LeBron: NBA expansion team in Las Vegas 'just makes sense'

LeBron James has been vocal about his desire to own an NBA team one day, and sees Las Vegas as the ideal city to make it happen.

When asked Monday why he'd prefer to own a team in Las Vegas instead of another city, the Los Angeles Lakers star pointed to several other sports franchises that call the city home.

"It just makes sense," James told The Messenger's Arash Markazi. "Obviously you have the Raiders here, you have the (Golden) Knights here, you have the Aces here. You've got F1 coming very soon. And All-Star Weekend has been here a few times. You've got the NBA Summer League that's very popular. Sports is, it's here.

"You know, I think adding an NBA franchise here would just add to some momentum that's going on in this town. It's an attraction. You don't have to worry about getting fan support or nothing like that ... I think it's only right. I think it's only a matter of time."

James isn't the only athlete who wants to bring an NBA franchise to Sin City. Shaquille O'Neal told Markazi that he wants a potential expansion team in Las Vegas "all for myself" and isn't interested in being part of an ownership group.

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. also stated last year that he was working on purchasing an NBA franchise and named a potential Las Vegas expansion team as a possibility. He, like O'Neal, owns a house in Las Vegas.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters in July that the league will discuss the topic of expansion once its new media deals are done, with Las Vegas and Seattle among the potential markets to be explored.