Is the NBA Expanding to Seattle and Las Vegas?
https://www.si.com/nba/2022/06/03/adam-silver-commissioner-addresses-nba-expansion-rumors
https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/06/03/nba-expansion-in-2024-adam-silver-says-that-talk-is-not-true/
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I was excited to hear about a potential expansion of the NBA into Seattle and Las Vegas. My enthusiasm was dampened as the Commissioner quashed these rumors yesterday.
As a kid, I would watch the Seattle Supersonics, and even visited the Key Arena where they used to play in downtown Seattle. It seems that as both cities grow an expansion in the NBA is inevitable.
Adam Silver, the NBA Commissioner shot down these rumors before the Celtics/Warriors game yesterday, and I have to admit, I was a bit downtrodden. Seattle and Las Vegas have been growing in leaps and bounds, and they deserve NBA teams. The 32-league system is busting with talent, and we need to continue to grow the franchise where growth is occurring in the USA.
Adam Silver did say that both Las Vegas and Seattle are “wonderful markets”, and no move to add teams there is expected before 2024. Seattle recently adopted a NHL franchise called the Kraken, which is a lot of fun. They play at the Climate Change Arena in downtown Seattle and an NHL team just makes sense for Seattle, as Portland has the Winterhawks and is a lot smaller than Seattle. The cost to establish an NBA franchise is apparently $166 million, and both cities have arenas with which to host games.
While an NBA expansion seems inevitable, the losses the NBA faced during the pandemic may be the restricting factor here. The league lost billions of dollars due to restrictions and this needs to be recouped. Adam Silver mentioned Seattle’s tragic loss of the Supersonics, and that Las Vegas will host Summer games so let’s see what the future holds. Both markets have a lot of entertainment and growth of population, and an NBA team would be great for the league and the cities themselves.
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