Reports: NBA is considering Mexico City as a contender for expanding teams in the league
The NBA could be expanding south of the border. According to Andscape basketball reporter Marc J. Spears, Mexico City has become an "attractive city" for NBA expansion.
The Capitanes de Ciudad de Mexico is a G-League team based in Mexico. They are the only Mexican franchise associated with the NBA.
With the NBA looking to expand from 30 to 32 teams, many assumed that Seattle and Las Vegas would be the league's top priorities. Spears outlines that the NBA is intrigued by Mexico City. Several American cities are also under consideration.
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said:
“If we turn to expansion, there’s no doubt that Mexico City would have to be one the cities that would be in consideration. ... along with a host of other very big and relevant cities in North America."
The league has been hosting games in Mexico since the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks played a preseason game in 1992.
The NBA has avoided international expansion due to the consequences of travel. These issues are in the past. Tatum explains how the barriers to international expansion have disappeared:
“One of the biggest challenges around international expansion has always been the travel issues, the facility issues. But there is a world-class facility in Mexico City in Arena CDMX. So that’s not an issue. … And the travel is not an issue. It’s a pretty short flight for several of our teams”
REPORT: Mexico City is a “legit contender” to receive an NBA expansion team.
(via @andscape) https://t.co/uQyEjGjKcc
Spears also spoke about the rumors on an episode of "NBA on ESPN." He recently spent time in Mexico City. He explains that the size of the city's population is a good reason for expansion:
“This is the fifth largest city in the world. There’s 33 million people, there’s over like 30 million people that can watch their games. … This is five times bigger than New York. The biggest market in the NBA if they joined."
Spears continued:
“From what I’m hearing, Mark Tatum said, like ‘Mexico City is in consideration’. So move to the side Las Vegas, move to the side Seattle. Mexico, which also can open the door to Latin America, is a legit contender when the NBA talks expansion."
An NBA team in Mexico City? @MarcJSpears says expansion is a real option 👀
"Move to the side Las Vegas. Move to the side Seattle. Mexico City ... is a legit contender when the NBA talks expansion." https://t.co/NjGxeAejmg
Despite Adam Silver denouncing expansion, Mexico City joins Seattle and Las Vegas in conversation
There have been rumors of expansion for quite some time. Adam Silver denounced the rumors during a press conference in June. He emphasized that there are no plans for expansion. But he didn't rule it out further down the line:
“At some point, this league will invariably expand, just not at this moment.”
#NBA not expanding anytime soon (to Seattle or Vegas) says commish https://t.co/PXWbei4dxD
The last time the league expanded was in 2004, when the Charlotte Bobcats (now Charlotte Hornets) joined the league. Before that, the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies (now Memphis Grizzlies) joined in 1995.
The other major city in consideration is Seattle. The city previously hosted an NBA franchise, the Seattle SuperSonics, from 1967-2008. The team relocated to Oklahoma City and became the OKC Thunder. LeBron James has expressed interest in owning a team in Seattle. The city of Las Vegas has never been home to an NBA franchise.
The next NBA game in Mexico City will be on December 17. The Miami Heat will be hosting the San Antonio Spurs. It will be the 31st NBA game in the country's history.