5 Cities That Need an NBA Expansion Team
Could we see an NBA back in Seattle within the next few years?
Image credit: Stephen Dunn, Getty Images
In recent months NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has discussed potential plans to expand the NBA. Though the NBA has not formally begun the expansion process, Silver noted that the league will look to do so after new media deals are resolved within the next few years. The two most prominent cities are Las Vegas and Seattle, according to what Silver laid out just a few weeks ago, and CBS Sports observed that Silver’s attitude towards expanding the NBA has completely flipped from what he said last year, which seemed to indicate (at the time) that the NBA wasn’t considering expansion. Now that Silver’s mood has changed on the matter, many fans are brainstorming about where the NBA might expand next. Other possible cities include Mexico City or Vancouver (which was where the Grizzlies were located before moving to Memphis), but here are five cities in the United States that could be perfect destinations for NBA expansion teams.
Kansas City
Kansas City had an NBA team during the 1970s and early 1980s, and it was extremely popular among the fans. At that time the Kansas City Kings had some of the highest attendance numbers in the NBA, but unfortunately, poor on-court performance and a series of deceptive moves by management led to the team being relocated to Sacramento. All of this is explained in a video by Andy Hoops, a basketball YouTuber most famous for some of his historical NBA content. Nonetheless, Kansas City is a major sports town, and bringing back an NBA team would generate plenty of excitement for the city.
Cincinnati
Before becoming the Kansas City Kings and eventually the Sacramento Kings, the Cincinnati Royals were a fan favorite in the 1960s with all-time great Oscar Robertson. It’s unclear if Cincinnati is a potential NBA expansion city but given that an NBA team used to play there, Cincinnati should be considered. The only team in Ohio is the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they’re nearly four hours northeast of Cincinnati, and the closest NBA team to Cincinnati is nearly two hours west with the Indiana Pacers. The Division I college basketball teams in the northwest part of Ohio (University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, and Xavier) are relatively popular, so an NBA team would be a nice addition to an area that is currently seeing tremendous results from their new professional soccer team as well as the recent improvements of the Bengals and the Reds.
Las Vegas
It seems like a no-brainer that the NBA will expand in Las Vegas. They’ve been holding their summer league in Las Vegas for nearly two decades, and the WNBA relocated the San Antonio Stars to Vegas in 2017 (officially changing the name to the Las Vegas Aces). Vegas has also seen major success with the NHL’s expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, and they now have an NFL team after the Raiders relocated there in 2020. The Oakland Athletics will also likely move to Vegas, so the only thing left for this growing sports town is to add an NBA team.
Seattle
When the Seattle Supersonics officially became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, Seattle fans were upset about losing their NBA team. Seattle may be one of the first cities to get a team when the NBA officially decides to expand. It’s a prominent sports town that has already seen solid success with its WNBA team, the Seattle Storm. NBA fans would love to see the Seattle Supersonics restored, but it’s unclear whether they would acquire all the previous team history of the original Seattle Supersonics or whether the OKC Thunder would keep the Seattle Supersonics’ historical data as part of their team history. Either way, Seattle will inevitably be a top city for NBA expansion, so it’s only a matter of time before an NBA team is reinstated there.
Nashville
Nashville is the largest city in Tennessee and ironically has 40,000 more people than Memphis (which already has an NBA team). It isn’t necessarily considered to be a sports town, being mostly known for its music, yet Nashville does have professional soccer, hockey, and football teams. Adding an NBA team might be great for the city, as their college basketball teams are generally popular and create some solid fan interest. Nashville hasn’t been brought up that much in NBA expansion talks, but its growing population and the professional teams already there may make it a worthwhile destination for a new NBA team.
