Las Vegas Diamond Arena Completes Purchase for Proposed NBA Expansion Team

^{The 11-acre Diamond Arena site across from Mandalay Bay could be the home of a Las Vegas NBA team. (Rendering: courtesy of Las Vegas Diamond Arena)}

LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Diamond Arena has completed the purchase of 3.03 acres of land across the street from Mandalay Bay to build an arena for a potential NBA expansion team. The company behind the potential venue now owns the entire 11-acre site on the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Four Seasons Drive.

In addition to the land for the arena, Chetak Development Inc., one of the stakeholders, has acquired property south of Four Seasons Drive to be developed into a private jet terminal. The terminal would connect directly to the arena through an underground tunnel and provide direct access for NBA teams, entertainers, corporate executives, VIP guests, and other high-profile visitors.

Viable Option for Las Vegas NBA Team

Las Vegas Diamond Arena is one of several locations on the Vegas Strip that could become the home of a new NBA team. This arena would be located next to the vacant plot of land owned by the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota, where the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting took place in 2017.

Tom Letizia, spokesman for the Diamond Arena, says this is a major milestone for the project. 

"By closing escrow on the final parcel, we now own the entire arena site and have solidified our position as the premier venue for a future NBA franchise in Las Vegas," Letizia said. "The addition of a future private aviation component further distinguishes this project from every other proposed arena site."

If this venue becomes home to an NBA team, it would be within walking distance of more than 20,000 hotel rooms. The arena's design assumes those hotels would serve as parking options for the venue, similar to how the A's stadium currently under construction is positioned near several Strip hotels.

The arena would also be easy for locals driving to the Strip since it’s minutes from I-15 and I-215. Since out-of-state VIPs will likely use the private jet terminal, there will be fewer than 760 on-site VIP parking spaces for high rollers attending events.

The arena would also be a short walk to the Las Vegas A’s stadium, Allegiant Stadium, and Michelob Ultra Arena inside Mandalay Bay. T-Mobile Arena and MGM Grand Arena are a bit farther,but still within walking distance for some.

With multiple developers pitching concepts, available land on the Strip, and T-Mobile Arena in the mix, Las Vegas has several viable venue options. The NBA’s next step is to select from a handful of ownership groups before the process can move forward meaningfully.

What Las Vegas Diamond Arena Would Look Like

The 21,212-capacity arena would be designed specifically for an NBA team. It would be a turnkey venue for the home team, featuring a 140,000-square-foot wing dedicated to team operations, player locker suites, training facilities, and broadcast studios.

There will be a 100,000-square-foot public plaza outside the main entrance directly onto Las Vegas Boulevard. It’s too soon to know potential tenants and partners, but the space could be used for pre-game rallies, conventions, and outdoor fan activations.

While its main purpose will be to host an NBA team, the venue could also host concerts and conferences, as other arenas in Las Vegas do. 

The arena wouldn’t be affiliated with any single casino or hospitality company, allowing for unique partnership opportunities. It’s difficult to imagine the venue wouldn’t partner with MGM Resorts since it controls hotel rooms and parking at the three closest casino resorts: Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur.