NBA’s Vegas guessing game rolls on
Adam Silver hopes to wrap up expansion by December but offers no timeline, as at least six deep-pocketed groups line up for the rights to bring the NBA to Las Vegas.
Good morning! The NBA’s biggest what-if lives in our backyard. Adam Silver held court in Las Vegas on expansion — long on optimism, short on specifics — as a who’s-who of billionaires jockeys to land a team. On the floor at Thomas & Mack, the Lakers stayed perfect in Summer League. And elsewhere, Spain booked its spot in the World Cup final. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏀 Battle of L.A. The Lakers stayed perfect in Summer League, downing the Clippers 99-85 behind rookie Cameron Carr — Arion Armeniakos at Thomas & Mack.
🏀 All in. New Lakers center Walker Kessler says he’s ready to ‘run through a brick wall’ — Carlos Yakimowich in Las Vegas.
⚾ Heat check. Padres closer Mason Miller featured in a record-setting All-Star pitching night — Eric Evelhoch in Philadelphia.
🏀 Bright spot. Erica Wheeler led the way despite the Sparks’ late collapse against the Dream — Holland Kaplan in Atlanta.
🏒 Offer-sheet fallout. Leo Carlsson’s agent details the negotiation timeline with the Ducks and Pat Verbeek — Zach Cavanagh in Anaheim.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — TUESDAY
🏀 Summer League: Lakers 99, Clippers 85 (Lakers 3-0)
⚽ World Cup (SF): Spain 2, France 0 (Spain to the final)
⚾ MLB All-Star Game: American League 4, National League 0
🏀 SILVER KEEPS THE VEGAS CARDS CLOSE
The NBA is coming to Las Vegas — the only question is who gets to own it, and when. Speaking at Thomas & Mack after the Board of Governors meeting, commissioner Adam Silver said he’s “still hopeful” expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle wraps up by year’s end, but offered no firm timeline, no bid deadline and no favorites. What’s clear is the appetite: as Steve Carp reports, at least six known groups are lining up for the Las Vegas rights — among them Jerry Colangelo, Bill Foley, Magic Johnson, Bob Iger and Marc Lasry — all claiming they can clear a price tag expected to start around $8 billion. Most plan to build a new arena; Foley would pour $300 million into upgrading T-Mobile Arena, which he already partly owns. For a market that landed the Golden Knights, Raiders and Aces in under a decade, the NBA is the last big trophy — and it’s within reach.
GO DEEPER
› Steve Carp: Adam Silver playing NBA expansion cards close to his vest (The Sporting Tribune)
› Vegas Summer League Notebook: Lakers down the Clippers in the Battle of L.A. (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏀 A BATTLE OF L.A. IN THE DESERT
With Austin Reaves and new center Walker Kessler watching courtside, the Lakers stayed perfect in Las Vegas, handling the Clippers 99-85 to move to 3-0 in Summer League. First-round pick Cameron Carr stole the show with 23 points — including a solo 8-0 third-quarter burst capped by a 28-foot heat-check three — as five Lakers reached double figures. For the 1-2 Clippers, No. 5 pick Keaton Wagler came alive after the break to finish with 16. It’s July basketball, but the early returns on the Lakers’ young pieces have Arion Armeniakos and the faithful intrigued.
GO DEEPER
› Vegas Summer League Notebook: Lakers down the Clippers in the Battle of L.A. (The Sporting Tribune)
› Walker Kessler ready to ‘run through a brick wall’ for the Lakers (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — WEDNESDAY, JULY 15
🏀 WNBA: Sparks at Lynx — 10 a.m. PT · Minneapolis
⚽ World Cup (SF): Argentina vs. England — Fox — 12 p.m. PT · Atlanta
Coming up: MLB’s second half opens Friday — the Dodgers at the Yankees, the Angels hosting the Tigers, and the Padres at the Royals. The World Cup final is Sunday at MetLife.
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME THIS WEEK?
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⚾ MLB (Fri): Tigers at Angels — Angel Stadium — $9
🌴 TST TRIVIA
If Las Vegas lands an NBA expansion team, it would be the city’s fourth major men’s pro franchise. Name the three that got there first — across the NHL, NFL and WNBA.
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
Today’s episode digs into Adam Silver’s Las Vegas expansion update and the billionaires lining up for a team, checks in on a Lakers Summer League squad that keeps winning, and looks ahead to Sunday’s World Cup final after Spain’s masterclass over France. Hear it on the radio across Southern California and Las Vegas via Westwood One Sports.
› Listen to the latest episode
Trivia answer: The Vegas Golden Knights (NHL, 2017), the Las Vegas Raiders (NFL, 2020) and the Las Vegas Aces (WNBA, 2018).
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