With the NBA growing and becoming a more global game for fans all over to enjoy, the idea of a possible NBA expansion has always been an intriguing proposition. We now have regular season games in the United Kingdom and Mexico and the NBA send teams to China and Europe to play some preseason games. Why not start expanding the NBA to become an international association altogether? The NBA is bound to expand from its current 30-team format and the NBA 2k17 game features a new expansion mode for the league, so there’s obvious fan interest. Not only do fans want an expansion to occur, but the timing might be right as well. With the new TV deal signed worth $24.4 billion, the NBA is in a good economic position to expand, whether it be domestically or internationally. There are some options for an expansion, some more realistic than others, but overall the options could be seemingly unlimited. The NBA has never been more popular.
NBA Expansion In North America
Kansas City
Kansas City is a loyal sports town. With the MLB and NFL already in the state of Missouri, the city is just waiting for an NBA expansion. It already has an arena that hosts preseason NBA games in the Sprint Center, and there is no question that basketball is a major passion in the mid-west cities. The NBA has previously been in Kansas City with the Kings, who are now in Sacramento, spending a good chunk of the 70’s and 80’s in the city. The league could consider giving the people of Kansas City the chance to cheer on for their own team for the first time in 30 years.
Kentucky
The state of Kentucky poses an interesting opportunity for the NBA due to its large population and rampant love for basketball. Kentucky is home to two of the biggest collegiate basketball programs in the country, the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, there is no question basketball is a celebrated sport in the state. If their fans are any indication of the passion for basketball in the city, Louisville will want to get the chance to watch professional basketball players go head to head as well. If the NBA does look to expand into the mid-west, Louisville could be a top city to consider.
Seattle
It was reported this summer that if Seattle had figured out a way to get an arena, they would immediately get approved to bring back the Supersonics to the NBA. The idea has been tossed around a lot. Seattle was a part of the NBA for a long time, before the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 becoming the Thunder, and the city has been vocal in its efforts to bring basketball back to the Seattle. The reason they left Seattle in the first place was because attendance wasn’t the greatest, but if the NBA does re-locate a team or decide to expand, Seattle would be the first city to ask. The NBA needs the Supersonics back.
Las Vegas
It’s surprising that no major league sport has invested in trying to bring a sports team to one of the hubs of entertainment, Las Vegas, because of the pure revenue potential it would bring. The NBA has played with the idea of potentially bringing a team to Las Vegas, even hosting an All-Star weekend there in 2007, but with the risk of gambling that it brings, there are negative effects to having a sports team in ‘Sin City’. Despite this, the NBA hosts its Las Vegas Summer League every year, one of the most popular basketball events to watch in the summer, which makes Las Vegas a city the NBA could consider.
Vancouver
The City of Vancouver had a short experiment with an NBA team from 1995 to 2001, before the Grizzlies were moved to Memphis. Since then, the city has turned into one of the biggest markets in Canada. When Canada was re-introduced to the NBA in 1995, it bred a new generation of NBA stars. They have started to produce quality NBA talent, like Andrew Wiggins and NBA champions Tristan Thompson and Corey Joseph, and other young studs in Kelly Olynyk, Jamal Murray, Trey Lyles and Dwight Powerll, showing the development of basketball there. With a heavily supported pre-season series hosted in Vancouver and Montreal, the growth of the game of basketball in Canada, even outside of Toronto, has become apparent. It would make sense that the NBA start their global expansion in a territory they are familiar with.
International NBA Expansion
Mexico City
The NBA will host its annual regular season game in Mexico City and this year it will be the Phoenix Suns facing off against the Dallas Mavericks. With the Suns having intentions of becoming ‘Mexico’s team’, you have to wonder if it is time to bring basketball to the country of Mexico. Even if the Suns don’t relocate to Mexico City, the idea of expanding into Mexico would bring an entirely different dynamic and culture into the NBA, plus it would make for a great escape for the teams that have to deal with the cold all the time.
China
If the NBA ever did consider expanding into Asia or China, they would most likely create a separate division, consisting of 4 or more teams, but it seems like a logistical nightmare. The plane rides would be ridiculous and Adam Silver would seriously have to put some consideration into changing the length of the NBA season. Nevertheless, basketball has never been bigger in China, with the NBA hosting its own series of preseason games there, and companies like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour constantly using their resources to grow the game in China as well. Reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry just recently came back from spending his summer touring Asia promoting his new Under Armour shoes. With influence like that, the game of basketball is bound to develop in Asia. Although it seems like a far reach, China would arguably be the biggest market the NBA could place a team in, making it always an intriguing option.
Europe- France/ Spain / United Kingdom
Europe is still a growing market for basketball because of the dominance of football (Soccer to Americans) in the region but make no mistake, some of the NBA’s best talent are from this continent. With preseason games played, almost every year; in the United Kingdom, France and Spain, all 3 countries pose an opportunity for the NBA to expand to. Much like China, if the NBA were to ever try to explore expanding to Europe, they would have to establish their own division there, with potentially 4 cities and teams that would make up a conference in itself. Logistically speaking it could get tricky, but expanding is something the NBA has been considering doing in order to strengthen its global brand and further compete with other major top league sports like the NFL and MLB.
Does this mean the NBA will be planning to make a move to one of these cities soon? The answer is likely far from that. Despite being in a good economic and financial position, it may not be the smartest move. Money isn’t short in the NBA, they’ve signed a record-breaking TV deal, the Clippers were sold for $2 billion and this summer we saw General Manager’s around the league spend more money then ever on free agents. This shows the NBA’s brand value is increasingly growing, but increasing the amount of teams in the league, means dividing the pie into more parts, which means less cake for everyone. With the NBPA and owners set to negotiate terms on their new CBA soon, you can bet that the this expansion and globalization of the NBA brand will be one of the main topics.
