The NBA has been flirting with expansion for as long as we can remember. But despite the talks, no solid step was being taken in that direction, until recently, when the league’s commissioner, Adam Silver, confirmed that the league will make a “determination” about domestic expansion this summer. He specifically named Seattle and Las Vegas as possibilities for new teams, and now former NBA star Magic Johnson has taken things further up a notch.

The former Los Angeles Lakers guard, who has built a billion-dollar empire through investing in sports teams across different leagues, recently met up with the Governor of Nevada, Joe Lombardo, and other civic leaders from Southern Nevada in a “series of meetings regarding launching a formal pursuit of a Las Vegas NBA expansion team and potential arena/hotel project on the Strip,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer “was joined by members of his The MAGI expansion group.”

This included the likes of sports and entertainment veteran Andre Cleveland and Las Vegas-based businessman Mike Bellon, who are reportedly looking to secure an NBA expansion franchise in Las Vegas. While this is exciting news for the people of Las Vegas, the people are seemingly aware of challenges in this pursuit.

That’s because a lot goes into establishing a sports franchise from scratch, from building arenas to signing players; everything must be taken care of with meticulous detail. Nonetheless, if the NBA Board of Governors next month chooses to designate both the cities they are officially considering for expansion teams, the MAGI group is “in the process of vetting multiple locations for a potential arena-resort development on and off the Strip.”

That said, Johnson isn’t willing to let this chance go away because of his admiration for Sin City. “Las Vegas is my favorite home away from home, and I can’t think of a better place to expand my MJE (Magic Johnson Enterprises),” he said recently.

Now, whether or not the league’s meeting scheduled to take place in New York next month goes his way or not will be worth watching. Meanwhile, if it does, he could receive a massive boost from LeBron James.

LeBron James could join Magic Johnson and Co. in the hunt to become an NBA owner

There’s no doubt that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James’ career is nearing an end. That’s why it seems the 41-year-old has already started to plan for his retirement. The four-time NBA champion has always been interested in owning his own franchise. At the moment, he cannot do so given the conflict of interest; however, once he hangs up his shoes, that’ll no longer be the case.

According to the Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, that’s exactly what James plans to do amid the rumors of the league expanding its presence to Las Vegas. “Beyond James’ next team as a player, there’s a rumor going around the league that he will be the face of the NBA’s expansion team in Las Vegas,” he noted in his latest piece regarding the situation.

“One line of thinking is that he might retire, and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, might sell the rest of his agency to UTA (United Talent Agency). With financial backing, they then might look to step into ownership roles,” Pincus further wrote. This, of course, is exciting as well as emotional news for the NBA fans. While it’d surely be great to see James on the sidelines cheering for his own team, one would like to feel he could keep playing forever.

Nonetheless, a lot is mere speculation for now. That’s because James’ dream of owning an NBA franchise will solely depend on the Board of Governors meeting in the Big Apple. At the same time, even if it does approve the expansion, James will likely have to either join Magic Johnson and Co. or come with partners of his own and outbid them. Either way, this will be something massive for the entire NBA landscape.