Exclusive | James Dolan abruptly scraps partnership with rival firm over Las Vegas NBA venue plan that could compete with the Sphere: sources

James Dolan has abruptly nixed a tie-up with the company that manages his sports and entertainment venues after the firm disclosed plans to build a new arena in Las Vegas — a project that Dolan believes could compete directly against the Sphere, The Post has learned.The billionaire Knicks owner has quietly broken off an unusual 14-month-old partnership with Oak View Group — a rival firm co-founded by Dolan’s longtime friend, the legendary concert promoter Irving Azoff — which had aimed to attract a mega-buck sponsor for the Las Vegas Sphere, sources said.In interview with The Post in September 2023 — just weeks before the Sphere’s grand opening kicked off with a residency by iconic Irish rock group U2 — Oak View CEO Tim Leiweke said the partnership, dubbed Crown Properties Collection, aimed to sell the naming rights to the Sphere in a $40-million-a-year deal.“That’s the range for the top arenas in the country like Madison Square Garden,” Leiweke told The Post.That hasn’t yet materialized, however — with Dolan recently rejecting a $30 million offer from a prospective naming partner, according to two sources close to the situation.Meanwhile, Leiweke revealed at a conference in Phoenix last month that Oak View was teaming up with the Rio Casino in Las Vegas to build the new, NBA-size arena on Rio’s parking lot that had roughly the same seating capacity as the high-tech Sphere, sources said.Adding insult to injury, Leiweke also told the VenuesNow conference on Oct.16 that he was talking to the owners of the ABBA Experience show at the London Theatre to perform in the yet-to-be-built arena — a production that could be adapted to play at the Sphere, according to insiders.Oak View hopes it can raise the funds for the project and then lure an NBA team, insiders said.

The announcement sparked chatter that Leiweke had proven himself to be an unreliable business partner for Dolan.“I’ve wondered why Dolan hired Leiweke in the first place,” a ...