Las Vegas NBA Team Name: Here Are Our Early Betting Odds

Article By Larry Henry Last Updated: Apr 15^th, 2026 · 2 min read

Las Vegas NBA Team Name: Here Are Our Early Betting Odds

As the NBA playoffs tip off this week, a buzz is in the air about what the league’s Las Vegas team will be named.

Later this year, the NBA Board of Governors is expected to hold a final vote granting Las Vegas and Seattle expansion teams. An earlier vote identified those cities for expansion, possibly to begin play by the 2028-29 season.

The Las Vegas team name could reflect a regional desert connection, such as several terms identified as fan favorites: Scorpions, Vipers, or Venom.

Or the name could link the team to the region's past, including the 51s, named for Area 51, an Air Force facility northwest of Las Vegas. Those include:

Sharks (former UNLV basketball coach Jerry "Tark the Shark" Tarkanian)
Wranglers (previous local minor league hockey team)
Posse (former local Canadian Football League team)
Stars or 51s (former local minor league baseball teams)
Mirage (a former hotel-casino that sparked a megaresort building boom on the Las Vegas Strip)

By the time an ownership group is assembled and a name becomes a serious topic, some surprises could emerge.

Gambling.com’s odds reflect the early expectations, based upon fan favorites expressed online and at casinos across the Las Vegas Valley.

Just for fun, some unlikely team names have also been tossed around. Some of these are included in the bottom portion of the list below. For instance, “LeBrons” refers to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who previously expressed interest in owning an NBA team in Las Vegas. He has since said he has no interest in joining an ownership group for a Las Vegas team.

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