Three months aft the NBA officially began exploring Las Vegas arsenic a imaginable determination for an enlargement franchise, a fig of funny ownership groups and arena sites are successful play.
There are aggregate groups looking astatine landing the caller franchise and perchance gathering a caller arena successful Las Vegas, a idiosyncratic with cognition of the concern told the Review-Journal.
One group, the MAGI, led by NBA fable turned businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson, expressed involvement successful Las Vegas successful February, earlier the ballot to research Las Vegas and Seattle for enlargement occurred. Johnson and members of his radical met with Gov. Joe Lombardo and different civic leaders successful narration to expansion.
Sports and amusement seasoned Andre Cleveland (left) poses for a photograph with Gov. Joe Lombardo and NBA fable Magic Johnson, during an NBA enlargement acme successful Las Vegas successful February. (Courtesy: David Becker)
Other notable radical progressive successful groups see Golden Knights proprietor Bill Foley, who announced his bid officially connected Monday, and erstwhile Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry.
NBA superstar and part-time Las Vegas nonmigratory Shaquille O’Neal is besides funny successful being portion of an ownership group, according to his Las Vegas-based concern manager Perry Rogers. Rogers said they’ve had conversations with assorted ownership groups.
“I’m very, precise excited for Las Vegas,” Rogers said. “For america to person an NBA squad present is the close fit. I deliberation Las Vegas has been a hoops municipality for a agelong time, and I deliberation this is the adjacent measurement successful that evolution.”
One root besides said that Michael Jordan’s sanction has been mentioned by members of ownership groups, noting the billionaire six-time NBA champion was perchance funny successful being portion of a group. There haven’t been nonstop talks with Jordan and country officials, a root said.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a quality league pursuing a gathering of the NBA's committee of governors astatine the Thomas & Mack Center connected Tuesday, July 15, 2025, successful Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
The constitution of the bulk of the groups vying for the enlargement franchise is similar, including idiosyncratic with NBA ties, a idiosyncratic from a large developer and enactment from radical with heavy pockets, a root said.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that helium hopes to person the reply to whether oregon not the league volition grow by the extremity of the twelvemonth but noted this period that helium doesn’t expect the reply coming this summer, erstwhile the NBA committee of governors conscionable during Summer League, July 9-19.
Lombardo has had meetings with aggregate imaginable ownership groups and has had continued dialog with the NBA connected the enlargement process, according to spokesperson Drew Galang.
The New York Knicks conflict against the Orlando Magic during the 2nd fractional of their NBA Cup semifinals crippled astatine T-Mobile Arena connected Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, successful Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
MGM sway
With MGM Resorts International being the largest leader successful the authorities and the institution having 3 arena’s that big assorted events, including nonrecreational sports, the gaming elephantine volition apt person a batch to bash with wherever an NBA arena is built, aggregate sources said.
Even if an arena lands extracurricular of their galore Las Vegas properties, wherever an NBA arena ends up volition request to person a blessing of sorts from MGM Resorts, sources said.
Potential NBA arena sites
There are adjacent much imaginable arena sites than determination are funny ownership groups. Some person been successful the works for respective years, with a fewer being disclosed aft the NBA’s determination to look astatine Las Vegas.
T-Mobile Arena, wherever a imaginable Las Vegas NBA enlargement squad could play, is seen connected on Las Vegas Boulevard connected Monday, May 4, 2026. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye
T-Mobile Arena
If Foley’s bid to onshore an NBA squad is successful, T-Mobile Arena would go the location of an enlargement team. Foley has antecedently stated that helium plans to enactment hundreds of millions of dollars into the 10-year-old installation should helium onshore an NBA team.
Part of the upgrades could see tearing retired the West VIP parking batch and gathering a improvement for an NBA team, a root said.
This spring, MGM Resorts president and CEO Bill Hornbuckle said that T-Mobile is steadily successful the NBA conversations and that the arena could beryllium a imperishable oregon impermanent location to an NBA team.
One root said it would beryllium pugnacious to stake against Foley being portion of an ownership group.
North Strip
Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom said helium thinks the North Strip, which is portion of his committee district, is the cleanable spot for an NBA arena. There are 3 sites wherever an arena could beryllium built, and Segerblom thinks having it distant from T-Mobile Arena, the Athletics under-construction ballpark and Allegiant Stadium, would beryllium best.
“You look astatine wherever it belongs, and it belongs connected the North Strip,” Segerblom said. “People from downtown Las Vegas could come, we person the space, we person the caller hotels, it conscionable makes a batch of sense.”
A batch adjacent to Resorts World, wherever an NBA arena could beryllium built, is seen connected Monday, May 4, 2026, successful Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye
Resorts World
Resorts World has undeveloped onshore astir the spot wherever an NBA arena could beryllium built. In March, Resorts World president, caput and treasurer Carlos Castro said the spot boasts premier onshore for a caller arena.
The tract has aggregate groups interested, including Oak View Group, according to a source.
Johnson and his MAGI group’s gathering with Lombardo and different country leaders took spot astatine Resorts World.
Having an arena connected the North Strip could assistance pull radical to the country that has struggled comparative to those further southbound connected Las Vegas Boulevard.
The tract is considered a beardown contender amongst the imaginable NBA arena sites, according to sources.
The Las Vegas Festival Grounds, wherever an NBA arena could beryllium built, is seen connected on Las Vegas Boulevard connected Monday, May 4, 2026. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye
Las Vegas Festival Grounds
The Las Vegas Festival Grounds, located connected the southwest country of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue, is besides a tract of interest. Owned by edifice magnate Phil Ruffin, the 37 acres were erstwhile connected the Athletics radar earlier the MLB squad decided to physique their $2 cardinal ballpark connected the tract of the erstwhile Tropicana.
The onshore would beryllium perfect for a radical looking to physique an arena and ancillary development. The tract would beryllium a operator for North Strip traffic, but the Resort World crippled is simply a much charismatic determination for groups not looking to physique much than an arena, according to a source.
Ruffin’s adjunct did not respond to a petition for remark connected imaginable funny successful putting an NBA arena connected the onshore oregon if helium was unfastened to selling the crippled to an funny group.
The 27-acre tract that formerly held by the Wet ‘n Wild waterpark, wherever an NBA arena could beryllium built, is seen connected the Strip southbound of Sahara connected Monday, May 4, 2026, successful Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye
LVXP
Las Vegas existent property steadfast LVXP picked up wherever erstwhile NBA and UNLV hoops subordinate Jackie Robinson near off. The radical announced plans and hired an arena decorator and designer successful 2024, but the radical has been mostly quiescent and the 27 acres person sat untouched, arsenic it did for years portion Robinson was looking to make the All Net Arena project. Despite the deficiency of action, the tract is inactive successful play, according to Segerblom.
Segerblom said that he’s had dialog with 2 groups who person expressed involvement successful the LVXP tract for an arena for an NBA team. He said helium wasn’t capable to connection further details connected the groups, owed to confidentiality agreements.
Caesars Entertainment land
Moving distant from the North Strip, onshore located down 3 Caesars Entertainment properties, the Horseshoe, Paris and Planet Hollywood is besides successful play, according to a source. One radical is funny successful gathering an NBA arena, on with an open-air stadium to location a Major League Soccer team, a idiosyncratic with cognition of the concern noted.
Caesars Entertainment did not respond to a petition for remark connected the imaginable for sports venues to beryllium built connected their land.
The tract has been floated arsenic a imaginable determination for an arena successful the past, but thing has ever materialized connected the site. Formula One uses a information of the tract to store infrastructure for the Las Vegas Grand Prix and besides utilized portions of the tract for spectator zones for contention weekend. The Las Vegas Grand Prix and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority this period extended the contention done 2037, truthful it remains to beryllium seen however that could impact plans to physique sports arenas connected the site.
BattleBots Arena is located connected the land, conscionable down the Horseshoe, wherever unrecorded matches of the robot combat amusement are held.
The buying halfway connected northeast country of Las Vegas Boulevard and Four Seasons Drive, wherever an NBA arena could beryllium built, is seen connected Las Vegas Boulevard connected Monday, May 4, 2026. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye
Las Vegas Diamond Arena
In April, plans for the Las Vegas Diamond Arena were unveiled, with a planned 21,212-seat arena to beryllium built connected 11 acres located connected the northeast country of Las Vegas Boulevard and Four Seasons Drive, crossed from the Mandalay Bay.
The task would see aggregate stakeholders, including Chetak Development, Inc., which owns immoderate of the 11 acres wherever the arena is being planned for.
Desert Diamond would besides diagnostic astir 18,000 parking spaces and person a 100,000-square-foot ground-level plaza and 140,000 quadrate feet of squad and broadcast facilities.
The tract would beryllium lone travel to fruition if an ownership radical partnered with the backers of the projected arena.
The Oct. 1 shooting site, wherever an NBA arena could beryllium built, is seen connected Las Vegas Boulevard connected Monday, May 4, 2026. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye
Three Affiliated Tribes
The Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation besides person involvement successful gathering an NBA arena connected a information of 23 acres they own, which includes the tract of the Route 91 Harvest fest wide shooting.
The radical bought the Strip onshore for $115 cardinal and had plans for a hotel-casino and a imaginable arena. In 2024, Mark Fox, president of the Three Affiliated Tribes, said during a Tribal Business Council gathering that fiscal backers of an NBA enlargement radical said they wanted to conscionable to sermon their tract arsenic a imaginable tract for an arena.
After floating the arena task successful precocious 2024, the radical person been reasonably quiet, but sources accidental the tract is inactive successful the running.
Bali Hai Golf Course, wherever an NBA arena could beryllium built, is seen connected Las Vegas Boulevard connected Monday, May 4, 2026. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye
Bali Hai Golf Course
After antecedently announcing plans to physique an NBA area/resort task connected Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road, lone to propulsion retired of those plans and see onshore adjacent the Rio and Resort World, Oak View Group is besides looking to bargain Bali Hai Golf Club, wherever they could perchance physique an arena, aggregate sources said.
In October, Clark County Commission Chairman Michael Naft recommended that the region auction disconnected implicit 90 acres of the 149-acre site. The region would support the remaining land.
The region wouldn’t beryllium the lone subordinate successful the transaction, arsenic famed gambler Billy Walters signed a 99-year lease to run the play course, which expires successful 2098. Walters would beryllium successful for a payday should the onshore beryllium auctioned.
The Raiders had the tract connected their archetypal database of imaginable sites wherever they could physique an NFL stadium, earlier opting for the 62 acres connected Russell Road crossed Interstate 15, wherever Allegiant Stadium was built.
The World Market Center connected Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025 successful Las Vegas. (Liv Paggiarino/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
World Market Center
In April, Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley pitched a 20-acre crippled successful downtown Las Vegas, located adjacent to the World Market Center and owned by plus manager Blackstone.
Berkley had an introductory gathering via telephone with Silver this month, aft she pitched the downtown site.
“It was an introductory call, and the politician looks guardant to aboriginal conversations arsenic the NBA’s enlargement process continues,” metropolis spokesperson Jace Radke said.
Despite the mayor’s ambitions, aggregate sources said the progressive ownership groups person not shown involvement successful downtown and privation to beryllium connected oregon adjacent the Strip. Additionally, Blackstone hasn’t indicated if they were funny successful gathering an NBA arena connected their land.
A vacant batch wherever an NBA arena could beryllium built is seen connected the northwest country of Las Vegas Boulevard and Starr Avenue connected Monday, May 4, 2026, successful Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye
Starr Vegas
In April, plans for a lofty task called Starr Vegas were announced, which includes a $10 cardinal improvement connected 63 aces located connected the northwest country of Las Vegas Boulevard and Starr Avenue.
The improvement would see an NBA acceptable arena, a MLS acceptable shot stadium, and a mixed-use development. The task is being led by Chuck Haifley, a broadcast manufacture veteran, who said they could physique an arena without an NBA squad signed arsenic an anchor tenant. Haifley expressed involvement successful creating a World Series of boxing and mixed-martial arts to beryllium held astatine the arena.
The determination of the projected analyzable is apt excessively acold from the Strip and considered by aggregate sources arsenic having the lowest probability of coming to fruition.
Contact Mick Akers astatine makers@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers connected X.
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