3 years ago
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Even aft Las Vegas landed aggregate nonrecreational sports franchises successful the span of a fewer years, the 1 league that astir favored to get archetypal — the NBA — is inactive watching from the sidelines.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, speaking Tuesday successful New York during the CAA World Congress of Sports, said it is nary coincidence it has played retired successful this fashion, arsenic the league had nary intentions of being the large sports pioneer successful the Southern Nevada market.
“It was ne'er for america astir being first,” Silver said during the lawsuit successful a video posted to Sports Business Journal’s verified Twitter account. “In the aged days we were 1 of the leagues that welcomed engagement successful Las Vegas. Put speech the gambling facet … we ever thought it was a bully market.”
Although Las Vegas is inactive without an NBA franchise, Silver said helium considers the country portion of the league owed to the Summer League that has occurred annually successful immoderate manner — extracurricular of 2020 owed to the pandemic — since 2004.
Silver said helium jokes that the Summer League successful Las Vegas is “almost similar our 31st squad with the benignant of beingness that we have. It’s a immense beingness successful Vegas successful the summer. We merchantability good implicit 100,000 tickets and each of our teams are retired there. It’s benignant of similar shot wintertime meetings.”
Silver said the NBA is not astatine the constituent of expansion, but said Las Vegas volition beryllium successful contention to onshore a franchise erstwhile that clip comes.
“It’s connected a database astatine the constituent that we bash crook to expansion, which isn’t close now, but astatine immoderate point, nary uncertainty Vegas volition beryllium connected the list.”
Contact Mick Akers astatine makers@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers connected Twitter.
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