Recently, there has been substantial chatter about the NBA adding at least one expansion team within the next few years. The two cities that have been mentioned as the most likely to land a new team are Seattle and Las Vegas.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is as much of a businessman as he is an athlete, and he has talked about his desire to own an NBA team in Las Vegas.
Former star guard Tracy McGrady said he has heard through “league channels” that James will indeed be the owner of an expansion team there (h/t Lakers Daily).
Via GQ:
“I’ve heard that for the last three years, that it was gonna be an expansion team out here in Las Vegas,” McGrady said. “I heard that LeBron James is going to be the owner of that. It’s his team. I heard it through league channels.”
Commissioner Adam Silver hasn’t confirmed the league will add an expansion franchise. But he said recently that once its current media contract ends in 2025, it will consider doing so.
Via The Athletic:
“We will turn to expansion once those new media deals are done,” Silver said Monday, July 10, at the annual APSE conference. “It’s not a sure thing but, as I’ve said before, I think it’s natural that organizations grow over time.”
James’ contract with the Lakers also will end at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, unless he opts out of the final year next summer.
