Las Vegas has long been an ideal home base for American sports franchises, and as rumors continue to circulate about NBA expansion teams, it seems like times haven’t changed. Indeed, now that another high-profile name has come to the fore, one has to imagine it’s only a matter of time before we see action taken.
Shaq wants Las Vegas all to himself
As you probably know, LeBron James has long been rumored to be interested in and involved in a joint venture to bring an NBA expansion team to Las Vegas. However, what you may not know is that the Lakers star isn’t the only NBA star interested in Sin City. Just last month, Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal expressed interest in actually running the team, but in a way that he saw fit. “I want to have my own team” O’Neal said at the time at a charity event in Las Vegas. “I know Vegas hasn’t been awarded an NBA team yet, but if they get one one day, I’d love to be a part of it. I don’t want to be with anyone. “I want it all to belong. Myself. “
Now, while that’s all well and good, we’d forgive you if you thought this was just a bit of banter from the big guys. On the other hand, last Sunday, O’Neal made it clear that he is actually very serious about this venture, saying this: “If an NBA team were to come here, I would definitely be a part of it,” O’Neal reportedly said. Arash Makazai of The Courier. “With LeBron, without LeBron, I just want to be a part of it.”
Okay, but what does LeBron James have to do with Las Vegas?
Let’s review.Back in 2022, LeBron James He publicly campaigned for an expansion team in Vegas after he played one preseason game in the city. James is known to have dabbled in team ownership on more than one occasion, most notably purchasing a 2% stake in Premier League club Liverpool Football Club in 2011, a move that made him a partner with Fenway Sports Group. That said, a similar investment in NBA teams seems to make sense.
Now, it’s worth noting that James and O’Neal actually played together in one season each with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009-10. After retiring, O’Neal himself acquired a minority stake in the Sacramento Kings, which he held from 2013 to 2022. To be clear, he holds no role in the team’s front office, which is to say, look at what he would do if given the opportunity to be part of a Las Vegas franchise. As for James, we can only assume based on his previous comments that he would seek to control the basketball operations of any proposed team. In case you’re wondering, no player, past or present, has majority ownership or management of an NBA team. While several players have held minority stakes in various teams, it would truly be a first for this to happen.