If Bill Foley Believes NBA Is Coming To Las Vegas, Then Book It; LVSportsBiz.com Position: NBA Is Better Fit For Vegas Than MLB
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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
Bill Foley thinks the NBA is coming to Las Vegas.
But the Vegas Golden Knights owner with ownership stakes in two pro soccer teams in Europe isn’t saying much more than that.
During a final media availability two weeks ago after the VGK won the Stanley Cup, Foley said he learned his lesson about talking too much on major sports leagues coming to Las Vegas back in 2015 when he expressed confidence about the National Hockey League coming to the Vegas market. Foley mentioned NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman gave him a talking at the time — like the ones he received as a plebe at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Eight years ago, Foley informed me that he would be “shocked” if the Las Vegas hockey ticket campaign he worked on with the Maloof family didn’t result in the NHL awarding Las Vegas a team. “It would be a big advantage to be the first professional franchise in Las Vegas,” Foley informed me at the time. Foley’s words ring true — even before he said “Cup in six.”
Well, Foley didn’t say much on June 16 about the NBA in Las Vegas during the media access except to say that an NBA team could potentially play at T-Mobile Arena, home of Foley’s Golden Knights.
Foley would welcome more programming at the arena because he bought a 15 percent share in the venue after MGM Resorts International and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) partnered to build the arena in 2016.
Foley’s forecast that the NBA is coming to Las Vegas carries clout. Foley took a close look at creating a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise in the market, but decided it was too expensive because there was no firm plan to build a soccer stadium.
In the sports industry, expansion hinges on one truth: teams come because sports palaces are built. The VGK are here because T-Mobile Arena was built. It’s the only reason why the Raiders are here thanks to a $750 million public construction subsidy for their stadium.
While Foley believes the NBA is destined for Las Vegas, Tim Leiweke wants to build the arena for a team. And he made a point at a recent economic forecast gathering to say he is not requesting public dollars to help build a $10 billion arena/hotel/casino complex at Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road. It’s 3 1/2 miles south of Mandalay Bay.
Leiweke has an interesting connection to T-Mobile Arena, a venue partially built by AEG where Leiweke once worked as CEO. And Leiweke hired former Raiders President Marc Badain, who worked on the Raiders stadium project before he left the NFL team.
Las Vegas as an NBA town is picking up steam because the market is prepping to host the league’s annual Summer League, the Woodstock of Pro Basketball where all 30 NBA teams come to play exhibition games involving recently-drafted rookies and young prospects. The NBA Summer League has expanded to include sports-business programs, technology incubator work and a host of personalities. It’s set for Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion from July 7-17.
Plus, an easy sound bite for Las Vegas TV sports is asking Lakers star LeBron James about owning an NBA team in Las Vegas. In fact, James has made his Las Vegas team ownership request to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who is expected to be in Las Vegas for the summer league.
Leiweke’s comment about not asking for public money for his proposed NBA arena was the headline punch line of his talk at the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance gathering in June. That’s because the Oakland Athletics pulled a full court press to hold three state legislative hearings in eight days to get a $380 stadium subsidy deal approved by the Nevada Legislature in June.
Many people are still skeptical that the Athletics can build a retractable-roof, 30,000-seat stadium on a mere nine acres on the Tropicana hotel’s 35-acre site on the Strip. But that didn’t faze the majority of the members of the state Senate and Assembly and Gov. Joe Lombardo, who signed the $380 stadium government assistance deal, including $120 million in bonds sold by Clark County.
For the record, Bally’s Corporation, which owns Tropicana hotel, had this to say about the stadium site issue on nine acres: “Bally’s and GLPI are assigning approximately nine acres to the Oakland A’s or a related stadium authority and will determine how best to utilize the remaining 26 acres. Bally’s and the Oakland A’s will continue to work together to develop an integrated plan that is mutually beneficial to both companies and allows for the development of a unique experience for customers and fans that is unlike anything else in the world.”
It also should be noted that the Nevada State Education Association has created a political action committee to oppose the $380 million stadium subsidy deal for the Athletics:
Funny enough, Foley even had an observation about the Athletics trying to sell out 81 home games in what would be Major League Baseball’s smallest market.
“Baseball would be tough, there’s a lot of games,” Foley told the media.
The NBA is coming. Not if. It’s a matter of when.
And here’s the rub: it’s the NBA — not MLB — that is a better fit for Las Vegas and a market of this size.
