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NBA expansion: What cities will they expand to next?
Due to the increase in the number of NBA teams, there’s been some rumour that the association plans to expand its league to other cities.
Presently, there are 30 teams in the NBA league, and although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, the teams will be more than that in a few years.
The National Basketball Association is one of the most popularly known sports leagues. The sport is one of the most watched in the world, and the league is in the United States. It was established in 1946 in New York, and it was named the Basketball Association of America (BAA).
There were only 11 teams at the time the association was established, and today they have added 29 more teams to the league. If the leagues can increase from the time of establishment to today, who’s to say it won’t keep increasing?
The commission had denied that there were plans for the league to add new teams at the moment, but he never ruled out the possibility of expansion in the future. If you are an NBA fan, do not forget to place your NBA betting for the next game.
Here are a few of the cities that the NBA might expand to;
Las Vegas, Nevada
The NBA star player LeBron James once mentioned in his interview with “The Shop: Uninterrupted” that he wanted to own a team based in Las Vegas.
There have been rumours going around that the association wants to expand its leagues to this part of the city.
The city itself looks like it’s getting ready to host the new team. The Oak View Group, well-known for developing and operating sporting and entertainment venues, has reportedly purchased a 66-acre plot of land in Las Vegas and is developing an NBA-ready arena there.
Seattle, Washington
There’s also a chance that the NBA might return to Seattle, as the city already has an operational venue for the team.
The team moved to Oklahoma City in 2009. The venue currently hosts NHL games.
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City is also one of the possible cities for a new NBA team. The city has one of the largest markets but is without a team.
Also, it is close to some cities that are already part of the NBA league, like Oklahoma City and Denver. It is also the home of the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Other cities like Austin, San Jose, St. Louis, Omaha, California, Pittsburgh, and many others are all possible cities that are considered NBA team worthy. They all meet the requirements to host the NBA and have a team in their city.
There is also a chance that the NBA will be expanded beyond the United States and Canada and move into Europe. If there is any American sport that can do that, it is the NBA.
They have the patience and courage to take bold steps. If they can allow foreign-born players to play on NBA teams, they can expand their league internationally and play all over the continent.
Several other cities are possibly the best fit for the expansion, but not all the cities can get to join the league. However, the NBA is scheduled to negotiate another contract after the existing one in the year 2025, this might be the time the league decides on whether they need an expansion or not.
Las Vegas, Seattle, and Kansas City will probably be ready and waiting if the NBA uses one of these two opportunities to welcome additional clubs into the fold.