The rumors about the NBA getting an expansion have been going on and on for years now. While there has been no solid evidence that this could be true at some point in the future, NBA fans are optimistic that basketball will return in Seattle. Also, Las Vegas is another city that comes to mind when talks of an expansion resurface. But, in a recent interview with NBA insider Marc Spears in NBA Today, he thinks otherwise. Spears thinks that Mexico City is a “legit contender when the NBA talks expansion”. With this kind of intriguing opinion coming from Spears, is the NBA really considering Mexico City as an expansion team in the future?
Related: Las Vegas and Seattle, Rumored to Get an NBA Team in the Future
An NBA team in Mexico City? @MarcJSpears says expansion is a real option 👀
"Move to the side Las Vegas. Move to the side Seattle. Mexico City … is a legit contender when the NBA talks expansion." pic.twitter.com/NjGxeAejmg
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 14, 2022
Why Mexico City is a top destination when NBA finally gets an expansion
- According to Marc Spears, Mexico City is 5 times bigger than New York and could be the biggest market in the league if Mexico gets a professional NBA team.
“They [have] been waiting for two years because of the pandemic to get to Mexico City. They’re finally there. This is the fifth largest city in the world. This is 33 million people, that have access to their games, [and] they have a 22,000-seat arena. This would be not New York, five times bigger than New York.”
- In addition to Marc Spear’s suggestion, the NBA deputy commissioner, Mark Tatum, also told Andscape that “there’s no doubt that Mexico City would have to be one the cities that would be in consideration”.
- Again, Mexico City is a very large city. They already have a nation that loves basketball and they have the means to support an NBA team. Plus, they have a state-of-the-art facility – the Arena CDMX – which could be the arena for their home team.
- Mexico had just joined the G-League last year, in 2021. Their team, the Mexico City Captains (Capitanes de Ciudad de Mexico) were not able to hold home games in Mexico thus they have to play most of their matches in the U.S. due to health protocols. What separates Mexico from Seattle and Las Vegas is that Mexico is the only one with a team in NBA G-League. Although Seattle hosted the Sonics until 2008, they have been missing basketball since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City.
Related: LeBron James and Floyd Mayweather Jr; Both Planning to Own an NBA Team
The NBA has lost a lot of revenue in the past two years due to the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Is the league ready for an expansion?
NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, has always said that the NBA isn’t expanding for a few more years but he never said that it won’t happen. Judging by the market in Mexico, the odds of them landing a basketball club would be higher than that of Seattle and Las Vegas. If ever Mexico finally joins the league, this could also open the door to Latin American countries such as Argentina and Brazil. But, again, talks of an expansion are just rumors and speculations. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to see this come to reality within 5 years or so.
Do you think we will be seeing Mexico City as an expansion team very soon? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
OTHER NEWS: NBA: Jordan Clarkson in the 2023 All-Star game?
Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications. Stay posted and never miss an update from the world of video games, cinema, and sports. You can also follow us on Twitter @spieltimes for the latest PS5 restock and drop. Until next time, Stay Safe and Happy Gaming!
