A group led by former NBA owner and executive Jerry Colangelo only unveiled plans to bid for a potential NBA expansion franchise last week, but behind the scenes it appears to have been preparing the Las Vegas Jacks for over a year, trademark filings show.
When the Jacks were announced July 8, the name drew criticism online from people upset about the planned use of a gambling term, and some pointed out that the WNBA already has the Las Vegas Aces. “We hope they can come up with a more impressive team name,” one account with more than 461,000 followers wrote on social media. Barstool Sports published a story saying the name “stinks.”
Naysayers may be dismayed to learn that the group behind the Jacks—which in addition to Colangelo includes Horizon Sports & Experiences CEO David Levy, ESPN commentator and former Bulls point guard Jay Williams, and former Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro—didn’t just come up with the name. A corporate entity called LV NBA Newco LLC filed two separate trademark applications in 2025, one in May for “LV Jacks,” and another in June for “Las Vegas Jacks.”
Although the filings don’t explicitly say Colangelo’s group is behind the trademark applications, LV NBA Newco uses an address in Overland Park, Kansas, that is home to Prime Capital Financial, where Scott Colangelo, who is part of the Jacks group, serves as managing partner. (Scott Colangelo reportedly has no family relation to Jerry Colangelo.)
