Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball. We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”
However, with the league reviewing expansion opportunities in Seattle and Las Vegas, the windows for other cities have officially been closed. The NBA hopes to complete the process before the 2028-29 season. Only time will tell if Las Vegas and Seattle are the best expansion markets, or if others lie untapped, waiting to be discovered.
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