Bleacher Report – Construction is a constant in Las Vegas, where older resorts are frequently demolished to make way for newer, spiffier ones and the vast desert surrounding Sin City is always a target for expansion.
But the latest news regarding development on the Strip could have implications reaching far beyond slot machines, night clubs and the influx of bachelor/bachelorette parties—and into the realm of the NBA.
According to the Associated Press (via ESPN), former NBA player-turned-businessman Jackie Robinson is spearheading a privately funded $1.3 billion project to build a brand-new hotel-arena complex next to the under-construction SLS Hotel and the unfinished Fontainebleau Tower on the Strip.
The development, tentatively named the All Net Arena and Resort, would replace the Wet ‘n’ Wild water park, which was shuttered in 2004 to make way for a casino that never came (per Richard N. Velotta of the Las Vegas Sun).
As it happens, Robinson’s 22,000-seat dream isn’t the only such venue that could hit the Strip in the years to come.
According to the Sun, MGM Resorts International, which owns and operates a host of hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, is partnering with AEG, the same company that oversees the Staples Center in Los Angeles (among myriad other properties), to build a 20,000-seat arena near the Monte Carlo and New York-New York resorts, which MGM also owns.
Both buildings figure to be up to the NBA’s lofty standards for hosting its events. Each would rank among the biggest venues currently in the Association’s employ, with ample space for luxury suites, concessions and all manner of other state-of-the-art amenities that are now standard around the league.
