NBA Expansion News: Three Finalists Emerge In Potential Las Vegas Expansion Team

Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn ImagesIn 2004, the Charlotte Bobcats joined the NBA as an expansion team, adding a new market to the professional basketball world. While much has changed since then, the total number of teams has remained the same, driving up parity across the association.Now, the league is finally deep enough to add more expansion teams, and it has picked Las Vegas as the next location. According to Shams Charania, the league is on the verge of a major decision: choosing among four potential ownership groups. One such group involves Kenny Smith, a former NBA guard turned analyst.“The NBA is getting closer and closer to a decision and a ruling on the winning bid for the Las Vegas group,” reported Shams Charania on ESPN. “Sources tell me all three finalists are at $10 billion, and potentially more. The three finalists are as follows: it’s the Walton family, it’s Bill Foley, owner of the Las Vegas Knights, as well as Jerry Collenagelo, who’s a basketball Hall of Famer. The Third group is headed by Steve Apolostoloipolis. He’s out of Canada, a billionaire, the former Bucks co-owner, and Kenny Smith.”Smith, 61, is best known for his time with the Houston Rockets in the 90s, when he averaged 12.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game on 49.0% shooting from the field. Smith was only a role player during his NBA tenure, but he could be a part owner of the next expansion team if his group’s bid wins the sweepstakes.“The process is much longer than I thought it would be, and being a part of it, it’s a great deal of education. I was blessed to be able to put a group together individually to raise a lot of capital to bring a part of Steve’s group and Mark’s group,” said Smith. “And so that’s where we are, and we’ll see what happens. It’s right down to the wire, and I haven’t lost a lot in the playoffs when it gets down to the wire.”The NBA has been building toward expansion for years, with multiple cities in discussion, including Mexico City and Vancouver. In the end, however, the league settled on Las Vegas, where the NBA has hosted various events over the years. Somehow, the city went until 2017 without its own professional team, but that changed with the formation of the NHL’s Golden Knights, the WNBA’s Aces, and the relocation of the NFL’s Raiders.The NBA is the last major sports league to add a team to Vegas, and it’s still a work in progress. After approving expansion, the league is still deciding who will run the ball club, and all the bids have crossed $10 billion. For NBA legend Kenny Smith, the status of his group’s bid is still unclear, but there’s no doubt he feels confident about his current position.As a two-time NBA champion during his playing days, Smith knows what it takes to succeed, and he’s ready to build something special in Vegas. What happens next, however, is entirely out of his hands, and it could very well determine the Western Conference hierarchy for several years to come.