Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson publicly called on Donald Trump to run for a third term in 2028 at the White House Hanukkah celebration. Adelson, the billionaire majority owner of casino and resort empire Las Vegas Sands, has pledged big money to support the possibility.
“She said, ‘Think about it and I’ll give you another $250 million,'” According to Forbes, Trump addressed the crowd at a White House event.
Adelson, standing a few feet away, immediately confirmed the conversation: “I’ll give it.”
What does the constitution say
Since Trump was re-elected in January 2025, most of his high-profile supporters have been floating the idea of a third term. Yet even as the world’s 42nd richest man begged him to run in 2028, Trump acknowledged that he was constitutionally unable to do so.
After all, the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution clearly states that “no person shall be elected President more than twice.” Trump’s first term ran from January 2017 to January 2021, and the first year of his second term is coming to an end.
However, this begs the question: Does Adelson’s public support for a third term suggest there is a legal loophole that could be exploited? Well, it looks like Miriam and his legal team at least did their preliminary work.
“I met Alan Dershowitz… and he said… four more years. We can do it. Think about it,” she told Trump as the audience erupted in chants of “four more years.”
While Miriam’s confidence is noteworthy, Trump’s supporters will have to go to the Supreme Court the hard way and challenge the Constitution. There’s no harm in giving it a try, but any constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate, and the support of at least 38 of the 50 states.
In October 2025, Reuters’ Jack Queen and Luc Cohen noted that Republicans held a slim 219-213 advantage in the House, a 53-47 lead in the Senate, and control of 28 state legislatures. Trump supporters could gain sufficient support before 2028, but this is highly unlikely.
The most realistic vulnerability, however, is Trump running for vice president and succeeding as president. The constitution does not allow anyone elected to run for a third term, but it does not provide for succession.
As BBC News’ Graeme Baker mentioned, one possible scenario is that J.D. Vance runs for president in 2028 and Trump runs for vice president. Trump could then take over as president via succession at some point, effectively circumventing the Constitution.
While these are all speculations, there are no limits on securing political power.
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Trump and the NBA
Adelson is just one of many NBA owners to publicly support Trump in the past. Tilman Fertitta (Houston Rockets), Dan Gilbert (Cleveland Cavaliers) and James Dolan (New York Knicks) have also made some generous donations to the president at some point.
Players obviously have their preferences, although some are more vocal than others. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has called the President of the United States a “bum” over his divisive tactics after Stephen Curry publicly stated that he did not want to visit the White House following the Golden State Warriors’ 2017 championship.
Recently, Trump’s name has once again been dragged into the sports spotlight because of Dwight Howard. The former three-time Defensive Player of the Year urged the president to use mandatory “service” to instill discipline in Americans. This sparked a flurry of backlash online, although some were open to the idea.
For Trump, this is the only constant. Any headline with his name on it, whether it’s the White House or the NBA owners’ box, immediately becomes a lightning rod. The NBA connection only amplified the reaction, turning speculation into a national conversation almost by default.
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This article was originally published by Basketball.com on December 30, 2025, and first appeared in the off-court section. Click here to add Basketball Network as your preferred source.