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The NBA hasn’t officially announced its plans to expand the league, but it seems like it’s practically inevitable it will reveal its intention to welcome at least a couple of new franchises into the fold at some point in the next couple of years. Insiders have already hinted LeBron James is eyeing an ownership role in Las Vegas if Sin City ends up getting the nod, but he could have some competition in the form of Shaquille O’Neal.
Las Vegas has experienced a massive influx of professional sports teams since the Golden Knights set up shop in T-Mobile Arena in 2017. The following year, the city welcomed a WNBA team in the form of the Aces, and it expanded its portfolio in a big way when the Raiders officially relocated from their former home in Oakland in 2020.
All signs point to Vegas being very eager to welcome an NBA team with open arms, and in 2022, LeBron fueled the rumors he’d be interested in being involved in some capacity by firmly stating he thinks the city deserves a franchise.
It’s safe to assume Shaq feels the same way based on what he had to say during a recent interview with The Messenger where he expressed a similar sentiment but made it pretty clear he wouldn’t be scrambling to join forces with James:
“I would like to have my own group. I know Vegas hasn’t been awarded an NBA team yet but if they ever get to a point where they are awarded a team, I would like to be a part of that.
I don’t want to partner up with nobody. I want it all for myself.”
As the outlet notes, Shaq previously had a small minority stake in the Sacramento Kings for close to a decade but divested his shares in 2022 after entering into a partnership with a gambling company. He also has an estimated net worth of $400 million, and while that’s certainly nothing to scoff at, Forbes estimates the New Orleans Pelicans (which it listed as the NBA’s least valuable team in 2022) are worth around $1.6 billion.
That same publication unofficially welcomed LeBron to the Tres Comas Club over the summer, so while he may be a theoretical billionaire, he’d also need to get some help from some rich benefactors to make his dream come true (there’s no telling how much an NBA franchise in Las Vegas will run you, but we can probably expect a pretty fierce bidding war).
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how everything pans out.