“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” has been something people can associate with the city in Nevada for time immemorial. The one thing that has never been remotely associated with the City was sports until very recently. The city’s own NHL and WNBA teams were unable to bring about a boom in sports until very recently. With the NBA deciding to go all-in on a summer league in Vegas last summer, the picture has changed drastically. This year, the summer league is also heading to the Sin City and one of the key attractions of this year will be LeBron James‘ son, Bronny James.

James Jr.’s polarizing effect on the NBA scene since his lowly draft pick last month has been nothing but unprecedented. With him on the Lakers’ roster for the summer league starting Friday, the expected attendance is similar to that of last year. In 2023, 136,623 fans attended the games in 11 days. With all the 30 NBA teams again set for action and the added lure of Bronny, the numbers can be easily overtaken. But why is that a factor? This is because the continued appeal of the game will only benefit LeBron James’ Vegas dream.

LeBron James had a dream of playing with his son. With that on its way to fruition, the 39-year-old has another box to tick off from his bucket list. And that is his dream of having an NBA team in Vegas. But that has to wait till he retires from the game as no active player can own a team within the league. However, that will not be a problem for LBJ as the parallel events to it are in perfect sync with his retirement timeline. “It’s not preordained that we will expand this time, but I know there’s an enormous amount of interest out there,” Adam Silver recently said during the annual press conference before the NBA Finals. He did not put a time stamp on it but the expected finish line can be seen by the end of the decade.

Apart from this another project is well in line with LeBron’s remaining time in the league. In 2023, Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke announced a $10 billion project to build a sporting complex that would be the home to the expansion team. Built-in Clark County over 66 acres, the campus in Las Vegas would include hotels, casinos, restaurants, and other facilities. The ambitious project will only push LeBron a step forward in his chase for ownership. He won’t be alone in the effort of materializing the dream as LeBron will have RedBird Capital Partners alongside him.

This is a group of investors who have invested alongside LeBron in the Fenway Sports Group. In case you were unaware of it, the 4-time NBA Champion is also a proud co-owner of Liverpool FC in England, Boston Red Sox, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Having close to $1.5 billion net worth surely does help but having a wealthy group of backers doesn’t hurt either. But what does hurt his ambition is having a competitor. And unfortunately enough, LeBron was faced with the prospect of having one in Shaquille O’Neal.

LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal’s shared Vegas Dream was almost foiled

Another Lakers’ legend, Shaquille O’Neal has not kept his desire of owning an NBA team any secret. The Big Aristotle has been a resident of Vegas for almost two decades now and he feels it is only fitting to have an NBA franchise under his wings. “I know Vegas hasn’t been awarded an NBA team yet, but if they ever get to a point where they are awarded a team, I would like to be a part of that and I don’t want to partner up with nobody. I want it all for myself,” Shaq said in an interview in 2023.

Back in the day, Shaq wasn’t a bad player either. Just look at the 4 shiny rings around his fingers. His earnings also complemented his on-court domination as the 7-footer boasts a portfolio of successful business ventures, adding to his nearly $500 million net worth. His previous experience in owning an NBA team with the Sacramento Kings also indicates his prowess when it comes to dictating tempo outside of the court. However, Shaq had a change of heart later that year and expressed his willingness to accommodate alongside Bron. “If there’s ever an NBA team that’s going to come here, I would definitely like to be involved. With LeBron, without LeBron, I just want to be involved,” O’Neal said in November 2023.

So with multiple willing allies beside him, LeBron’s Vegas dream can turn into reality but before that, the $10 billion project has to be inaugurated and he has to close the closet on his NBA jersey.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what brand maker, Leonard Armato, had to say about the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe, check out this video