Lakers rookie guard Scotty Pippen Jr. looks to shoot while Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bryn Forbes defends during the first half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
Lakers guard Lonnie Walker IV shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell during the first half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert dunks over the Lakers’ Wenyen Gabriel during the first half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Lakers forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, right, fouls the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards during the first half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham talks with rookie guard Max Christie during the first half of their preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
Lakers center Jay Huff fends off a shot from Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bryn Forbes during the first half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
Lakers guard Scotty Pippen Jr. gets past Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bryn Forbes during the first half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers drives against Lakers rookie Max Christie during the first half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch talks with center Rudy Gobert during the first half of their preseason game against the Lakers Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 NBA prospect Victor Wembanyama watches a preseason game between the Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard CJ Elleby fouls Lakers guard Scotty Pippen Jr., down, during the second half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
From left, the Lakers’ LeBron James, Patrick Beverley, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook laugh on the sidelines during the second half of their preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard AJ Lawson commits an offensive foul when Lakers forward Cole Swider is charged during the second half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
Lakers big man Thomas Bryant dives in front of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jordan McLaughlin during the second half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
From left, the Lakers’ Patrick Beverley, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Thomas Bryant laugh on the sidelines during the second half of their preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
From left, the Lakers’ LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Patrick Beverley, Thomas Bryant and Russell Westbrook laugh on the sidelines during the second half of their preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Lakers guard Dwayne Bacon, left, fouls Minnesota Timberwolves forward Wendell Moore Jr. during the second half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 NBA prospect Victor Wembanyama watches a preseason game between the Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard AJ Lawson, center, is fouled by Lakers forward Cole Swider, right, during the second half of their preseason game Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
The Lakers’ LeBron James, left, and Anthony Davis walk the court during a timeout in the second half of their preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night in Las Vegas. Both players were left out of the game. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The Lakers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half of their preseason game Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)
From left, the Lakers’ LeBron James, Patrick Beverley, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook laugh on the sidelines during the second half of their preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ Austin Reaves is greeted by fans as he walks onto the court to warm up before their preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS — It wasn’t long ago that professional sports leagues avoided Sin City, for fear of picking up a shred of impropriety.
That was before the NBA established its Summer League in Las Vegas, before it got a WNBA franchise there (now the reigning champions), and before it made deals to monetize sports betting, which quickly became not only common in many states but also legal.
Could the NBA follow in the footsteps of the NFL and NHL and put an expansion team on The Strip? If so, LeBron James wants to be at the front of the queue as a possible owner; he delivered a sound byte addressed to Commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday night.
“It’s the best fan base in the world, and I would love to bring a team here at some point,” James said after their preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns. “That would be amazing. I know Adam is in Abu Dhabi (for a preseason game) right now, I think. … But he probably watches every interview and transcript he gets from NBA players. So I want the team here, Adam. . Thank you.”
While James may have slightly increased his interest in his host city during the week, he has made no secret of his intentions before. In June, James made waves by saying that she wanted to have a team in Las Vegas during an episode of his talk show “The Shop.” James recently became the first active NBA player to be valued as a billionaire, according to Forbes, and is aiming to join Michael Jordan in the ownership ranks.
It seems fitting that preseason games have been played in Seattle and Las Vegas over the past week; they could be the two most eligible expansion markets if the NBA ever decides to open those particular floodgates. Silver has downplayed the urgency of the expansion, which is restricted in part by NBA media rights deals.
“We’re not discussing that right now,” Silver said in June. “Like I said before, at some point, this league will invariably expand, but it’s not right now that we’re discussing it.”
The 37-year-old James cannot own a team as a player and, despite his net worth, cannot buy a team on his own. The team’s most recent sales have hovered around $2 billion.
But as the league has become more welcoming to Las Vegas, especially during its annual Summer League, which draws the entire NBA ecosystem and thousands of fans, it’s easy enough to imagine a franchise that might call on T-Mobile. Sand its headquarters someday.
“I think it’s a great city, the natural organic energy that’s here incorporated into the city goes hand in hand with the level of sports that has been considered to be placed here,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “It’s a no-brainer. By the way. I don’t want to speak for the NBA or the commissioner, but I think at some point you’ll see a permanent NBA team here calling Las Vegas home.”
LONNIE WALKER IV DEBUTS; DENNIS SCHRÖDER ON THE ROAD
After missing the first two games of the preseason, Lonnie Walker IV made his first appearance for the Lakers in their 114–99 preseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring 10 points to go with five rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes.
Though not in the starting lineup, Walker showed a bit of the athleticism the Lakers hope will make them more spirited on the wing this season than last.
“He’s a very high-level athlete, someone who is going to be at the rim and constantly attacking the paint,” Ham said. “Great human being. Only another valuable asset that I am happy about will now have the opportunity to be an active part of the group.”
There was good news and bad when it came to the Lakers’ availability: The team learned Thursday that veteran point guard Dennis Schröder, who has spent the last few weeks waiting for his visa from Germany to be processed, will fly out to join the team. this weekend, though it remains unclear if he will be on the team’s road trip to Golden State for a Sunday night game. However, in the third quarter against the Timberwolves, Juan Toscano-Anderson banged his knee and went to the locker room, then ruled out for the rest of the night with a right quadriceps contusion.
