Commissioner Adam Silver has hinted at the NBA’s potential expansion beyond the traditional U.S. and Canadian borders, exploring the prospect of introducing new teams on an international stage.
While immediate expansion plans remain off the table, Adam Silver acknowledges the significant interest in expanding the league’s footprint beyond North America.
“It’s not preordained that we will expand at this time, but I know there’s an enormous amount of interest out there… At some point, we’d like to look outside the United States. In addition to Canada. This may not be the right moment to do that, but I’m thinking long-term as well,” Silver said before Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
This isn’t the first instance where Silver has broached the idea of overseas expansion. In November of the previous year, he discussed potential avenues for growth during a local Celtics broadcast.
“Mexico City is easy in terms of, I mean it’s high altitude, it’s 2,000 feet higher than Denver, so that affects the players a bit, but it’s a shorter flight to Mexico City from New York than it is to Los Angeles, so … One day, I think that would be incredible to actually expand to a market like Mexico City,” said Silver.
Silver also highlighted the NBA’s global presence, underscoring its diverse player base hailing from approximately 40 countries.
“In the meantime, we are playing in Paris in January again. It is very much a global league, we got players from roughly 40 countries, over a quarter of the players were born outside of the United States, and especially now with digital media, streaming media, you guys know, I’m sure you get fan mail from 200-plus countries, that’s where our games are carried,” said Adam Silver.
Mexico City emerges as a compelling candidate for expansion, boasting a metropolitan area teeming with over 22 million inhabitants. With the presence of the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League, the city lays a promising foundation for potential NBA growth beyond North America.
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