Deadly Shooting On UNLV Campus Prompts Organizers Of National Finals Rodeo To Cancel Thursday’s Opening Performance At UNLV’s Thomas And Mack Center In Las Vegas

By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer

The deadly shooting on the UNLV campus that resulted in three people killed Wednesday has prompted the organizers of the National Finals Rodeo to cancel the first performance of the ten-day NFR at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center Thursday.

The shooter killed three people, with the shooter dead, according to LVMPD.

Arena and rodeo workers were setting up equipment for the first day of the National Finals Rodeo, which was scheduled to start Thursday and run through Dec. 16. The NFR promoters have not said what day the rodeo will start.

Instead, Thomas & Mack Center was locked down and a family reunification center was set up at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

And Thursday’s Day 1 of NFR is cancelled.

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The old horse town known as Las Vegas is now Sports Town, USA, so it’s only appropriate that the best cowboys of America are here in Las Vegas along with some of the best basketball players in the world this week.

The National Finals Rodeo at Thomas & Mack Center and the NBA in-season tournament semifinals and final at T-Mobile Arena are unlikely sports bedfellows.

But NFR’s country lifestyle and the NBA’s urban game come together this week when NFR’s opening night and NBA’s tourney semis take place. Each NFR performance for the ten nights starts at 5:45PM, while the NBA games are set for 2 PM and 6 PM Vegas time Thursday.

One is old. The other is new. The National Finals Rodeo has been in Las Vegas for 38 years and just re-upped for another ten years until 2035. The NBA, which already holds its annual Summer League at Thomas & Mack Center in July, is holding its inaugural in-season tourney semis and final in Las Vegas.

The NBA began thinking about an in-season tournament 15 years ago.

The NFR sells out the Thomas & Mack Center for every performance at 17,000 strong. But the two NBA games are not sellouts, but the fact the Los Angeles Lakers have made the final four in the tourney in Las Vegas will undoubtedly help with ticket sales at T-Mobile Arena.

Crews at both arenas, which are only two miles apart, were busy working at their venues to set up for the contrasting sports events.

The Thomas & Mack Center site is on the campus of UNLV, where an active shooter situation took place around noontime.

Over at T-Mobile Arena, LVSportsBiz.com asked an NBA PR person around 7 PM today about whether the league considered postponing Thursday’s games like NFR did in light of the mass shooting at the UNLV campus. The PR person said she would get back to LVSportsBiz.com and if we receive a response we will add it to this story.

During the day, Clark County sent out this message: If you are looking for a loved one who is on the UNLV campus, please call 702-455-AIDE (2433) or www.facofsouthernnevada.org. The Family Reunification Center is located at Convention Center, North Hall 1 & 2. It will take some time but we will transporting those who are on campus to the Convention Center to be reunified and to provide assistance.

Tonight’s game between UNLV and Dayton in Ohio will not be played as scheduled due to the shooting on the UNLV campus.

The Lakers’ star, LeBron James, lamented the shooting during his press conference Wednesday.

While UNLV copes with the tragedy of another shooting in Las Vegas, two miles away on the Strip the Milwaukee Bucks players were familiarizing themselves with the court at T-Mobile Arena.

The Lakers will play the New Orleans Pelicans in one semifinal. The Indiana Pacers and Bucks will play in the other semi.

Meanwhile, the rodeo will be dark at the UNLV campus Thursday.

 

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