NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has spoken about expansion franchises, and one of the cities that continues to be mentioned is Las Vegas, Nevada. Will the gambling mecca of North America get an NBA franchise, and if so, how long until it does?
NBA Shining a Light on Las Vegas
On Tuesday night, the NBA Cup Championship was held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is simply another example of the NBA becoming more visible in Sin City, and it has generated plenty of speculation as to when an NBA franchise will call Las Vegas its home.
Seattle, the former home of the Supersonics until 2008, when the team relocated to Oklahoma City and became known as the Thunder, is one destination that has been thoroughly discussed. However, Las Vegas may have the inside track if an expansion will only include one new franchise.
Yet, according to Commissioner Adam Silver, more is better, and it is likely two new franchises will be established. If so, this increases the odds that Vegas will be home to five professional sports franchises following the NHL’s Golden Knights, the NFL’s Raiders, the WNBA’s Aces, and the current Oakland A’s that will be renamed in 2028 when their sparkling new stadium is projected to be completed.
Still in The Air
In a wide-ranging interview in November, Silver said, “Nothing’s been set, and we haven’t even determined whether to expand yet. My sense is that if we expanded, we’d do an even number because then we might have to do some adjustments in the conferences.”
Silver added, “But I think it makes sense to have two conferences of 16 teams if we were to do it. There have been times in the past in the NBA when we had an odd number, so it’s possible. But I think we most likely, if we were to expand, would look to expand to two cities.”
People Are Talking
NBA players appear to be on board with Las Vegas as the home of a new franchise. Oklahoma point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who recently played in the NBA Cup Championship at T-Mobile Arena, said, “I think it would be great. The Cup is here; the Summer League is here. We can feel the basketball culture in Vegas as players when we come. I think it’s only a matter of time. The city really embraces basketball, and they deserve it for sure.”
NBA veteran Damian Lillard believes that the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas won’t be a distraction once players get used to it. “I’m not 22 or 23 years old. I’ve been to Vegas many times, and I’ve had fun in Vegas,” Lillard said. “I’ve been here for Summer League playing. I’ve been here during Summer League. I’ve been here for a lot of fights; I’m a big boxing fan. I know what I’m here for this time, and it is not to enjoy Vegas.”
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said, “I love it as a host city. I mean, this city is a convention, big event city. This is a big event, so it’s perfect for this. … I’m assuming Vegas will be in the NBA someday. Baseball is here, football is here, and everything else is here, right? So, we need to come as well. I think it would be great. I think it will happen.”
