Paul Szydelko
Two major, but not unexpected, decisions will keep Las Vegas in the sports tourism limelight for the foreseeable future.
The NFL's selection of Las Vegas to host Super Bowl LXIII in 2029 sets up an extraordinary series of championships at Allegiant Stadium, while the NBA's consideration of an expansion franchise means the Strip may soon be home to five of the country's major sports leagues.
"We're excited to bring the Super Bowl back to Las Vegas and provide our fans another incredible experience in one of America's greatest sport and entertainment destinations," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said after team owners voted to return the sport's biggest game to Las Vegas.
"Super Bowl LVIII [in 2024] demonstrated the scale, energy and hospitality the city brings to global events, and we look forward to working alongside the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the Raiders [the city's NFL franchise] and the community to deliver an even greater experience this time around," Goodell said.
Super Bowl LXIII will be the third major championship at Allegiant Stadium over the next three years. The 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship will be played on Jan. 25, and the NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four will be April 1 and 3, 2028.
"We're proud the NFL has selected Las Vegas to host Super Bowl LXIII," said Steve Hill, president and CEO of the LVCVA. "Las Vegas was built for moments like this."
As part of the buildup to the game, Las Vegas will host related events such as the NFL Honors awards ceremony, the Super Bowl Experience fan festival and Super Bowl Opening Night, the media-driven event where fans can hear from players and coaches in person.
The city hosted the NFL Draft in 2022 and the Pro Bowl all-star game in 2023. The decision to return so soon likely means Allegiant Stadium will be part of an informal rotation of Super Bowl sites into the 2030s.
NBA on the way?
In another long-anticipated move, NBA owners decided to consider expanding its 30-team footprint and explore placing franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle.
The Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas has been home to the NBA's summer league since 2004, and T-Mobile Arena on the Strip has hosted the first in-season NBA Cup championship games.
"Seattle and Las Vegas, in terms of their history and support of NBA basketball, are unique in terms of available markets in the U.S. right now," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. "No knock on any other markets. Those are just the markets we're focused on."
Prospective ownership groups will now be able to put together bids for a franchise. The NBA did not define a franchise fee or a time frame, but new teams could begin play as soon as the 2028-29 season.
T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL's Golden Knights, which opened in 2016, was built with four locker rooms and could be considered to house an NBA team, at least in the short term.
Silver called it a "fantastic" venue but said that it is too soon to know whether T-Mobile Arena would be an adequate fit should the league choose to expand, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Golden Knights owner Bill Foley said that he would be interested in owning an NBA team and that he and other owners of T-Mobile Arena, MGM Resorts International and AEG, would carry out $300 million in renovations to T-Mobile Arena if he were successful, according to 8 News Now.
A new wing could include upgraded locker rooms, weight rooms and team offices. The arena's hospitality area could also be enlarged, and capacity for basketball could be expanded by 1,000 to 1,200 seats (beyond the fixed 17,500 for hockey games), Foley said.
"Thanks to the NBA's board of governors for voting to explore expansion into Las Vegas," MGM Resorts CEO and president Bill Hornbuckle said in a statement. "It's only the first step, but it's a big step. A new team would be great for both locals and visitors, while creating jobs and providing a boost to the economy. T-Mobile Arena was built for basketball and hockey. Our long-standing relationship with the league is a positive one that stretches back many years, and we would welcome the opportunity to work with the NBA on creating an unforgettable fan experience."
Other sites on and just off the Strip have been mentioned for a potential arena through the years. They include land at Resorts World on the west side of the north Strip, a space between the Sahara and Fontainebleau hotel-casinos on the east side of the north Strip and a lot adjacent to the Rio just west of the Strip at Flamingo Road.
The NBA team would join the Golden Knights, the Aces of the WNBA, the Raiders of the NFL and the A's of Major League Baseball as the city's major league teams. (The A's, currently playing in Sacramento, Calif., are scheduled to move to the city once their stadium is completed in 2028.)
UPDATE: This report was updated on April 10 to include a statement from MGM Resorts CEO and president Bill Hornbuckle.