Adam Silver teases three potential NBA expansion cities originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON – The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks outlasted 28 other teams to reach the 2024 NBA Finals. That number could increase in the very near future.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver joined NBC Sports Boston Celtics Pregame Live on Sunday at TD Garden ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals and confirmed that the league will explore the possibility of expanding from its 30 current teams after it finalizes new media rights deals.
“We need to understand what our long-standing media relationships are before we look at expanding. We are in the process of finalizing those deals now,” Silver told co-hosts Tom Giles, Eddie House and Brian Scalabrine. “They will be long-term deals. I hope we are not done yet, but they will be successful in terms of generating more money for the league and the teams and then we will be in a situation.” position to look at expansion.”
The NBA’s current media rights deal expires after the 2024-2025 season, and Silver said Thursday that the league hopes to finalize new long-term deals in “relatively short notice.” According to the Wall Street Journal, the NBA is nearing deals with NBC, ESPN and Amazon totaling about $76 billion over the next eleven years.
While Silver insisted that adding teams to the league is not a given, it would be a logical next step given the influx of money from the potential media rights deals and the fact that two other professional sports leagues – the NFL and the NHL – already have done. 32 teams (with the NHL adding a 33rd team in Utah starting in 2024-2025).
“We’re not destined to expand,” Silver said. “I’ve said it before, you have to look at the potential dilution of talent, but there’s so much great basketball being played around the world. I don’t think there’s any doubt that this league will evolve over time and there is interest in the market, so once we complete our media deals we will turn our attention to that.”
Which cities could be in the running to add an expansion team?
“There has been some discussion about a possible return to Seattle,” Silver confirmed. “Las Vegas is undoubtedly very interested in a team. Mexico City one day.
“But honestly, there are a lot of other U.S. cities and Canadian cities that have contacted us to tell us they would be interested.”
Seattle and Las Vegas have long been rumored to be the league’s next two expansion cities, while Silver has repeatedly suggested the NBA is looking to add another international team in addition to the Toronto Raptors. The league has played several regular-season games in Mexico City in recent seasons, so perhaps that would be the next frontier for the NBA after welcoming Seattle and Las Vegas.
Watch Silver’s full interview in the YouTube video below.
