Raiders minority owner Egon Durban joins Walton-Laurie bid for Las Vegas NBA expansion team

Oct. 14, 2026 — One of the three groups chasing a Las Vegas NBA expansion team just added a heavyweight investor. Egon Durban, the co-CEO of the tech investment firm Silver Lake and the largest minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, is joining the bid led by Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie and her husband, former St. Louis Blues owner Bill Laurie, Tom Friend reported Wednesday night.

Breaking from @SBJ: Raiders minority owner and Silver Lake CEO Egon Durban fortifies the Nancy Walton-Bill Laurie bid for a Las Vegas NBA expansion team. https://t.co/KrTZw1pqAA

— Tom Friend (@TomFriendWriter) October 14, 2026

Durban owns 22 percent of the Raiders and holds a right of first refusal if majority owner Mark Davis ever decides to sell. His addition gives the Laurie group a partner with deep private-equity ties and an existing seat inside Las Vegas pro sports, two things that matter when the league is weighing who can carry one of the most expensive purchases in sports history.

The money on the table

• Expected price: about $12 billion to $13 billion in total, made up of an expansion fee near $10 billion plus $2 billion to $3 billion for a new arena.
• Estimated wealth: about $18.5 billion for the Lauries and about $2.5 billion for Durban, based on Forbes estimates.
• Who vets the bids: PJT Partners, the investment bank the NBA hired to run the expansion process.
• Approval: 23 of the 30 current owners must vote yes.

Put simply, the Lauries alone could cover the fee on paper, but no buyer writes a check that size without partners. A Silver Lake chief brings financing know-how and credibility with the other owners who will vote on the deal.

An arena near Allegiant Stadium

The report also said the Laurie-Durban group is looking at land near Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders, for its arena. That would set it apart from the dozen or so arena pitches already floating around Las Vegas, including the Area15 plan from Fisher Brothers west of the Strip and the North Strip site Resorts World is offering. None of those would be paired with this group.

One site that fits that description is Bali Hai Golf Club on south Las Vegas Boulevard, across Interstate 15 from the stadium. Oak View Group looked at that land for an arena earlier this year, and the Raiders had it on their first list of stadium sites before picking Russell Road. Clark County leaders have discussed auctioning more than 90 acres of the 149-acre property. Gambler Billy Walters holds a 99-year lease on the golf course that runs to 2098 and would likely have to be paid if the land is sold.

The competition

The Lauries are up against two other finalist groups: Golden Knights owner Bill Foley paired with former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, and former Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry with Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos. The league has said it wants to decide by the end of 2026 whether to add teams, with Las Vegas and Seattle the only markets under formal review, and a decision on the Vegas winner is expected in the coming weeks, possibly by late October or early November.

What to watch

The next markers are whether the other two groups answer with new investors of their own, whether the Lauries name a specific arena site, and when PJT Partners hands its recommendation to the league. Whoever wins, the price tag means Las Vegas would instantly become one of the most valuable franchises in the NBA before playing a game.