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The NBA is constantly looking for ways to grow its (significant but growing) popularity and take the league to even bigger heights. The NBA introduced the in-season tournament last season, and the tournament allowed the league to engage fans, create even more excitement and interest in the season early on and in some cases, more exposure for some teams. The inaugural tournament was successful and just one of many ways the NBA is looking to improve. Another idea that has been a topic of discussion in recent years is expansion. There have been talks of the NBA expanding and creating a team (or teams) in a new market. The talks came up once again after an update from NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
The NBA held its meeting of the league’s board of governors, and afterward, Silver mentioned that expansion was not discussed. However, it has not been ruled out and could be discussed at some point in the season.
“It was something that we told our board we plan to address this season, and we’re not quite ready yet. But I think there’s certainly interest in the process, and I think that we’re not there yet in terms of having made any specific decisions about markets or even frankly to expand.” Silver said.
Expansion in the NBA would be interesting, and while it may not happen in the immediate future, it is something to think about. Could the NBA really expand? And if so, where would they go? With that said, here are three cities who could land an NBA team in the future.
1.) Seattle
The city of Seattle, Wash. is no stranger to NBA basketball. Seattle was home to the Supersonics. The Sonics were a franchise from 1967 to 2008. Seattle had its ups and downs throughout franchise history, and had some legendary players in its time. The Sonics were home to players such as Lenny Wilkens and Spencer Haywood in their early years. Wilkens played with the Sonics from 1968 to 1972. He also was their coach from 1969 to 1972 (as a player-coach similar to Bill Russell). After he retired, he coached the Sonics from 1977 to 1985. The Sonics won their first and only championship under Wilkens in 1979.
Throughout their history, the Sonics were also home to players such as Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, who were known for their alley oops, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, two players known for their shooting abilities and eventually, the Sonics were home to Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook was drafted by the Sonics, but the Sonics relocated and became the Oklahoma City Thunder shortly after.
A return to Seattle could be an interesting move for the NBA, and if expansion does happen, that should be one of the first places to consider.
2.) Las Vegas
Las Vegas is home to the defending WNBA champions. The Las Vegas Aces have won back-to-back titles and are looking to get their third this season. The Aces are doing great things in the city, and when it comes to the NBA, Las Vegas has been brought up in the past. There were reports earlier in the year from Fortune that mentioned that an NBA expansion team could be granted to Las Vegas, and if that does happen, there are various suitors interested. Fortune listed LeBron James as one of those suitors. For now, any talks around Las Vegas, expansion and any suitors should be looked at as merely speculation. But it is something that cannot be ruled out down the line.
3.) Vancouver
Could the NBA return to another former and familiar place? The Vancouver Grizzlies existed from 1995 to 2001. The NBA established two Canadian teams in 1995, as that was also the year the Toronto Raptors were introduced. In their six seasons, the Grizzlies struggled and did not have a season or .500 or higher. Their worst season was their 8-42 season, which was a short season due to the lockout during the 1998-99 season. The Grizzlies relocated to Memphis after their 2000-01 season, and have been there since. Vancouver did not have the best luck, but a second time around could eventually work out better.
Expansion may not happen for a while, but these cities (and others such as Tampa, St. Louis, Cincinnati and even Mexico City) have been brought up in some form or fashion. Should the NBA expand? And if so, which of these cities will get teams? Only time will tell.
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Senior Editor, Digital Manager, Blogger, has been nominated for awards several times as Publisher and Author over the years. Has been with company for almost three years and is a current native St. Louisan.
