“I’ll give you another $250 million”

Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson publicly called on Donald Trump to run for a third term in 2028 at a White House Hanukkah ceremony. Adelson, the billionaire majority owner of casino and resort empire Las Vegas Sands Corp., pledged large sums of money to support that prospect.

“She said, ‘Think about it, I’ll give you another $250 million,'” Trump told the crowd at a White House event, according to Forbes.

Adelson, who was standing a few feet away, immediately confirmed the conversation: “I give.”

What does the constitution say?

Since Trump was elected to a second term in January 2025, most of his top supporters have been mulling a third term. However, even as the world’s 42nd richest man urged him to run in 2028, Trump admitted that it was constitutionally impossible for him.

After all, the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution clearly states that “no person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice.” Trump served his first term from January 2017 to January 2021 and is on track to complete the first year of his second term.

However, it begs the question: Does Adelson’s public support for a third term indicate an exploitable legal loophole? Well, it looks like Mary and her legal team at least did their preliminary work.

“I met Alan Dershowitz… he said.. four more years. We can do it. Think about it,” she told Trump, as the audience erupted into chants of “four more years.”

While Miriam’s confidence is remarkable, Trump’s supporters will need an uphill climb to make a case to the Supreme Court and challenge the Constitution. There’s no harm in trying, but any constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as support from at least 38 of the 50 states.

In October 2025, Jack Queen and Luke Cohen of Reuters noted that Republicans held a slim 219–213 edge in the House, a 53–47 lead in the Senate, and control of 28 state legislatures. Trump’s supporters can muster enough support until 2028, but it’s highly unlikely.

However, the most realistic loophole is for Trump to run for vice president and succeed to the presidency. The constitution does not allow anyone elected to run for a third term, but says nothing about succession.

As Graeme Baker of BBC News points out, there is a likely scenario in 2028 with JD Vance running for president and Trump running for vice president. Trump could at some point be succeeded by a successor, effectively subverting the Constitution.

Although these are all speculations, nothing is off limits when it comes to securing political power.

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Trump and the NBA

Adelson is one of several NBA owners who have publicly endorsed Trump in the past. Tillman Fertitta (Houston Rockets), Dan Gilbert (Cleveland Cavaliers) and James Dolan (New York Knicks) also made some generous donations to the president.

Players obviously have their preferences, though some are more vocal than others. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James once called POTUS a “bombshell” for his divisive tactics after Stephen Curry publicly said he didn’t want to visit the White House after the Golden State Warriors’ 2017 title.

Recently, Trump’s name was pulled back into the spotlight in sports circles thanks to Dwight Howard. The former three-time Defensive Player of the Year urged the president to use mandatory “service” to instill discipline in Americans. This prompted a series of reactions online, though some people are open to the idea.

That’s the only constant when it comes to Trump. Any headline attached to his name, whether it runs in the White House or the NBA owners’ box, is instantly a lightning rod. The NBA connection only magnifies the reaction, turning the speculation into a national talking point almost by default.

RELATED: “How irrational his mind is” — LeBron James’ response to Donald Trump claiming he’s friends with Dan Gilbert

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on December 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off the Court section. Add The Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.