Las Vegas seems odds-on for NBA expansion

LAS VEGAS — Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers has heard and seen enough. He's convinced there will be an NBA team in Las Vegas.

"Yeah, they're going to get it," Rivers said.

It's no secret that when NBA expansion happens — nobody has revealed exactly when that will be — Las Vegas will be at the front of the list of candidate cities to get one of what will probably be two new clubs, pushing the league to 32 franchises. And, given the way the NBA Cup and other NBA events have been received, probably nobody would say that coming to the Nevada desert full-time would be a bad idea.

"I think it would be great," said Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose team lost to Milwaukee 97-81 in the NBA Cup final on Tuesday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and dished 10 assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the Cup title.

Milwaukee becomes the second winner of the Cup, following the Los Angeles Lakers' championship in the inaugural tournament last season.

Damian Lillard added 23 points for the Bucks.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, but shot just 8-for-24 from the field, including two of nine from 3-point range. Jalen Williams added 18 points on 8-of-20 shooting, while Isaiah Hartenstein added 16.

"The Cup is here. Summer League is here. We can feel the basketball culture in Vegas as players when we come. I think it's only a matter of time. The city really embraces basketball, and they deserve it for sure," Gilgeous-Alexander added.

LeBron James has said multiple times that he wants to be part of the ownership group when the league expands to Vegas. Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this year that Las Vegas would "definitely" be a candidate when it's time to discuss expansion, which is believed to be the next major item on the league's to-do list. The city already hosts the league's annual Summer League extravaganza, has been an All-Star host, now has the NBA Cup final four and one of the WNBA's top franchises in the Las Vegas Aces.

Put it this way: In a city where no wager is a sure thing, betting on Vegas to join the NBA would come pretty close.

"Nothing's been set, and we haven't even determined whether to expand yet," Silver said in November, the last time he spoke at a news conference on the expansion topic. "My sense is that, if we expanded, we'd do an even number, because then we might have to do some adjustments in the conferences. But, I think it makes sense to have two conferences of 16 teams if we were to do it. There have been times in the past in the NBA when we had an odd number, so it's possible. But, I think, most likely, if we were to expand, we would look to expand to two cities."

Seattle is another city that everybody mentions as a top candidate for expansion. Mexico City could be a serious candidate at some point. Louisville, Kansas City, Nashville and Montreal are believed to have investment groups that want to talk about getting into the league.

Las Vegas, the gambling hub of the United States, was once essentially off-limits to pro sports leagues. Obviously, that is no longer the case. Vegas has a two-time WNBA title-winning team in the Aces, and that league's best player in A'ja Wilson, a Stanley Cup winner in NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, the NFL's Raiders and is expected to have Major League Baseball when the Athletics' relocation is completed in time for the 2028 season. And, with Summer League and the NBA Cup, it already feels like the city is truly part of the NBA.

The city has obvious distractions — glitz, glamor, gambling and nightlife. Those don't get in the way of players handling business when in town for games, Bucks guard Lillard said.

"I'm not 22 or 23 years old. I've been to Vegas many times, and I've had fun in Vegas," Lillard said. "I've been here to play in the Summer League. I've been here during Summer League. I've been here for a lot of fights; I'm a big boxing fan. I know what I'm here for this time, and it is not to enjoy Vegas."

Last Saturday's NBA Cup semifinals — Milwaukee beating Atlanta behind a monster effort from Antetokounmpo, and Oklahoma City beating Houston in a predictable show of top defenses — even featured a red-carpet entrance much like an award show.

The Raiders sent pretty much their entire defensive line. The Aces had some of their players sitting courtside, getting huge screams from the crowd when introduced. Former NBA players like Oscar Robertson, Blake Griffin, Chandler Parsons, Lou Williams, Joakim Noah, Deron Williams, Rip Hamilton and Gary Payton were all there. And that doesn't even count the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, all there as part of TNT's broadcast team.

When it happens, when Vegas officially gets a team, it's pretty clear that it'll be immediately popular.

"I love it as a host city," Rivers said. "I mean, this city is a convention, big event city. This is a big event, so it's perfect for this. I'm assuming Vegas will be in the NBA someday. Baseball is here, football is here, and everything else is here, right? So, we need to come as well. I think it would be great. I think it will happen."

Agencies Via Xinhua