NBA expansion rumors are no more! For many years, there have been multiple rumors, unofficial reports, and speculations that the league will be putting new teams in new cities in the future. It has been debunked a hundred times in the past, but now, it’s mightly looking like it will come to reality. The NBA is reportedly eyeing two cities for a league expansion. And those cities? Well, the rumors were right all along.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has Las Vegas and Seattle on the list as potential cities for expansion teams
As reported by Sports Illustrated, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has his eyes on Las Vegas and Seattle as potential expansion teams. Last Monday, in the Summer League, during an interview with the Associated Press Sports Editors conference in Las Vegas, Adam Silver expressed his vision for possible growth within the league. Silver mentioned the possibility of a league expansion after the NBA’s new media rights deal will be completed. In his words, they (NBA) will be looking at Las Vegas and Seattle.
“We will turn to expansion once those new media deals are done. It’s not a sure thing but, as I’ve said before, I think it’s natural that organizations grow over time. We will look at [Las Vegas],” Silver said in his statement.
NBA Commish Adam Silver talks Expansion: "There's no doubt there's enormous interest in Seattle.”
“That's not a secret."
Via @BleacherReport https://t.co/Ng0UFYgyeH
— Chris Daniels (@ChrisDaniels_TV) July 11, 2023
“There’s no doubt there’s enormous interest in Seattle. That’s not a secret. There are other markets that have indicated interest. For the people who hear or read about this interview, we are not engaged in that process now. We’re not taking meetings right now with any potential groups.” He added.
The said media deal will conclude after the 2024-2025 NBA season. That being said, we are likely getting expansion teams two seasons from now.
Last month, when asked by Jalen Brown if he is considering expanding teams in the NBA, Adam Silver somewhat a positive response that fans would be delighted
Adam Silver was put on the spot after former ESPN host Jalen Rose asked the NBA Commissioner if he is considering expanding teams in the NBA. On the other end of the conversation is Silver who had a great response. As mentioned above, the league is finalizing a media deal and they are just finishing everything up. After that, a lot of legal and financial matters need to be resolved before they know what’s in store for the NBA in the future. Despite that, he is pretty sure the organization will get back to considering an expansion since it has been a long time since the league has done it. Silver also mentioned that there are some markets showing interest like some parts of Canada, Las Vegas, Seattle, Mexico, and other American states.
Basketball fans know that Seattle is not new to the NBA.
Back in the day, SuperSonics played in Seattle (now Oklahoma City Thunder) from 1967 to 2009. If you open the history books, you will see some legendary names pop up like Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, Shawn Kemp, Ray Allen, and Kevin Durant.
The starting lineup for your 1992-93 Seattle Supersonics pic.twitter.com/CNomrnzY8D
— Seattle Supersonics (@SeattleSonics) July 6, 2023
Vegas, on the other hand, has not been in this landscape before. Though they have an NHL team (Golden Knights) and an NFL team (Raiders), they are still yet to see the bright lights of the NBA. After all, Las Vegas and Seattle would be perfect destinations for an NBA team. Both cities already have huge arenas and are great locations for sports fans. Vegas has the T-Mobile Arena, while Seattle has the Climate Pledge Arena. Not to mention, Las Vegas is already a plethora of gamblers.
Aside from Las Vegas and Seattle, there are big markets that are also interested to be part of the NBA expansion
The rumors about the NBA getting an expansion have been going on and on for years now. With Adam Silver’s confirmation, NBA fans are optimistic that basketball will return to Seattle. Also, Las Vegas is another city that comes to mind when talks of an expansion resurface. But, in an 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”. Is the NBA really considering Mexico City as an expansion 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
Do you think we’ll see Las Vegas and Seattle finally get NBA teams in the future? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us here at Spiel Times. Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update. You can also follow us on Spiel Anime, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Until next time!
