LAS VEGAS >> Three months after the NBA officially began exploring Las Vegas as a potential location for an expansion franchise, a number of interested ownership groups and arena sites are in play.
There are multiple groups looking at landing the new franchise and potentially building a new arena in Las Vegas, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Review-Journal.
One group, the MAGI, led by NBA legend turned businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson, expressed interest in Las Vegas in February, before the vote to explore Las Vegas and Seattle for expansion occurred. Johnson and members of his group met with Gov. Joe Lombardo and other civic leaders in relation to expansion.
Other notable people involved in groups include Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, who announced his bid officially on Monday, and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry.
NBA superstar and part-time Las Vegas resident Shaquille O’Neal is also interested in being part of an ownership group, according to his Las Vegas-based business manager Perry Rogers. Rogers said they’ve had conversations with various ownership groups.
“I’m very, very excited for Las Vegas,” Rogers said. “For us to have an NBA team here is the right fit. I think Las Vegas has been a basketball town for a long time, and I think this is the next step in that evolution.”
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One source also said that Michael Jordan’s name has been mentioned by members of ownership groups, noting the billionaire six-time NBA champion was potentially interested in being part of a group. There haven’t been direct talks with Jordan and area officials, a source said.
The makeup of the majority of the groups vying for the expansion franchise is similar, including somebody with NBA ties, a person from a major developer and support from people with deep pockets, a source said.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that he hopes to have the answer to whether or not the league will expand by the end of the year but noted this month that he doesn’t anticipate the answer coming this summer, when the NBA board of governors meet during Summer League, July 9-19.
Lombardo has had meetings with multiple potential ownership groups and has had continued dialogue with the NBA on the expansion process, according to spokesman Drew Galang.
MGM sway
With MGM Resorts International being the largest employer in the state and the company having three arena’s that host various events, including professional sports, the gaming giant will likely have a lot to do with where an NBA arena is built, multiple sources said.
Even if an arena lands outside of their many Las Vegas properties, where an NBA arena ends up will need to receive a blessing of sorts from MGM Resorts, sources said.
Potential NBA arena sites
There are even more possible arena sites than there are interested ownership groups. Some have been in the works for several years, with a few being disclosed after the NBA’s move to look at Las Vegas.
T-Mobile Arena
If Foley’s bid to land an NBA team is successful, T-Mobile Arena would become the home of an expansion team. Foley has previously stated that he plans to put hundreds of millions of dollars into the 10-year-old facility should he land an NBA team.
Part of the upgrades could include tearing out the West VIP parking lot and building a development for an NBA team, a source said.
This spring, MGM Resorts president and CEO Bill Hornbuckle said that T-Mobile is steadily in the NBA conversations and that the arena could be a permanent or temporary home to an NBA team.
One source said it would be tough to bet against Foley being part of an ownership group.
North Strip
Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom said he thinks the North Strip, which is part of his commission district, is the perfect spot for an NBA arena. There are three sites where an arena could be built, and Segerblom thinks having it away from T-Mobile Arena, the Athletics under-construction ballpark and Allegiant Stadium, would be best.
“You look at where it belongs, and it belongs on the North Strip,” Segerblom said. “People from downtown Las Vegas could come, we have the space, we have the new hotels, it just makes a lot of sense.”
Resorts World
Resorts World has undeveloped land around the property where an NBA arena could be built. In March, Resorts World president, secretary and treasurer Carlos Castro said the property boasts prime land for a new arena.
The site has multiple groups interested, including Oak View Group, according to a source.
Johnson and his MAGI group’s meeting with Lombardo and other area leaders took place at Resorts World.
Having an arena on the North Strip could help attract people to the area that has struggled comparative to those further south on Las Vegas Boulevard.
The site is considered a strong contender amongst the potential NBA arena sites, according to sources.
Las Vegas Festival Grounds
The Las Vegas Festival Grounds, located on the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue, is also a site of interest. Owned by hotel magnate Phil Ruffin, the 37 acres were once on the Athletics radar before the MLB team decided to build their $2 billion ballpark on the site of the former Tropicana.
The land would be ideal for a group looking to build an arena and ancillary development. The site would be a driver for North Strip traffic, but the Resort World plot is a more attractive location for groups not looking to build more than an arena, according to a source.
Ruffin’s assistant did not respond to a request for comment on possible interested in putting an NBA arena on the land or if he was open to selling the plot to an interested group.
LVXP
Las Vegas real estate firm LVXP picked up where former NBA and UNLV basketball player Jackie Robinson left off. The group announced plans and hired an arena designer and architect in 2024, but the group has been mostly quiet and the 27 acres have sat untouched, as it did for years while Robinson was looking to develop the All Net Arena project. Despite the lack of action, the site is still in play, according to Segerblom.
Segerblom said that he’s had dialogue with two groups who have expressed interest in the LVXP site for an arena for an NBA team. He said he wasn’t able to offer further details on the groups, due to confidentiality agreements.
Caesars Entertainment land
Moving away from the North Strip, land located behind three Caesars Entertainment properties, the Horseshoe, Paris and Planet Hollywood is also in play, according to a source. One group is interested in building an NBA arena, along with an open-air stadium to house a Major League Soccer team, a person with knowledge of the situation noted.
Caesars Entertainment did not respond to a request for comment on the potential for sports venues to be built on their land.
The site has been floated as a potential location for an arena in the past, but nothing has ever materialized on the site. Formula One uses a portion of the site to store infrastructure for the Las Vegas Grand Prix and also used portions of the site for spectator zones for race weekend. The Las Vegas Grand Prix and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority this month extended the race through 2037, so it remains to be seen how that could affect plans to build sports arenas on the site.
BattleBots Arena is located on the land, just behind the Horseshoe, where live matches of the robot combat show are held.
Las Vegas Diamond Arena
In April, plans for the Las Vegas Diamond Arena were unveiled, with a planned 21,212-seat arena to be built on 11 acres located on the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Four Seasons Drive, across from the Mandalay Bay.
The project would include multiple stakeholders, including Chetak Development, Inc., which owns some of the 11 acres where the arena is being planned for.
Desert Diamond would also feature around 18,000 parking spaces and have a 100,000-square-foot ground-level plaza and 140,000 square feet of team and broadcast facilities.
The site would be only come to fruition if an ownership group partnered with the backers of the proposed arena.
Three Affiliated Tribes
The Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation also have interest in building an NBA arena on a portion of 23 acres they own, which includes the site of the Route 91 Harvest fest mass shooting.
The group bought the Strip land for $115 million and had plans for a hotel-casino and a potential arena. In 2024, Mark Fox, chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes, said during a Tribal Business Council meeting that financial backers of an NBA expansion group said they wanted to meet to discuss their site as a possible site for an arena.
After floating the arena project in late 2024, the group have been fairly quiet, but sources say the site is still in the running.
Bali Hai Golf Course
After previously announcing plans to build an NBA area/resort project on Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road, only to pull out of those plans and consider land near the Rio and Resort World, Oak View Group is also looking to buy Bali Hai Golf Club, where they could potentially build an arena, multiple sources said.
In October, Clark County Commission Chairman Michael Naft recommended that the county auction off over 90 acres of the 149-acre site. The county would keep the remaining land.
The county wouldn’t be the only player in the transaction, as famed gambler Billy Walters signed a 99-year lease to operate the golf course, which expires in 2098. Walters would be in for a payday should the land be auctioned.
The Raiders had the site on their initial list of potential sites where they could build an NFL stadium, before opting for the 62 acres on Russell Road across Interstate 15, where Allegiant Stadium was built.
World Market Center
In April, Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley pitched a 20-acre plot in downtown Las Vegas, located next to the World Market Center and owned by asset manager Blackstone.
Berkley had an introductory meeting via phone with Silver this month, after she pitched the downtown site.
“It was an introductory call, and the mayor looks forward to future conversations as the NBA’s expansion process continues,” city spokesman Jace Radke said.
Despite the mayor’s ambitions, multiple sources said the involved ownership groups have not shown interest in downtown and want to be on or near the Strip. Additionally, Blackstone hasn’t indicated if they were interested in building an NBA arena on their land.
Starr Vegas
In April, plans for a lofty project called Starr Vegas were announced, which includes a $10 billion development on 63 aces located on the northwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Starr Avenue.
The development would include an NBA ready arena, a MLS ready soccer stadium, and a mixed-use development. The project is being led by Chuck Haifley, a broadcast industry veteran, who said they could build an arena without an NBA team signed as an anchor tenant. Haifley expressed interest in creating a World Series of boxing and mixed-martial arts to be held at the arena.
The location of the proposed complex is likely too far from the Strip and considered by multiple sources as having the lowest probability of coming to fruition.