NBA confirms potential expansion to Mexico City, Montreal, Vancouver

Adam Silver On Being The Commissioner of The NBA | Full Interview

NBA league commissioner Adam Silver announced plans to expand to Mexico City, Montreal and Vancouver during the Celtics-Knicks game broadcast on Monday.

The NBA has contacted related parties in the cities. Silver also said the NBA was looking to expand to more cities within the U.S. The league had previously discussed expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas in 2024.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said in May 2023 that Seattle would have an NBA team in less than five years. According to Harrell, Seattle had a “great stadium” and “the financing” needed to foster their new NBA team.

The announcement is concurrent with the rebranding of Las Vegas as the “Sports Capital of the World.” Sin City has become the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and has been selected as the host city for the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament championship series.

‘There’s an enormous opportunity’

Silver had hinted at the expansion plan during the Magic-Hawks game on November 10.

“We think there’s an enormous opportunity to continue growing the game of basketball here in Mexico City and throughout the country,” Silver said. “And we also see this as a gateway essentially to the rest of Latin America.”

Silver said the move to set up a franchise team in Mexico City was “very doable.” He also made similar remarks on further expansion in Canada. The Toronto Raptors are currently the only active NBA team in the country, but the league used to have another. The Vancouver Grizzlies were active from 1995 to 2001 before being relocated and renamed the Memphis Grizzlies.

Silver acknowledged the challenge in executing the plan, as ice hockey is the most popular sport there. However, the NBA commissioner also said Montreal and Vancouver have the potential to become “great basketball markets,” exemplified by the success of Toronto.