NBA Commissioner Adam Silver teased three potential expansion cities as speculations of the league expanding past 30 franchises continue to circulate.
Silver joined NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics Pregame Live ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday and confirmed that the league will explore the possibility of expanding when they secure a new media rights deal.
When asked which locations are in the running to house an NBA team, the commissioner revealed a return to the Pacific Northwest and potentially going south of the border.
‘There’s been some discussion about going back to Seattle, potentially,’ Silver confirmed. ‘Las Vegas, no doubt, is very interested in a team. Mexico City one day.
‘But there’s lots of other U.S. cities and Canadian cities, frankly, that have reached out to us to tell us they’d be interested.’
NBA commissioner Adam Silver teased three cities that could have an expansion team
The former home of the Seattle Sonics – now the Oklahoma City Thunder – the farcry for the NBA to return to Seattle has made it a rumored destination for an expansion team.
On the other hand, the growth of professional sports in Sin City has made it a hotspot for leagues to bring franchises to. The league has also graced the city this past season with the inaugural In-Season tournament wrapping up in Vegas.
The NBA has played several regular season games in Mexico City – making it a potential international destination next to the Toronto Raptors.
Their current media rights deal expired after the 2024-25 NBA season. In the segment, Silver revealed that the league hopes to finalize a new long-term contract in the ‘relative near term.’
The Wall Street Journal reported that the NBA is ‘closing in’ on deals with NBC, ESPN, and Amazon – totaling about $76 billion over the next 11 years.
Silver named Seattle, Las Vegas, and Mexico City as frontrunners before Game 2 of the finals
The first In-Season Tournament wrapped up in Las Vegas with the Lakers winning the NBA cup
Sin City is now home to WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces and the Raiders in the NFL
The league played several regular-season games in Mexico City, making them a frontrunner
‘We have to understand what our long-term media relationships are before we look to expansion. We’re in the process of wrapping up those deals now,’ Silver said.
‘They’re going to be long-term deals. I’m hoping we’re not done yet, but they’ll be successful in terms of generating more money for the league and the teams, and then we’ll be in a position to look at expansion.’
‘It’s not preordained that we’ll expand,’ he continued. ‘I’ve said it before – you’ve got to look at the dilution, potentially, of talent, but there’s so much great basketball being played around the world.’
‘I don’t think there’s any doubt that over time, this league can sustain two more teams. And there’s interest in the market, so once we finish our media deals, we’ll turn our attention to that.’
