NBA Commish Silver: Las Vegas Will Be In Running For NBA Franchise After Media Rights Deal Is Finalized; No Timeline For Potential Las Vegas Team To Start
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Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnnell
The National Basketball Association will consider expanding to the Las Vegas market after the NBA wraps up its $76 billion, 11-year media rights deal, Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters at the NBA Summer League Tuesday evening.
Silver did say arena developers did contact the NBA office for specs on building NBA-ready venues, but he did not know whether Tim Leiweke’s Oak View Group or James Frasure’s LVXP specifically asked the NBA for arena specs. Both Oak View and LVXP proposals include NBA arenas in Las Vegas. Oak View Group wants to build a project at Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road, while LVXP is trying to build a mixed-use project at the old Wet ‘N’ Wild site next to the Fountainebleau hotel-casino.
Las Vegas and Seattle are the top contenders for the NBA to expand from 30 clubs to 32. Silver did not mention any specific timetable or year when Las Vegas would potentially join the association. Here are his comments:
Silver did say the the NBA’s in-season tournament that debuted in 2023 will return to Las Vegas to hold the semifinals and finals again in 2024.
He also mentioned streaming is a dominant feature of the $76 million media rights deal.
