The NBA rumor mill has begun to spin again. The news this time comes from Las Vegas, where there are rumors of a possible NBA team being set up. Funnily enough, it was Michael Jordan who in 2005 first showed interest in possibly buying a team in Las Vegas. Now almost 2 decades later a $10,000,000,000 budget has been privately raised for the construction of an entertainment center in Las Vegas.
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The entertainment center is the brainchild of Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke. Tim Leiweke has even bumped up his initial budget substantially to attract investors, especially NBA team owners or possible future owners. Tim believes that the center would make for a perfect home arena for anyone looking to buy an NBA franchise in Las Vegas.
This seems to have flown under the radar today. If the Las Vegas group is dropping $10B of private money to build an NBA-ready arena, they have to feel like they are getting an expansion team.
I’m guessing Seattle & Las Vegas are announced within 3 years.https://t.co/rr90MgoFlp
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 21, 2023
The NBA eyes Seattle and Vegas as Adam Silver hints at a possible expansion
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has bought about a series of changes since his appointment in 2014. Of the many changes, Commissioner Silver has also talked about a possible expansion in the number of NBA teams. Currently, most cities with the potential of managing an NBA team already do. Though Seattle and Las Vegas often come to mind when discussing possible cities for expansion.
Supersonics legend Ray Allen has on multiple occasions addressed the need for Seattle to have an NBA team. Allen believes that the city has one of the richest basketball cultures in the country and its impact alone should put it on top of the list as contenders for an expansion team. Seattle did have an NBA team till 2008-09, after which the team shifted to Okhlama after the franchise was bought out.
But Alan is not the only player who has expressed the need for an expansion. LeBron James, Allen’s former teammate also expressed a desire of having an expansion team, though King James is more interested in owning a team in the city of Las Vegas.
Just like LeBron, Jordan expressed the same desire of owning a team in Vegas, though be it almost 2-decades ago. Vegas on paper seems like a sounder decision, as the betting laws of the state make it a more favorable place to own a sports franchise.
Jordan parts ways with The Hornets, as No.23 may eye a fresh start with another franchise
Michael Jordan has finally parted ways with the dumpster fire that is the Charlette Hornets. Used to always winning, Michael failed miserably with the franchise but got a $3,000,000,000 consolation prize by selling his majority share this last week.
But knowing Jordan, many speculate that the Bulls Legend is not going to take the failure lying down. The competitive spirit which drove him during his playing days still seems to be alive.
With a fresh injection of capital, it is highly possible Michael might try to restart his team-building project elsewhere. With his comments 18- years ago about wanting to own a franchise in Las Vegas, it seems even more likely that Michael may make a move now that the groundwork has already been set for the stadium.
