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The NBA is in a good place, based on Commissioner Adam Silver’s latest talk to the media before the Finals started. Before Game 2 of the championship series between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets, Commissioner Silver talked with NBATV hosts.
When asked by Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal about rumors of an expansion, Silver answered:
(12:50 mark)
“It [expansion] is a possibility. We wanted to get our Collective Bargaining Agreement [CBA] done, so we’ve done that now. And the other thing is we want to understand what our new media rights packages are and those negotiations will probably begin in earnest next spring.
"Once that’s done, we’ll turn to expansion. We don’t have anything specific in mind right now.
“I think it makes sense over time if you’re a successful organization that continues to grow. There’s no doubt that there’s a lot of cities who are interested in having the NBA.
The last time the league had an expansion was back in 2004 when the NBA added the Charlotte Bobcats. They were later known as the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte’s entry made it 30 teams in the league.
Seattle, which is the largest American media market that doesn’t have a franchise, could be first in line. The city had a franchise before called the SuperSonics. They were perennial playoff contenders during the days of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp.
The Sonics, however, relocated to Oklahoma after failing to pool together funds for a new arena where the team could host games. The franchise settled a $45 million lease of the Key Arena before it expired in 2010. They are now known as the OKC Thunder.
Las Vegas is another city that could have another franchise soon. The WNBA champs Aces are already based in Sin City. LeBron James has already made known his intentions known to own a team there. If the expansion happens in 2024, James could still be playing with Bronny James for another team, though.
San Diego is also a potential NBA franchise owner
San Diego only has the Padres in the MLB to root for among the four major US Sports. Adding a franchise to that city will be a welcome development. Like Seattle, San Diego is one of the biggest media markets with diehard sports fans. It’s a relatively untapped market that could push the league to look to expand there.
Seattle and Las Vegas, though, are the favorites due to their history (Seattle’s side) and market (both).
Also read: A history of expansion teams and their impact on the NBA
Guess the Lakers players!
