Dana White has built the UFC from a fringe promotion into one of the most valuable sports properties on earth, securing a nearly $8 billion broadcast deal with Paramount last August. Now, the UFC president and CEO says he might be ready to add an NBA franchise to his portfolio.
Speaking with media after a tour of the UFC's recently upgraded Meta Apex facility on August 10, White was asked about his interest in joining a Las Vegas NBA expansion ownership group. His answer was characteristically blunt — and notably non-dismissive.
"It's weird you just asked me that question," White said. "A group literally reached out to me this morning about it. So, I wouldn't say no, but I'm not saying yes."
The timing was striking. White was being approached by a potential expansion group on the same day a reporter happened to ask him about it — suggesting that the Las Vegas ownership race is actively recruiting high-profile Nevada figures as the NBA's end-of-year decision approaches.
White's potential value to any Las Vegas bid is substantial. His relationships with Nevada's casino executives, sports entities, and elected officials are unmatched in the city. The UFC shares T-Mobile Arena with the Golden Knights, one of the venues under consideration for an NBA team. And his track record of growing a sports property from near-zero to global dominance would be a compelling narrative for the NBA's ownership vetting process.
The Las Vegas ownership field is already crowded: Magic Johnson's MAGI group, Bill Foley's Golden Knights consortium, Jerry Colangelo's Las Vegas Jacks, Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie, and Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner are all reportedly interested. White's potential entry would add yet another power player to a race that is growing more competitive — and more expensive — by the week.
For Seattle, the growing complexity of the Las Vegas ownership race is actually good news. The more contested and uncertain the Vegas process becomes, the more the NBA may value Seattle's comparatively clean situation: one well-funded ownership group led by Samantha Holloway, a ready arena in Climate Pledge, and a governor who has publicly declared his confidence in the Sonics' return.