Bill Foley, the man behind the Vegas Golden Knights, has officially thrown his hat in the ring to bring a National Basketball Association expansion team to Las Vegas.
Foley already has an extensive sports ownership portfolio that includes two European soccer clubs — AFC Bournemouth in England’s Premier League and FC Lorient in France’s Ligue 1. If awarded the NBA franchise, he plans to house the new team at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip, the same venue where his NHL squad plays its home games.
“Las Vegas has earned its place among great sports cities in America, and an NBA team belongs here,” Foley said in a written statement. “We built the Golden Knights into a championship organization from the ground up, and we are prepared to do it again — with the same standard, the same commitment to this community, and the same insistence on winning. We have the market, a proven world-class arena and a best-in-class organization in place. Our intention is to be ready the day the NBA is ready.”
Foley indicated that if his bid is selected, he anticipates bringing in a small group of minority investors. The price tag to secure an NBA expansion franchise is expected to fall somewhere between $7 billion and $10 billion.
Las Vegas is already in the midst of a major sports expansion era. The city is set to welcome Major League Baseball’s A’s in 2028, and it already hosts the WNBA’s Aces, the NFL’s Raiders, and the NHL’s Golden Knights — teams that now call a city home that was once considered too unpredictable for permanent professional sports franchises.
“This is the NBA’s decision to make,” Foley added. “Our job is to provide the league a Las Vegas option that is ready, credible, and built to last.”
The NBA’s board of governors opened up exclusive expansion bidding in March, targeting two potential cities: Las Vegas and Seattle. Currently, six NHL team owners also hold a primary ownership stake in an NBA franchise.
