Las Vegas sports predictions for promising 2025

Another wild year is about to conclude as Las Vegas continues to expand its footprint as a global sports destination.

It’s still wild to think the Super Bowl was played this year at Allegiant Stadium, something that was silly to even dream about a decade ago.

But it’s only the start.

The Final Four, the College Football Playoff national championship game and even the Frozen Four are on the way in the next few years, along with the continuing disappointment that is our Formula One race.

And, of course, another Super Bowl is undoubtedly set to be announced in the near future.

That’s just the big picture stuff.

There also have been plenty of stories locally from the success of the Golden Knights to the struggles of the Raiders, the end of the Aces’ WNBA reign and even the first playoff appearance for the Lights of the United Soccer League.

The UNLV football team had enough storylines to make a movie, as they somehow went through wild NIL drama, conference realignment and a coaching staff with one foot out the door to put together perhaps the best season in school history.

It seems like a fool’s errand to try to predict what’s next, but that won’t stop us from trying.

Here’s some predictions as the calendar turns to 2025:

1. NBA finally makes it official

Las Vegas always has been a basketball town, and the NBA bringing an expansion team here went from likely to inevitable the moment the Knights had so much success at the box office from day one.

It’s going to happen, and this seems like the year it finally will be announced.

The only remaining questions are which of the competing projects and ownership groups is selected for a franchise that is a slam dunk to be a success.

One of the holdups had been the league’s insistence on getting the new media rights deals done before considering expansion. Those got wrapped up last year, so it should be full steam ahead.

There are plenty of details to be worked out in regards to the Las Vegas franchise, but 2025 is possibly the year we learn all that information.

The NBA could even arrive at the same time as baseball because …

2. The A’s move to Las Vegas will be delayed

Look, the Athletics are coming.

There are plenty of people, perhaps even those typing these words, who have hoped publicly and privately that the deal falls apart and Las Vegas gets baseball in a manner that doesn’t include John Fisher.

But the stadium will get built, and the A’s are coming to Las Vegas because the deal is too appealing for MLB to turn away from and the powers that be locally are behind it.

Even if it isn’t in 2028 as planned.

At some point in the next few months, the target date will be adjusted to opening day 2029, as the series of small hangups start to add up to the point that the current timeline doesn’t work.

3. Raiders get their guy

A late-season victory over the Jaguars might have made the Raiders a long shot to get the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, leaving the Giants to probably take Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, but they still need a quarterback.

They will do what it takes to make it happen. While general manager Tom Telesco isn’t known for blockbuster deals to move up in the first round, he will orchestrate a trade to get into the top three and select the likely second quarterback off the board. That’s probably Cam Ward.

The teams currently projected to pick behind the Giants probably aren’t in the quarterback market, so they should be open for business. Still, that win over the Jaguars could haunt them.

4. Deep Knights run falls short

This is starting to feel much more like the Stanley Cup champion Knights team than the one that made an early exit last season.

It’s a good roster with all the components to make a deep playoff run, and they will.

But the Knights won’t raise the Cup again. They will lose the Stanley Cup Final in six games to the Capitals, the team that beat them in Vegas’ inaugural season.

Still, it will be another great season for one of the most successful expansion franchises in major sports history.

5. Full circle

UFC president Dana White said this year’s event at Sphere would be a one-off because of the enormous production costs.

But there’s no way he can stick to that. There are contractual issues between the UFC and MGM that need to be worked out, which will be a bigger holdup to a return than the cost.

White always finds a way, though. He will announce a return.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.