What NBA expansion franchise in Vegas could be called as billionaire bidder drops hint

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The National Basketball Association will soon pitch up in Las Vegas, with multiple bidders vying to take control of the expansion franchise in a once-in-a-generation auction.

The NBA want to launch in Vegas in time for the 2028-29 season, with a final decision on ownership and the stadium targeted by the end of the season at the latest.

Seattle will at some point also get its own expansion franchise, though it looks less likely that it will happen in time for 2028-29.

The two putative NBA teams are attracting interest at the $7-10bn mark, with the Vegas option at the upper end of that range.

Several would-be owners have publicly declared their interest – a consortium led by Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner via Thrive Capital; the Las Vegas Jacks, fronted by basketball Hall of Famer Jerry Colangelo; Walmart heiress Nancy Walton.

Another billionaire who has already planted his flag in Vegas and is making his case to the NBA is Bill Foley, owner of the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights and a stake in the city’s T-Mobile Arena.

And the 81-year-old has given the first hint about what the Vegas NBA franchise might be called, if he is the one to succeed in taking it over.

Bill Foley wants Vegas NBA team name to have ‘warrior’ connotations

Foley wants to invest $300-400m in the T-Mobile Arena – where his Golden Knights play – to get it ready for the NBA, including expanding capacity by about 1,000. He also wants to build a new business office and a practice facility for the team.

But before he gets to that stage, he would need to christen the team.

Speaking to CNBC, the billionaire has revealed his thinking when it comes to naming the new NBA franchise in Vegas.

“We’ll go through a process with advisors and develop an exciting name,” he said.

“We want a name somehow associated with the warrior class – we have the Golden Knights and we have the nighthawks, our indoor football team, and we have the Silver Knights, our AHL team.

“I’m not saying ‘Knight’ would be in the name, but I’m a real believer in creating an atmosphere and a situation among the players and the fans that they have a team that they can root for, this part of the warrior class that never gives in.”