PHOENIX — Mark Davis is happy to talk about Las Vegas as an NBA destination. Just don’t ask him whether he wants to be part of it.
Speaking with the Review-Journal during NFL meetings at the Arizona Biltmore resort, the majority owner of the Las Vegas Aces and Raiders said he has intentionally declined to discuss his interest in an NBA expansion team in Las Vegas.
“I never said that,” Davis said when asked if he has ruled out involvement. “I just said I won’t comment.”
He did, however, elaborate on why Las Vegas is an attractive NBA market. Davis pointed to the city’s basketball history, starting with the UNLV Running Rebels and Jerry Tarkanian’s 1990 national championship.
“Living up in the Bay Area at the time, my eyes were focused on Las Vegas and what they accomplished,” Davis said.
Davis has seen the market’s growth firsthand. After leading the Raiders’ relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas in January 2020, he bought the Aces from MGM Resorts for about $2 million. Forbes now estimates the franchise is worth more than $300 million.
The NBA Board of Governors voted unanimously in March to explore expansion, with Las Vegas and Seattle as the leading candidates for two new teams.
“With the Summer League and everything else being here, the NBA has also built a foundation here,” Davis said. “And of course, the Las Vegas Aces. I think we just sold out for the third season in a row, which is a record for the league.”
Davis also addressed the growing interest in Aces ownership. He said his phone rings constantly with potential investors, but he is selective.
“It was never about the money for me in this. It was more about bringing in the right people,” Davis said, noting he brought in Tom Brady as a minority owner and mentioned friend and financial advisor Larry Delsen and his family.
Davis added that there is “somebody else that will probably be a part” of the Aces ownership group in the future, but not soon. “It’s not something that we’re out there marketing. Many people have come to us. We’ve talked to them to see if they could fit into what our overall vision is. But right now, no.”
