Editor’s note: This is a regular Sunday feature to wrap up news and developments in the NBA’s possible expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle by the 2028-29 season.
It’s been a quiet week on the Las Vegas NBA expansion front, as various ownership groups are in midst of compiling their bid pitches to the league.
The next official word on the NBA expansion process will come at a September meeting of the league’s board of governors in New York. Following the meeting, where various topics will be discussed including expansion, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will meet with the media to offer details. The date of the meeting has not yet been announced publicly.
By the time the meeting rolls around next month, there will be just more than three months left in the year, and Silver has said that he hoped to have an answer on whether the league will expand or not by the end of 2026.
So there is the possibility that September’s league meetings will end with a better understanding of where the process lies and how many ownership groups are left vying for a Las Vegas and Seattle franchise.
The league could decide to add a team in Las Vegas and Seattle, only add a team in one of the markets or choose to forgo expanding at this time. Any new teams are expected to start play for the 2028-29 season.
There have been five known ownership groups who were interested in landing a Vegas expansion franchise since the start of the year.
A group led by billionaire businessman Joshua Kushner and former Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger dropped out of the race this month when they purchased the majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion. The MAGI Group, which was headed by former NBA great Earvin “Magic” Johnson expressed its interest earlier this year but have gone silent in recent months.
The groups that are left include the Las Vegas Jacks group, headed by former Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Arizona Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo, the Vegas Wants the NBA group, headed by Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, and one featuring Walmart heiress Nancy Laurie Walton and her husband Bill Laurie.
At a July news conference following meetings of the NBA’s board of governors, Silver noted that not all groups interested in Las Vegas and Seattle have been made public.
There are nearly a dozen NBA arena projects being pitched, with a high likelihood of additional projects being announced in the coming months. One would include the Jacks group, as a person with knowledge of the situation told the Review-Journal they were working with renowned architect David Manica, whose firm Manica Architecture, helped design multiple sports facilities, including Allegiant Stadium, on their plans for a Las Vegas NBA arena.
With a number of moving parts and unknowns to the NBA expansion process in Las Vegas and Seattle, one would hope September’s briefing by Silver will help clear up where the process stands. The league officially began exploring Las Vega and Seattle for expansion in March.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
