Lakers star LeBron James had a hurdle for bringing an expansion team to Las Vegas removed thanks to Mark Cuban

Speaking to reporters while he’s in Las Vegas for the NBA In-Season Tournament, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James reiterated his hope to bring an NBA team to the city. He event went as far as to saying that it’s his “ultimate goal.”

“Hopefully I can bring my franchise here one day. That’s the ultimate (goal),” James shared.

Now, it appears that the Lakers star will have a little easier time bringing the NBA to Las Vegas, thanks to Mark Cuban.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said that the Adelson family was a strong contender for a Vegas expansion before they bought Mark Cuban’s majority stake on the Mavs earlier in the month:

“LeBron James is determined to be at the forefront of a Las Vegas expansion team in the future.”

— Woj 👀

(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/S9g1NLTOp7

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 10, 2023

Cuban sold his majority ownership stake in the Dallas Mavericks to American and Israeli physician Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson with a valuation is set for approximately $3.5 billion.

Hours before this major news broke, it was revealed that Miriam Adelson was selling $2 billion in stock of Las Vegas Sands–her family’s casino and resort company–to gain capital towards purchasing a sports franchise. The identity of that franchise was not completely clear at the time of that sale, however.

Considering the number of professional sports teams in the city, it only makes sense to have an NBA team in Vegas. The WNBA is already thriving, with the Las Vegas Aces thriving and winning the last two WNBA championships.

Said the Lakers star last October on the idea of having a team in Las Vegas, “Obviously you have the Raiders here, you have the (Golden Knights) here, you have the Aces here. You got F1 coming very soon. All-Star Weekend has been a few times. You’ve got the NBA Summer League … I think adding an NBA franchise here would just add to the momentum that’s going on in this town.”

James furthered, “I think it’s only a matter of time, and I hope I’m part of that time.”