It’s always larger than life when Shaq is back in ‘Sin City’. This time, it’s neither Big Chicken nor an NBA Cup that drew him out to Las Vegas. Nothing related to a kind of/sort of possibility of Vegas getting an NBA team. He stopped by UFC’s International Fight Week for a major purpose. But both Shaquille O’Neal and Vitor Belfort confirmed that the Hall of Fame night coincided with the big man’s pre-planned return to Vegas. UFC had a role in that, too.

On Thursday night, Shaquille O’Neal was at the T-Mobile Arena narrating how he met Belfort. That was no happy ringside coincidence. Belfort had called his friend of 30 years to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame. On Friday afternoon, O’Neal was at the intersection of East Lake Mead and North Lamb with some fanfare. The city of Las Vegas broke ground on a massive youth facility initiated by O’Neal for the Boys & Girls Club. The project is worth $24 million under the ‘Shaquille O’Neal Foundation’. Hence, he was right there with the jokes at the press conference.

The Boys & Girls Club had been a big part of Shaq’s athletic journey. As a multi-millionaire, the NBA legend has done a lot to restore the facilities around the country. This complex will be the largest one yet.

With a 30,000 sq ft. clubhouse and a 54,000 sq ft. outdoor multi-sports field, the facility hopes to provide 180 kids with an avenue for athletics daily. It’ll have basketball gyms, of course. However, O’Neal parlayed his expansive connections with more partners to build facilities within the complex. UFC is one of them.

They’ve sponsored a mixed martial arts and boxing center. Not surprising. UFC president Dana White is in Shaq’s social circle. Jon Jones and Terence Crawford are a phone call away. And he works out with Vitor Belfort.

With a wide network like that, Shaq’s dream to help kids is close to complete (the project is estimated to be done in late 2026). But one Vegas dream remains elusive.

Shaquille O’Neal beat Adam Silver to the punch

This offseason isn’t only about draft selections and free agency. The NBA expansion debate is also picking up steam. For a year at least, Adam Silver has teased multiple possibilities for the league’s expansion. Among them, Las Vegas and Seattle were the domestic favorites to have an NBA team.

Shaquille O’Neal instantly expressed interest in bringing a team to Vegas. Not only for his own dreams to become a team owner, but also because of his attachment to the city. A domestic team would cost an estimated $6 billion. That’s why Shaq even asked Mark Cuban if he’d join him in that. And then a roadblock.

The NBA positively started considering expansion plans overseas, including in Central America and Europe. The latter is much more likely after Adam Silver revealed the NBA is working with FIBA to rival the EuroLeague. A big incentive for the NBA to lean into this? The current team wouldn’t have to give up a chunk of their national media rights for it, the way they’d have to give up for a new domestic team.

Since then, Shaq’s Vegas team ownership dream has quietened. He just turned his focus in the same direction as Commissioner Silver. This month, Shaquille O’Neal’s partnership with the Italian basketball team Napoli was announced.

At present, Shaq is billed as an ambassador who is going to bring the NBA culture to the team. There’s no clarity on whether he has a stake in the team. In the meantime, his mark will remain in Las Vegas through multiple projects. But that youth sports monument is going to make him unforgettable.