Las Vegas is gearing up to score a royal flush of sports franchises — by bringing basketball to Sin City.
The city best known for gambling is just one NBA team short of a full set of major teams having snared franchises from the NHL, NFL, and by 2028, the MLB.
Vegas may create its NBA team with the help of LeBron James, the billionaire player who at 39 is looking to life after he retires.
But it could also be a chance for a Middle Eastern country to grab a portion of American sports by funding an NBA team — the same way that Gulf royals have bought up European soccer teams and poured money into their own golf tournament.
Gaining a basketball team would be the final chapter in a remarkable transformation for a city built on gaming and music.
Las Vegas has the Strip, an Eiffel Tower, a grand canal, NFL, NHL and WNBA franchises and the MLB on its way — but no NBA franchise. That could change when the NBA expands as early as 2025. Shutterstock Las Vegas is branding itself “The Greatest Arena on Earth” next month when it hosts the Super Bowl for the first time. Its Allegiant Stadium will be a showcase for what a city which had no major franchises a decade ago can do. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con Las Vegas built its fortune on gambling, and has cashed in on the sports gambling boom with facilities like the Caesars Sports Book at the Caesars Palace casino. But now it could be about to pursue a royal flush of sports franchises Getty ImagesIn recent years the city, and the state of Nevada, have poured billions into turning Sin City into a sporting mecca, gambling that the 37 million people who visited last year might want to catch top-flight athletes in between enjoying musical residencies and playing the slot machines.
Next month Las Vegas will bring the glamor and spectacle of the Super Bowl to Nevada f...
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