A Wilson official game ball with the NBA in-season tournament logo at Intuit Dome. Photo Credit: Kirby Lee, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect | Source: Lastwordonsports.com – Daniel Benjamin, Editor

While the NBA Europe expansion is expected to happen sooner, by the fall of 2027, the Seattle-Las Vegas expansion is not far behind. Alongside the league’s exploits on the other side of the pond, all 30 NBA voters unanimously voted to explore expansion into Seattle and Las Vegas earlier this year.

Taking a Closer Look At Las Vegas’ Top NBA Expansion Bidders

And over the course of the process, several top bidders have emerged. While Samantha Holloway’s Seattle Kraken group remains the sole ownership group interested in a Seattle basketball team, it appears that Las Vegas is in the lead to be the first city the NBA expands into.

This has led several ownership groups to express interest in the new league. While LeBron James‘ Fenway Sports Group and a group led by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger were mentioned as interested parties in the past, both have now dropped out of the race.

The Oak View Group is pursuing both ownership and the construction of a new arena on the South Strip. The LVXP Group plans to do the same, only on the North Strip. The MAGI Group, led by former NBA superstar Magic Johnson, has set its sights on team ownership and renovating the existing T-Mobile Arena.

Lastly, the Las Vegas Jacks ownership group, led by former Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, the one led by the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights owner, Bill Foley, and the philanthropist couple, Bill and Nancy Walton Laurie’s ownership group, are said to be frontrunners to get the NBA team in Las Vegas.

So which one of these ownership groups is the finalist to get an NBA team in Las Vegas? And what are their chances of winning the bid for Las Vegas’ team?

Bill and Nancy Walton Laurie

The sources who spoke anonymously to The Athletic have named three groups who are ‘in the running’ to be named the ownership group to bring an NBA team to Las Vegas. They are the Lauries’ group, Foley’s group, and a previously undisclosed group headed by Canadian businessman Steve Apostolopoulos.

While the Lauries were previously mentioned as the leading group, this may no longer be the case, with the other two groups emerging. The couple live in Henderson, Nevada, and are worth $17.8 billion, which tilts the odds in their favor of winning the sweepstakes for a Las Vegas NBA team. The Lauries do have experience as owners in American pro sports, previously owning the NHL’s St. Louis Blues before selling the team in 2006.

Moreover, this is not the only time the Lauries have attempted to become NBA owners. The couple has previously tried to buy the Denver Nuggets, Vancouver Grizzlies, and Charlotte Hornets.

Bill Foley

Vegas Golden Knights and primary owner Bill Foley are presented with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly after defeating the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Foley presents a strong case, too, and perhaps one the NBA may value more than that of other top contenders. Foley took the Golden Knights from a brand-new expansion team in 2017 to winning the Stanley Cup in 2023, and now to ranking among the top four in the NHL’s sponsorship revenue.

“It’s a very competitive process. I’m sure the NBA wants it to be competitive. I’m sure that helps the franchise value.” Foley said on the bidding for the NBA’s Las Vegas team.

Foley already has a proven track record of success with a franchise in Las Vegas, giving him a head start over the competition.

Foley also owns a stake in T-Mobile Arena, where the Golden Knights play, and the tycoon sees this as a ‘big advantage,’ since other teams would have to build new arenas that the franchise’s debut may not finish. However, Foley admits that T-Mobile Arena ‘needs work’, namely $300 to $400 million in refurbishments to be ready.

Colangelo’s group began talks with Foley’s group about four months earlier to form a coalition, and the two groups agreed to partner. Sources have said that as a result of their partnership, a new arena will be built should they win the bid, despite Foley having established connections in T-Mobile Arena.

Steve Apostolopoulos

Apostolopoulos is partnering with former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry and his brothers, Jim and Peter Apostolopoulos, in their bid for the NBA’s Las Vegas expansion team. However, should this group win the bid, Apostolopoulos would serve as the team’s governor.

Apostolopoulos is a relatively new addition to the top of the NBA’s Las Vegas bidding race. He has also attempted to purchase the NFL’s Washington Commanders, the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, and the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets from Michael Jordan, likely driven by his interest in developing a wide-ranging sports portfolio across multiple leagues.

The Last Word

Vegas Golden Knights and primary owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bill Foley, are presented with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl by Deputy Commissioner of the NHL Bill Daly after winning against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

The NBA’s Seattle-Las Vegas expansion officially commenced with the NBA’s 30 owners unanimously voting to explore expansion in those two locations. And the NBA’s focus on Las Vegas first may give Seattle ownership groups time to put together a more comprehensive bid for the city.

In the meantime, however, Las Vegas remains a three-way tie, with no clear group putting itself above the rest. While the Lauries do have the finances and experience of running a pro sports team, the Foley-Colangelo group has experience building a sports franchise in the area. In contrast, Apostolopoulos’ group remains a dark horse compared to the other two, with ESPN’s Shams Charania only recently reporting their interest in a Las Vegas NBA expansion team.

And while the top three ownership groups may have been named, this does not make the owner for the NBA’s Las Vegas expansion team any more certain. Between the now-estimated $13 billion expansion fee and the potential year-long delay in the expansion team’s debut, many details about Las Vegas’ NBA franchise remain unsettled.

Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.