NBA
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reveals ‘it is a possibility’ to have a new franchise in the league by the summer of 2024
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated07 Jun 2023
The last time the league dealt with an expansion team was back in 2008 when the Sonics still had a home in Seattle. 15 years later, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is starting to call the addition of a new franchise a “possibilty” in the next couple of years.
Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley interviewed the league representant before Game 2 of the NBA Finals this past Sunday evening.
The Lakers legend started the conversation by asking Silver if the league’s growth was still a project they were invested in. “With everything going so well, do you see in the near future more expansion teams? Like you hear Seattle, you hear Las Vegas,” O’Neal questioned. “Is that a possibility?”
To what Silver replied: “It is a possibility.”
One of the first steps that the NBA needed before daring to think of expanding to other cities was to finalize a collective bargaining deal with the athletes. Now that this is ready, next up, the league will dedicate itself to develop its media rights package.
Once the media rights are through, which should begin their negotations by next spring, finally Silver said that then “we’ll turn to expansion.”
Take a look at the full interview on Denver’s floor right before the kick off of Game 2:
This means that if everything goes according to plan, by the summer of next year we might have big news on the NBA’s expansion to new cities.
Shaq was very specific when asking about the potential new franchises, as he mentioned Las Vegas and Seattle as possible destinations. Silver did not rectify the former Lakers center in any form, which makes us believe that both cities are under the commissioner’s radar.
Talks about expanding the league to other countries beyond the United States and Canada have been surrounding the NBA for some years now
At the end of last year, the NBA hosted a regular season contest in Mexico City for the first time since 2019. Back in December 16, the San Antonio Spurs faced off with the Miami Heat, who won the game by 10 points that night. This was the 12th time that the Mexican capital hosts an official league match.
This is proving why this city keeps establishing itself as a long-lasting venue for the NBA, as even a G League franchise already made it their new home with the Mexico City Capitanes. Adam Silver also shared how quickly their relationship has grown, and that the NBA has considered expanding to this neighbouring country.
“Mexico City (is) doing all the things necessary to demonstrate to the league that, ultimately, we may be in a position to house an NBA team here,” Silver expressed last year. “When you look at the success we’ve had in Canada to the north, beginning in the early ’90s, it makes sense to me that we would expand to the south, as well.”
“Mexico is already the fifth biggest market for the NBA League Pass on-demand streaming service,” according to Forbes magazine. Their site also adds that: “Mexico is also the fourth biggest market for the NBA’s online merchandise store.”
