In the past the Las Vegas Advisor has reported on a couple of possible locations for a Las Vegas NBA franchise, should Las Vegas receive one, as appears likely. One location that appears not to be mentioned or even considered is the arena where the Golden Knights play. To me this would seem like the most obvious answer since it already exists and is near the strip. A lot of NBA and NHL teams use the same venue. Why is this not even being considered?
We've reported on more than a couple of possible arenas for an NBA expansion team's Las Vegas home games.
Going back 15 years or so was the ill-fated 22,000-seat All Net Resort and Arena from former NBA player Jackie Robinson, who envisioned a $1.3 billion arena and resort complex on a 27-acre site between the former Wet ’n’ Wild waterpark site and what would become Fontainebleau.
Then, before T-Mobile was built, there was a concept for a $400 million, 20,000-seat arena in Symphony Park downtown that would have been large enough for an NBA team. This was a city-led vision that surfaced around 2012, but later morphed into plans for a soccer stadium instead.
Perhaps the most ambitious arena proposal was Oak View Group’s $10 billion arena and mixed use resort/casino/commercial complex near Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road that was a thing between 2022 and 2025 or so, until it stalled due to land-pricing disputes and executive turnover. Rumor had it that Oak View pivoted to considering the Rio parking lots for its new location, but nothing ever came of that either.
Then came LVXP NBA arena and mixed-use resort that launched in 2024. That was for the site that was abandoned by Jackie Robinson and the All Net Arena. At last report perhaps a year ago, LVXP was still in the conceptual phase, with approvals and renderings filed, but no financing in place.
Recently, Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley started making noises about building an arena downtown, with potential sites including a parking lot near City Hall and land around the World Market Center, emphasizing proximity to transportation and less congestion than the Strip.
Which brings us to T-Mobile. This arena, home of the Vegas Golden Knights, has in fact been seriously considered as a natural venue for an NBA team. As you say, several venues host both NBA and NHL teams -- notably Madison Square Garden (Knicks and Rangers), Crytpo.com (Lakers, Clippers, Kings), United Center (Bulls and Blackhawks), TD Garden (Celtics and Bruins), Scotiabank (Raptors and Maple Leafs) among them.
Since opening in 2015, upwards of 110 events have been held at T-Mobile, including Pac-12 Conference championships, USA basketball, the Las Vegas Aces' biggest games, the Harlem Globetrotters, and NBA exhibition and Cup games. So it's not as if this arena is any stranger to b-ball. In addition, the majority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bill Foley, also owns a 15% share in the arena itself (MGM and AEG own the rest) and has expressed an interest in owning an NBA expansion team. As early as 2024, he told the Vegas PBS station that he was prepared to invest $300 million to retrofit T-Mobile to make it NBA-ready. And last month, following the NBA's announcement that a Las Vegas expansion could tip off in 2028, Foley reiterated his interest in an interview with 8NewsNow.
So yes, it's being considered and it could even be a frontrunner, given that it's the only one that's built, has quite a track record with the sport, and has a pro-team owner behind it.
