Billionaire Bill Foley, founder and majority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, announced that he will pursue an NBA team in Las Vegas. The announcement follows the NBA Board of Governors’ approval in late March of a vote to explore expansion opportunities in Las Vegas and Seattle.
Foley Announces Plans for Las Vegas NBA Expansion
In a statement, Foley said that Las Vegas has established itself as one of the premier sports cities in the United States and is deserving of an NBA franchise. He noted that his organization built the Golden Knights into a championship-caliber team from the ground up.
Foley said that he is prepared to replicate that success in the NBA with the same commitment to excellence, community engagement, and winning. He added that Las Vegas already offers a strong market, a world-class arena, and an elite sports organization, positioning the group to move forward as soon as the NBA is ready to expand.
According to the release, the NBA franchise will play its home games at T-Mobile Arena, which has hosted a wide range of college and professional basketball events since opening in April 2016. With a basketball capacity of around 18,000 spectators, the arena is comparable in size to many current NBA venues, exceeding or closely matching the capacity of 15 arenas across the league.
Foley’s tenure as owner of the Golden Knights has been marked by rapid success. The franchise reached the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season in 2018, ultimately falling to the Washington Capitals. Since then, the Golden Knights have adopted an aggressive, win-now philosophy that has kept them among the NHL’s top contenders.
Las Vegas Is Becoming a Sports Hub
While the city has historically hosted major standalone events such as boxing and mixed martial arts, Las Vegas has evolved into a significant professional sports market. That transformation began with the arrival of the Golden Knights and the relocation of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces from San Antonio, who debuted in Nevada in 2018.
Las Vegas’ sports landscape continued to expand with the arrival of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, who relocated from Oakland in 2020. In Major League Baseball, the Athletics, who currently play in Sacramento, are scheduled to move to Las Vegas in 2028. The city has also strengthened its global sporting profile by adding an annual Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which debuted in November 2023.
In other news from the city, the Las Vegas Sands donated $300,000 to the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.