NBA commissioner Adam Silver met with Gov. Joe Lombardo last week on a Zoom call to discuss expansion and the Las Vegas market, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Silver told Lombardo the league probably would add two expansion franchises, with Las Vegas and Seattle the destinations of choice, the person said.
NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and his group, the MAGI, expressed an interest last week in being part of the ownership group if Las Vegas gets a franchise. Lombardo met with Johnson in February, the first NBA expansion-related talks between the top government official in Nevada and an interested ownership group.
“Magic’s impact as both an athlete and a business leader is well known, and we appreciate his engagement with our state,” Lombardo said in a statement. “My administration welcomes all conversations about bringing more professional sports teams to our state.”
MAGI chief strategy officer Andre Cleveland was tight-lipped about the situation.
“When it comes to business, most of us know Magic is a very private smooth operator, and through him I have learned that loose lips sinks ships,” Cleveland said.
MAGI has spoken with representatives of major hotel-casinos, according to the person. The group has three phases: Meeting with Lombardo and other area leaders, finding the location and deciding who else would be part of the ownership group.
At the NBA Board of Governors meeting this month in New York, the league is expected to vote to further its expansion process and begin to talk with potential ownership groups.
Silver told Lombardo that T-Mobile Arena would be an option for a team should hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades be made at the nearly 10-year-old arena, the person said.
Johnson is expected to speak with Silver after the league meetings to discuss his desire to be part of the ownership group.
Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, who has a minor ownership stake in T-Mobile Arena, has also stated his desire to be part of the ownership group for an expansion team. He told Vegas PBS last year that he would invest $300 million in renovations to the arena if he was part of the ownership group.
Johnson and the MAGI will return to Las Vegas this weekend for an event at an unnamed location, the person said.
The NBA’s Board of Governors could name the expansion markets as soon as its July meetings during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the person said.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
