LeBron still wants bring an NBA team to Vegas: ‘It just makes sense’

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James reiterated Monday that “it just makes sense” from a business perspective for the NBA to put an expansion team in Las Vegas, a team of which he would like to be a part-owner.

James pointed to the success other sports leagues have had operating in the city:

“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 a few times. You’ve got the NBA Summer League … I think adding an NBA franchise here would just add to the momentum that’s going on in this town.”

“I think it’s only a matter of time, and I hope I’m part of that time,” James said with a smile on his face.

James’ Lakers played a preseason game at T-Mobile in Las Vegas Monday night. This marks the second consecutive season the Lakers have played at least one preseason game in the city.

James made a plea to NBA commissioner Adam Silver after a preseason contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves last year to bring a team to Vegas.

“I would love to bring a team here at some point,” the 19-time All-Star said. “That would be amazing. I know Adam is in Abu Dhabi right now, I believe. But he probably sees every single interview and transcript that comes through from NBA players. So, I want the team here, Adam. Thank you.”

James already has had equity in the Fenway Sports Group that owns the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool FC since 2021. He increased his stake in the group earlier this year.

Silver told reporters at the APSE conference in July that the NBA was waiting for its new media rights deals to get done before looking at expansion. He noted adding more teams was “not a sure thing,” but it’s “natural that organizations grow over time.”

The commissioner cited Las Vegas and Seattle as two logical cities the league would consider if it decided to expand.