Las Vegas NBA Expansion Race Heats Up With Multiple Ownership Groups, Arena Sites

Is Las Vegas about to land an NBA franchise? The race is on, with heavyweight ownership groups and competing arena sites popping up across the city as the league weighs expansion.

Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s MAGI group entered the competition in February 2026. Johnson and his team sat down with Gov. Joe Lombardo and other civic leaders to talk through the expansion opportunity. Then, on Monday of the week of June 25, 2026, Golden Knights owner Bill Foley threw his own bid into the mix. Former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry is also pursuing a stake in an expansion group.

Shaquille O’Neal’s involvement brings serious star power. His Las Vegas business manager, Perry Rogers, confirmed that O’Neal wants to join an ownership group. “I’m very, very excited for Las Vegas,” Rogers said. “For us to have an NBA team here is the right fit. I think Las Vegas has been a basketball town for a long time, and I think this is the next step in that evolution.” Michael Jordan’s name has come up in ownership conversations, though Jordan hasn’t directly engaged with local officials.

Timing remains uncertain. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expects an expansion decision by year-end 2026, though he doesn’t expect one during July’s NBA Summer League. Gov. Lombardo is meeting with multiple potential ownership groups and staying in touch with the NBA.

Arena Sites: The Strip Dominates

T-Mobile Arena is the closest thing to a ready-made option. The 10-year-old venue is already part of NBA discussions. MGM Resorts president and CEO Bill Hornbuckle said in spring 2026 that it could work as either a permanent or temporary home. Foley has pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades if he lands an NBA team. MGM Resorts International, Nevada’s largest employer, operates three arenas across the city.

New construction projects are pushing hard for attention. The North Strip is shaping up as the prime location. Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom called it “the perfect spot for an NBA arena”. Resorts World has vacant land where an arena could rise. In March 2026, Resorts World president Carlos Castro promoted the property’s “prime land for a new arena”. Oak View Group is eyeing development of the Resorts World site.

The Las Vegas Festival Grounds offer another path forward. This 37-acre property sits at the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue, owned by hotel magnate Phil Ruffin. The Athletics once looked at the site before settling on the former Tropicana location for their $2 billion ballpark.

LVXP, a Las Vegas real estate firm, unveiled arena plans in 2024 after bringing on an arena designer and architect. Their project claims 27 acres on the former Wet ‘n Wild waterpark grounds. Land behind three Caesars Entertainment properties—the Horseshoe, Paris, and Planet Hollywood—is also being explored. One group is considering building both an NBA arena and an open-air MLS stadium on Caesars land. Formula One currently uses portions of that property to store race infrastructure and spectator zones during Las Vegas Grand Prix weekends. The race contract was extended through 2037 in June 2026. BattleBots Arena, sitting just behind the Horseshoe, also sits on Caesars land.

The Las Vegas Diamond Arena project, unveiled in April 2026, proposes a 21,212-seat arena on 11 acres at the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Four Seasons Drive. Chetak Development, Inc. owns some of the land. The project would include roughly 18,000 parking spaces, a 100,000-square-foot ground-level plaza, and 140,000 square feet of team and broadcast facilities.

The Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation own 23 acres that includes the site where the Route 91 Harvest festival mass shooting occurred. They bought the Strip land for $115 million and are planning a hotel-casino with a potential arena. In 2024, tribal chairman Mark Fox said financial backers of an NBA expansion group wanted to meet about the site.

Oak View Group is also pursuing Bali Hai Golf Club as a potential arena location. In October 2025, Clark County Commission Chairman Michael Naft suggested the county auction off more than 90 acres of the 149-acre site. Famed gambler Billy Walters holds a 99-year lease to run the golf course, expiring in 2098. The Raiders had Bali Hai on their initial stadium list before choosing 62 acres on Russell Road for Allegiant Stadium.

Downtown Las Vegas got a pitch in April 2026, when Mayor Shelley Berkley proposed a 20-acre plot next to the World Market Center and owned by asset manager Blackstone. Berkley spoke with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in June 2026 about the site. But sources say ownership groups have shown little appetite for downtown, favoring locations on or near the Strip.

The boldest proposal is Starr Vegas, a $10 billion development announced in April 2026 at the northwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Starr Avenue. The 63-acre site would house an NBA-ready arena, an MLS-ready soccer stadium, and mixed-use development. Broadcast industry veteran Chuck Haifley is heading the project and says they can build an arena without waiting for an NBA tenant to commit. Haifley also wants to host a World Series of boxing and mixed-martial arts at the arena.