Forget about owning an NBA team in Las Vegas, just buy the UNLV basketball team.
No, you aren’t reading that wrong. A college hoops team has decided to lean into this era of NIL and revenue-sharing by putting its squad up for sale, at least according to UNLV head coach Josh Pastner and the athletic department.
In a world that is already filled with college boosters helping pay the steep salaries that come with transfer portal players or high school athletes, UNLV is just saying the quiet part out loud when it comes to purchasing an entire team.
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For years, there have been Las Vegas entrepreneurs hoping to bring a team to Las Vegas, in hopes of joining the other professional leagues that have found a home in ‘Sin City’.
But, Josh Pastner is hoping someone will bite on his proposition to ditch the NBA aspirations and put a fraction of that potential costs into college hoops.
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“Buy the college basketball team. It’s legal now. You can be the owner of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels men’s basketball team, and it’s a lot less expensive,” Josh Pastner told Taylor Rocha. “You don’t have to spend over a billion dollars to own our team. I’m asking for $10 to $12 million to own our team, and you still get a great tax write-off. You can be as involved, and you can tell people you are the owner of the team.”
Is Josh Pastner actually trying to sell the team?
No, he’s not kidding, and I can’t say I blame him for trying.
In fact, UNLV basketball put together graphics on what you could buy with $10 million, compared to owning your own college program.
- Bugatti Chiron Profilee
- Embracer Phenom 300
- Jane Birkin’s Birkin bag
- Four different ‘Richard Mille’ ‘Nadals’ watches
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“The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels are one of the most iconic brands in college basketball. A program with a national championship, final four legacy, and a home in the fastest growing sports city in America,” UNLV said in a graphic.
“With Las Vegas hosting NBA Summer League, the 2028 Final Four, and an NBA franchise on the horizon, the Rebels sit at the center of it all. And according to head coach Josh Pastner, for 10 to 12 million dollars, it can all be yours.”
I mean, this might be enticing for someone.
OK, this might seem like a ploy, but it actually makes sense
Why not?
There are boosters across the country that are hitting the golf course or college tailgate with the main mission of letting anyone who will listen how much money they donated to the program in order to help purchase a player for the team.
I promise, it’s happening somewhere as we speak. The only thing missing is a player/owner, like ‘Jackie Moon’ from the Flint Tropics. If you don’t understand the reference, please take the time to look it up, I promise it’s worth your time.
For college athletics, the return on investment is hard to justify for any donor. Besides their favorite team cutting down the nets, or hoisting a trophy at seasons end, there really is no true ROI for these boosters.
Sure, third party collectives have gotten creative in offering up a piece of the company to receive dividends on future income that is created by the athletes they invest in. But, being able to call up the university booster with large pockets that is looking to see their team succeed is also based off ego.
For UNLV, the school is offering a chance to own the team, and I still don’t know exactly what that looks like if we’re being honest.
Obviously, we’re talking about courtside seats to the game, or sitting in the luxury box. But, I don’t imagine a college basketball coach is wanting to take input on team strategy from someone who is writing the check.
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I don’t suspect Josh Pastner is going to really want the ‘team owner’ in the locker room at halftime complaining about the lack of offense from the shooting guards who were paid a large sum of money to produce points.
But, in terms of raising money to compete in the very expensive college basketball world, you have to start somewhere.
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