While the biggest sports buzz in Southern Nevada on Tuesday focused on Davante Adams' trade from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New York Jets, the 16,907 fans at T-Mobile Arena had other priorities.
The Los Angeles Lakers were in town for their annual preseason clash against the Golden State Warriors, and the atmosphere was electric.
LeBron James set the tone early with a couple of warm-up dunks, capped by his signature pregame chalk toss.
A missed windmill dunk attempt by James stirred the crowd, but his two-handed slam at the 7:15 mark of the first quarter brought the arena to life.
For one night, the NBA was back.
“Las Vegas has proven to be an excellent sports town,” coach JJ Reddick said after his Lakers (1-3) lost 111-97 to Golden State (5-0). “Whether it’s been the hockey team, the WNBA team, or the NFL team, there’s a nice following. There’s obviously a lot to do. It’s a place people like to visit.”
Nestled courtside behind the Warriors bench was Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby with her daughter, Amaya, and teammate Rae Burrell, while undefeated super lightweight Emiliano Vargas sat directly behind James on the Lakers’ bench.
“It’s incredible, you know, they don’t get this experience often outside of Aces basketball,” Hamby said during halftime. “So I think the city shows up when they get the opportunity to support basketball in Las Vegas.”
Burrell, born and raised in Las Vegas, recalled growing up with outsiders thinking her hometown was nothing more than the famous Strip and the historic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign.
“But it was really the Strip – and sports,” Burrell said. “If you were in sports, you kind of knew everybody in Vegas. So just seeing it all come to life and all these teams getting added, I know the city is just so excited.”
The connection between the NBA and Las Vegas dates back even further than Burrell’s childhood, arguably starting in the 1983-84 season when the Utah Jazz scheduled 11 “home” games at the then-new Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV’s campus. On April 5, 1984, with the Lakers in town to play the Jazz, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s 31,419 points.
The Lakers began playing preseason games in Las Vegas in 1988. In 2007, when the NBA All-Star Game was hosted in Las Vegas, the late Kobe Bryant was named MVP after leading the Western Conference to victory.
The NBA Summer League has been a staple in Las Vegas since 2007, with games also played on UNLV’s campus.
“Vegas, we just love our sports. Even during the national anthem, you heard the (NHL’s Golden) Knights fans sing the part where they yell ‘NIGHT!’ I mean, it’s just amazing,” Burrell said. “There’s always so much support in Las Vegas. So, having preseason games and in-season tournament games in Vegas just shows the level of support here. I think it’s amazing, and it’s only getting better.”
Although a formal process is years away at best, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver mentioned Las Vegas and Seattle when discussing expansion in July.
With the league’s potential expansion, which would make the NBA a regular fixture in the city, Warriors star Draymond Green doesn’t see the allure of Las Vegas fading.
“It’ll never wear off,” Green said. “It hasn’t worn off since Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. back in the ’60s. Basketball, football, or baseball – anything else will just add to that. I think what you see with Vegas is a shift from the entertainment Vegas once had, to sports.
“You’ve got all the sporting events coming. Boxing has been doing it for years. Dana White, with the UFC – absolutely incredible. Mark Davis, with the Las Vegas Raiders and Aces – amazing. This is an amazing place. I don’t think you’ve ever heard many people complain about coming to Vegas. The legend only grows.”
