LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — NBA star Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are celebrating a preseason win after Monday night's 129-126 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
For years, James has been vocal about wanting to own an NBA franchise, especially if it's in the valley.
On Monday night, James said it "just makes sense" to bring a team to Las Vegas since it is quickly becoming a sports hub.
"You have the Raiders here, the Knights here, the Aces here. You have F1 coming very soon. Also, there is the NBA Summer League. That's very popular," James said. "Sports is here and I think an NBA franchise here would add to the momentum that's going on in this town. It's an attraction. You don't have to worry about getting fan support. They show every single time, every year, every single summer. I think it's only a matter of time."
James added he's seen the valley sports scene change.
"I've been here for quite a long time playing ball, probably since 2005," James said.
These feelings aren't new. During NBA All-Star Game festivities in February, James said Vegas "is a really cool city and doing some really great things in sports these days."
In July, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league was focusing on finishing media rights deals due to a new collective bargaining agreement and when that was done, the NBA would "seriously consider" expansion. At the time, he added that Las Vegas was definitely being discussed.
"We will look at [Vegas]," Silver told reporters in July. "There's no doubt there's enormous interest in Seattle. That's not a secret. There are other markets that have indicated interest. For the people who hear or read about this interview, we are not engaged in that process now. We're not taking meetings right now with any potential groups. What we're saying to everyone, privately is the same thing I'm saying publicly that there'll be a very open process at the time already to consider expansion. But that's not yet."
And when it comes to local teams welcoming new franchises to the valley, many of them are saying the more the merrier.
"Lebron has always been supportive of me. Ever since I was in college, he would always kind of be in my ear, in some cases. We have a great relationship, a friendship, a bond," said Aces' star A'ja Wilson. "It's pretty cool to see the mutual respect we have in one another. To be able to have someone's favorite player still reach out and still support is so key. Shout out to all the guys that come out to support us. We try to reciprocate it any way we can. They want to see good basketball."
