As the game of basketball and the popularity of the NBA continue to grow, the league is reportedly looking to expand by adding another team, or even two, outside of the United States. However, it won’t be in Canada again, just like the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver franchise in the past, as the league has its sights in Latin America.
Commissioner Adam Silver recently shared, via Sam Amick of USA Today Sports, that a team from Mexico could be the next franchise to play in the NBA. He then explained why it is going to be very marketable, especially with the millions of basketball fans in the country.
“We’re not looking at expansion at the moment, but at the time we do turn to expansion, just as we’ve had enormous success in Canada with the (Toronto) Raptors, we do see enormous opportunity in Mexico City and think it could become the franchise for Latin America,” Silver said.
“Mexico City is a city with over 20 million people, a country of 130 million people, and a huge Mexican American population. We’re only looking at it from a more general standpoint – and we’re playing games (there) again in Dec. (the Brooklyn Nets are playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 7 and the Miami Heat on Dec. 9). It’s something we’ll continue to keep eye on.”
Although it can be argued that a European or even Asian team could join the league as well, it would be close to impossible to reconcile the season schedule due to its distance. With Mexico very close to the U.S., it does make a lot of sense that their potential team could be included in the NBA as the logistics will definitely work.
For now, it doesn’t appear like the expansion in Mexico will happen anytime soon, but if a potential owner will emerge, it won’t come as a surprise if the planning will start immediately. What sounded only like a dream for Mexican basketball fans in the past could turn into reality, as having their own NBA team may indeed happen and could only be a matter of time now.
Follow Us
Subscribe