“I want a team here Adam” — LeBron James was quite clear about his desire to own an NBA team in Vegas during a 2022 interview. The LA Lakers star is, however, not the only one with this strong desire. While Bron has been more adamant about Vegas, Shaquille O’Neal mostly cares about owning an NBA team with no particular city in mind. The Big Diesel has, on many occasions, expressed this desire quite vocally. But he was in no mood to partner up on this dream. Not until now, at least.
The 66-year-old sold his majority ownership shares of the Mavericks for $3.5 billion but he still owns 27.7 percent shares in the team. And thus the question from Shaquille O’Neal, if Mark had to do it all over again. Although Cuban agreed to a partnership with Shaq, he wanted to know how open the big man is to partner up with LeBron.
“I would because, you know, I’m the type of owner that I let people run it. Like I do have the ability to run it. But if I ever owned a team, I would want to be more like Jerry West used to do. Just sit there with my arms crossed… If I’m gonna say something, I’d say something around the team and closed door meetings,” Shaq replied. However, in a 2023 interview, the 4x NBA champ had denied any possibility of a partnership with anyone.
Nothing against Bron, but Shaq just wanted to have his own group with complete control. “I don’t want to partner up with nobody. I want it all for myself,” he said. Now, even with Shaq’s $500 million net worth, the possibility for this scenario is thinner. Especially considering that Vegas will reportedly be the most expensive NBA franchise. And even though Shaquille O’Neal is open to the possibility of owning a team in Seattle as well, he’d still need partners.
Can Seattle SuperSonics return with the possibilities of NBA expansion
During the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Commissioner Adam Silver gave a glimpse of what’s to come, saying the league will seriously dive into expansion talks this fall. So, could the SuperSonics finally make their long-awaited return?
It’s been over 15 years since Seattle’s beloved Sonics relocated to Oklahoma City, becoming the Thunder in 2008, and leaving a huge basketball void in the city. Ever since, Seattle’s sports community has been dreaming of bringing the NBA back. Billionaires with local ties have tried to make it happen, but so far, it’s been all talk. Now, however, there seems to be real momentum.
Here’s the intriguing part—if the NBA expands, the Sonics might not need a brand-new identity. The team’s original name, logo, and colors were left behind when they moved, meaning Seattle could reclaim its basketball roots. But as exciting as that sounds, Silver also mentioned other possibilities, like expanding internationally, with Mexico City in the mix.
Still, Seattle has a lot of support in the basketball world. Even Kevin Durant, drafted by the Sonics in 2007, has spoken out about wanting the NBA back in Seattle and hinted at being part of an ownership group. It’s clear that Shaquille O’Neal is not the only name in the race to own an NBA team. So partnership may as well be a right consideration.
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