Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is eyeing the possibility of establishing an NBA franchise in Las Vegas, aligning with the league's potential expansion into the city. He expressed his desire to lead such a venture independently during a charity event in Las Vegas.
"I would like to have my group," he said. "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. I don't want to partner up with nobody. I want it all for myself."
Despite initially insisting on sole ownership, O'Neal later hinted at a more collaborative approach. In a conversation with The Messenger's Arash Markazai, he expressed openness to potential collaboration with other NBA stars, including LeBron James, who shares an interest in a Las Vegas team.
"If there's ever an NBA team that's going to come here, I would like to be involved, with LeBron, without LeBron, I just want to be involved," he said.
The two basketball icons were teammates at the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2009-10 season. James, currently an active player for the Los Angeles Lakers, has been a vocal advocate for bringing an NBA team to Las Vegas. He has a history of sports ownership, holding a two percent stake in the Liverpool Football Club.
O'Neal, on the other hand, became a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings from 2013 to 2022 after retiring. The 51-year-old currently serves as a broadcaster on TNT's Inside the NBA. Despite his interest in sports ownership, O'Neal is not keen on owning a baseball team.
"Not baseball. Football, maybe, basketball definitely, but not baseball," said O'Neal.
"I want to be involved. There are two types of owners. There's the owner that just has the bragging rights, and I'm the partial owner, and there's guys that like to make decisions. I, at some point, would like to be in on the decision-making process."
NBA superstars eyeing ownership roles
The trend of former NBA players making a transition into team ownership is not a new concept. Michael Jordan, once the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets, set a precedent for players assuming significant ownership roles within the league.
Joining O'Neal and James on the list of NBA superstars interested in team ownership is the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry. In a recent appearance on the Dubs Talk podcast, Curry expressed his interest in owning a team in the future.
"Absolutely. Understanding the business and how it's run," he said. "It fascinates you to understand where the future's headed. To know that you can be part of an ownership group that's ushering the NBA to its super prime, from viewership to basketball-related income coming in."
However, after Jordan sold the Charlotte Hornets for an estimated $3 billion valuation, there is currently no player holding majority ownership or governorship of an NBA franchise.
While players like the Utah Jazz's Dwyane Wade and the Atlanta Hawks's Grant Hill possess minority stakes in teams, none currently wield the level of ownership influence that Jordan once did.