LAS VEGAS – Few figures have influenced Arizona sports the way Jerry Colangelo has. His fingerprints are on nearly every chapter of Phoenix’s rise as a major sports city, making his latest venture feel both exciting and unfamiliar for longtime fans. Colangelo is now part of the Las Vegas Jacks ownership group pursuing an NBA expansion franchise per Evan Sidery. On the surface, it’s another ambitious project from one of basketball’s most respected executives. But for Suns fans, the story runs much deeper than league expansion.
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Jerry Colangelo sits courtside as the GCU Lopes play the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Mortgage Matchup Center on Dec. 6, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. © Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Jerry Colangelo linked to Las Vegas’ NBA expansion team:
NBA Hall of Fame member Jerry Colangelo is part of an investment group pursuing an expansion team in Las Vegas they would call the “Las Vegas Jacks.”
Colangelo is the former owner of the Suns.
Colangelo’s group includes a brand new state-of-the-art arena on the Las Vegas Strip. pic.twitter.com/tZoyG265nB
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 8, 2026
For decades, Colangelo wasn’t simply associated with Phoenix sports; he helped define them. He guided the Suns into one of the NBA’s most recognizable organizations. He played a central role in bringing Major League Baseball to Arizona, helping launch the Diamondbacks, who rewarded the Valley with a World Series title just three seasons into their existence. He also helped bring NHL hockey to the desert with the Coyotes, forever changing the state’s sports landscape.
Dec 20, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Jerry Colangelo in attendance of the Arizona Wildcats game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Hall of Fame Series at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
That history is why this moment feels different. Las Vegas has become one of America’s fastest-growing sports markets, and an NBA franchise there feels increasingly inevitable. If expansion arrives, the new team could quickly become a divisional or conference rival for Phoenix, creating an unusual dynamic where one of Arizona’s most influential sports builders is helping another city compete on the same stage.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia and former owner Jerry Colangelo interact before Broadcaster Al McCoy is honored for 51 seasons as “Voice of the Suns” during halftime against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 9, 2023, at Footprint Center in Phoenix. © Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
For Suns fans, emotions are likely to be split. Gratitude for everything Colangelo built won’t disappear but seeing him help support another franchise so close by would undoubtedly feel strange. Ultimately, this isn’t about leaving Arizona behind. It’s about extending a career built on growing the game. Still, if Las Vegas joins the NBA, one of Arizona sports’ founding fathers could soon be helping write the next chapter for someone else, and that’s a reality many Suns fans never expected to face.
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Reporter Benjamin Bliklen covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @BenBliklen
