NBA expansion has emerged as one of the hottest off-court subjects of late. In that discussion, a handful of cities are being hailed as possible destinations for expansion teams. League Commissioner Adam Silver has also talked openly on NBA expansion in recent months. He has made it known that the NBA fully intends to grow the league. Now, the talk of furthering the NBA’s growth beyond North America is driving the conversation even further.
Adam Silver Stokes Fires of NBA International Expansion
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Shaquille O’Neal Talk Europe
Earlier in the season, Silver publicly acknowledged on ESPN’s Pat McAfee show that the NBA was highly interested and moving in the direction of expanding on the league’s 30 franchises. Las Vegas was one potential market. The noise surrounding Vegas was hyped by LeBron James‘s interest in being an NBA owner. Other cities that entered the conversation were Seattle, Kansas City, New Jersey, and, for all the die-hard Canadian fans who love the NBA, Vancouver.
However, the NBA brand expands past the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, Silver’s comments on Europe are as interesting as they are exciting. He discussed the topic on Shaquille O’Neal‘s podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaq, regarding the NBA’s growth inside and outside the U.S.A. [24:50 mark]
“One of the things we’ve been discussing is whether, before adding NBA franchises in Europe, there’s an opportunity to create an independent league there. This could leverage the enormous interest in basketball in major European capitals like Paris, London, Berlin, and Madrid—and other major cities that love basketball,” Silver continued, “One day, maybe it’ll be my successor, but I can definitely see a division of NBA teams in Europe, and I think it would be an incredible thing for the game.”
Good for the NBA, Good for Europe
The NBA is already North America’s largest sports influence in Europe. However, one could argue that the NHL is equal to, if not greater, considering the amount of elite professional hockey leagues scattered across Europe. Hockey’s presence in Europe surpasses basketball, but the NBA is a greater brand than the NHL. That, however, is another topic for another story. With the growth of international talent coming out of European countries now represented in the NBA in America, there should be little doubt that expansion growth in the cities that Silver prospected wouldn’t succeed.
Next Door Neighbour
Silver also mentioned a location just below America: Mexico City. The NBA’s presence has already stretched down to Mexico, which Silver touched on.
“Mexico City is a market that we’ve been playing regular season games and not just preseason games for a long time. I think that’s potentially doable. There are other issues involved, it’s not about to happen overnight, but I think that’s a real opportunity.”
The NBA could come calling with a G League team (Mexico City Capitanes) already established. However, Silver suggests that founding a professional team there might have more obstacles than Europe would. Nevertheless, this conversation of expansion speaks to the global influence the NBA continues to excel in and why furthering efforts to expand is good for the league. The NBA will expand; there’s no doubt about it. The question is, how long until it touches down overseas? That’s the most exciting element of the entire discussion.
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