LeBron James Make A Pitch To Adam Silver For NBA Team In Las Vegas
LeBron James came to Las Vegas for a pre season game, but that wasn’t the only thing on his mind. James, who has spoken in the past about wanting to eventually own an NBA franchise. Lebron sent a clear message to Commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday night, reminding him of his future plans.
“I know Adam is in Abu Dhabi right now, I believe. But he probably sees every single interview and transcript that comes through from NBA players,” James said after the Lakers’ matchup with the Phoenix Suns. “So, I want the team here, Adam. Thank you.” Lebron is not the only one with bringing an expansion NBA team to Las Vegas in mind.
Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. also has it in his scope. Mayweather spoke of his potential for NBA ownership in Las Vegas when he announced his exhibition fight against Japanese mixed martial artist Mikuru Asakura, saying it has been a goal that he and his team “have been working on behind the scenes with the NBA.”
“I can’t say exactly where, but I’m working on getting a team,” Mayweather said. Before the start of the ’22 NBA Finals, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league was not in discussion for expansion at the time. However, Las Vegas and Seattle, which was home to the SuperSonics from 1967 to ’08, are popular proposed expansion cities for the NBA.
That said, Silver has called Las Vegas “a great sports market.” The NBA already has deep ties to Las Vegas, and holds its Summer League there.
“As I said before, at some point, this league invariably will expand, but it’s not at this moment that we are discussing it,” Silver said earlier this year. “But one of the factors in expanding is the potential dilution of talent.”
James said in June on his show “The Shop: Uninterrupted” on HBO Sports that he wants to own a team and revealed his plans to have it in Las Vegas, which has long been mentioned as a possible expansion site.
Fans in Las Vegas gave James loud ovations Wednesday night, and he responded by scoring 23 points in 18 minutes. He appeared in only the first half, making 8 of his 11 shots.
He looked right at home. And if Las Vegas becomes a business home one day, James clearly wouldn’t mind.
“It’s the best fan base in the world and I would love to bring a team here at some point,” James said. “That would be amazing.”