Check out the full interview on the Denver home field right before Game 2 begins:
This means that if all goes according to plan, by the summer of next year, we could have big news about the NBA’s expansion into new cities.
Shaq was very specific when asked about potential new franchises, mentioning Las Vegas and Seattle as potential destinations. Silver hasn’t corrected the former Lakers center in any way, which makes us think both cities are under the commissioner’s radar.
Talks about expanding the league to other countries outside of the United States and Canada have been surrounding NBA for a few years now
At the end of last year, the NBA hosted a regular season contest in Mexico City for the first time since 2019. On December 16, the San Antonio Spurs faced the Miami Heat, who won the game by 10 points that night. This was the twelfth time that the Mexican capital hosted an official league match.
This proves why this city has continued to establish itself as a long-term venue for the NBA, even as the G League franchise has already made it its new home with the Mexico City Capitanes. Adam Silver also shared how fast their relationship has grown, and that the NBA has considered expanding into this neighboring country.
“Mexico City is (doing) all the things necessary to prove to the league that, eventually, we might be in a position to host an NBA team here,” Silver said last year. “When you look at the success we’ve had in Canada in the North, starting in the early ’90s, it makes sense to me that we’re going to expand into the South as well.”
“Mexico is already the fifth largest market for the NBA League Pass on-demand streaming service,” according to Forbes. Their site also adds that: “Mexico is also the fourth largest market for the online NBA merchandise store.”