This makes too much sense not to happen: Part of LeBron James’ decision to move to the West Coast and join the Los Angeles Lakers was “business opportunities.”

And that could lead to, in my opinion, the chance to be a part owner and the face of the Las Vegas NBA ownership group.

He’s a perfect candidate: A guy with deep pockets, connections and a marquee name. And, of course, major Las Vegas gaming companies love marquee names and can be very persuasive. He was recently seen in Las Vegas wearing a Las Vegas Aces’ T-shirt. 

The WNBA team plays in the Mandalay Bay convention center. The property is owned by MGM Resorts International. Start connecting the dots with that hint.

What’s Clint Eastwood, Steve Wynn’s best man at the casino mogul's 2011 wedding, up to these days? Eastwood, who turned 88 in May, is shooting a movie called “The Mule.” It’s based on a true story of a 90-year-old Indiana horticulturist who was caught running drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel. on9news.tv/2OCS3PH

Illusionist Criss Angel made it official this week: December 19 will be opening night at his new location, Planet Hollywood. He’s ending his 10-year run at Luxor on Oct. 28. The show is being billed as an entirely new approach to magic.

The Madonna birthday blitz will soon be upon us. The Material Girl, who moved to Portugal a year ago, turns 60 – that’s not a typo—on August 16. She shares the 18th century Moorish revival mansion with her family. It wasn’t that many years ago that she was asked if she would be interested in a Celine Dion-like residency. Her response: “That’s insane. I hate Vegas. I couldn’t bear it for five minutes.” But she didn’t mind swallowing her pride to pocket millions for the weekend engagement.

Former Green Valley High swimming star Molly Sullivan has quickly landed on her feet after losing her job as sideline reporter for the Philadelphia 76ers. She was the sideline reporter for the past six years for the NBC affiliate in the nation’s fourth largest market. Now known by her married name, Molly Sullivan French, she's been hired by the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles as a reporter and host for training camp. She was a nationally ranked distance swimmer at the University of North Carolina. After returning to Las Vegas, she was an entertainment reporter, doing assignments for a number of networks.  She had a lifestyle show at KTNV-TV, Channel 13 before moving to the sports sidelines, where her career exploded. https://bit.ly/2v5Fpkj

A blast from the past: The notorious New York City gossip columnists Walter Winchell led one of his 1955 columns with news that Las Vegas casino dealers were forced to shave their mustaches because movies of that generation depicted crooks with mustaches. Winchell called it “lip spinach.”  Winchell was so popular (syndicated in 2,000 newspapers and read by 50 million people per day from the 1920s to the last 1950s) he starred in the Tropicana Revue and included his signature catchphrase “ "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. America, from border to border and coast to coast and all ships at sea.” Winchell isn’t the only one who landed an unconventional headliner gig.  Detroit Tigers pitching legend Denny McLain played the organ for $15,000 a week in Las Vegas after winning 31 games in 1968. https://bit.ly/2n369gX

As a longtime connoisseur of off-beat sightings, I found this one deep in the archives of the Las Vegas Sun, in Ralph Pearl’s “Vegas Daze and Nights” man-about-town column: “Elvis Presley’s in town at the Sahara, his favorite hangout, with five of his Tennesse buddies. Last night they had a ball when Elvis bought 20 pints of ice cream (he can afford it!) and went back to their suite. There was six different flavors.” --  from June 25, 1962.

In closing: there’s also the assclown who tempts fate.http://bit.ly/2OBZsPf