Bill Foley, the majority owner of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, declared Monday his intention to pursue an NBA franchise for Las Vegas, marking the latest high-profile effort to add a second major professional team to the city.
Foley, who founded the Golden Knights in 2017, said he is launching a formal bid for an NBA expansion team. The announcement positions him alongside other potential bidders for a league that has signaled interest in growing to 32 teams, with Las Vegas and Seattle considered leading candidates.
The bid would place Foley at the center of a crowded race for a potential NBA expansion. Las Vegas already hosts the NBA Summer League and has proven itself as a sports market with the Golden Knights' success and the recent arrival of the Raiders (NFL) and Athletics (MLB).
However, no official timeline for NBA expansion has been set by Commissioner Adam Silver, who has previously stated the league is not actively pursuing new teams. That could delay Foley's plans or force him to compete against rival groups, including one backed by rapper and entrepreneur Sean 'Diddy' Combs, for a future slot.
"I believe Las Vegas is ready for an NBA team," Foley told Yahoo Sports, though he declined to provide a specific valuation or target date for the bid's completion.