The game of basketball has been expanding around the globe in recent years. International players are finding a ton of success in the NBA, which is helping grow the game around the world.
Some of the best players in the league are from overseas now, as the last four MVP awards have gone to international players; Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks is doing his best to make it five in a row as he is off to an excellent start this season.
The NBA also held preseason games in different countries including Japan, Mexico City, Paris and the United Arab Emirates all in an effort to expand the game of basketball. There have also been some discussions about expanding the league itself.
Numerous cities have been mentioned as potential landing spots for expansion teams. Seattle would seemingly be the first place so that they can replace the SuperSonics, who were relocated and became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Mexico City, Las Vegas & Seattle Expansion Updates
Whenever a team is looking for a new arena or relocation pops up, Seattle is the first city mentioned. In addition to that, the NBA could look to expand to Las Vegas as the NHL and NFL have planted roots there in recent seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights and Las Vegas Raiders.
However, those aren’t the only cities that will be considered. According to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Mexico City will be under consideration as well. He detailed that the Mexico City Capitanes provide the groundwork for expansion there.
“If and when the NBA does expand, it is expected that Seattle will land a team that can finally replace the SuperSonics, which were relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. Silver has acknowledged Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ interest in wanting to be a part of an ownership group for a potential expansion team in Las Vegas. The NBA, however, acknowledged to Andscape that Mexico City could be a potential NBA expansion site if all goes well with the Capitanes de Ciudad de Mexico. The Capitanes made their G League debut in Mexico with a 120-84 victory over the Rio Grande Vipers in front of 7,391 fans at Arena CDMX Sunday night.”
That would be a bold move for the NBA to add a team in Mexico City. It is something that they would already have some experience with, as the Toronto Raptors are currently the only team in the NBA that is outside of the United States. Mexico City is the most populous city in North America, providing the league with a huge base to tap into.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Mexico City, Las Vegas & Seattle Expansion Updates
The Capitanes can be used as a gauge to see how popular the game of basketball could be in Mexico City. Expanding to another market outside of the United States would bring a lot of new viewership to the league and potentially a windfall of money, something that drives virtually every decision that the NBA and other professional sports leagues alike.
