LeBron James reiterated his dream of bringing an NBA team to Las Vegas on Wednesday following the Lakers’ 119–115 loss to the Suns at T-Mobile Arena.
In the past, James has pointed at Sin City as the city where he hopes to become an NBA owner. When asked by a reporter about the love he receives from fans in Vegas, the four-time NBA champion praised them and gleefully doubled down on the idea.
“It’s wonderful, it’s the best fan base in the world and I’d love to bring a team here at some point,” James said. “That would be amazing. I know [NBA commissioner] Adam [Silver] is in Abu Dhabi right now I believe … with the Bucks and Atlanta, but he probably sees every single interview and transcript that comes through from NBA players. So, I want the team here Adam, thank you.”
With an estimated net worth of $1 billion, the idea of owning an NBA team isn’t very far off for James—though teams, unsurprisingly, come with a hefty price tag. Joseph Tsai paid $2.35 billion for the Nets in 2019, the highest price ever paid for a franchise. The Suns are currently for sale and it will reportedly be “the highest price ever paid for an NBA team,” one investment bank official said, per ESPN.
James publicly floated the idea of bringing a team to Las Vegas on HBO’s The Shop: Uninterrupted in June.
“I want to own a team,” James said. “I want to buy a team for sure. I want a team in Vegas. I want the team in Vegas.”
Silver shot down ideas of expansion in June and told reporters there is no current plan for it, though in October 2021 he said Las Vegas would be considered as a city if the NBA expands.
“We are not discussing that [expansion] at this time,” Silver said in June. “As I’ve said before, at some point, this league will invariably expand, just not at this moment.”
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