Prior to Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, commissioner Adam Silver held a press conference to address multiple topics surrounding the league. One of which was the issue of expansion, and the possibility of new teams entering the NBA in the near future.
Silver said that he would ‘take the temperature of the room’ at the upcoming board of governors meeting in Las Vegas, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
“There’s been no lack of interest,” Silver said on Thursday. “So if we were to say yes, we’re now going to move into a more formal exploratory phase. We would take those meetings, and in addition likely we would engage with outside advisers who would look at markets, look at economic opportunities and media opportunities, etc.”
There have been seven teams that have been added during league expansion following the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. The Dallas Mavericks joined in 1980, the Miami Heat and original Charlotte Hornets in 1988, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic in 1989, and the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver (now Memphis) Grizzlies in 1995.
The last league expansion occurred in 2004 with the arrival of the Charlotte Bobcats. The team eventually rebranded back to the Hornets following the 2014 renaming of the New Orleans Hornets taking on their current Pelicans name.
Silver ‘Exploring’ Idea of NBA Expansion
While nothing is set in stone, Silver reiterated that the idea would be discussed during the annual board of governors meeting next month. The commissioner has brought up expansion in the past, but has never given a direct timeline or blueprint for new teams being added to the league.
“As I’ve said before, expansion in a way is selling equity in the league. If you believe in the league, you don’t necessarily want to add partners,” Silver said. “On the other hand, we recognize there are underserved markets in the United States and elsewhere — I think markets that deserve to have NBA teams. Probably even if we were to expand, more than we can serve.”
Both Seattle and Las Vegas have been the most discussed possible locations for new NBA teams. Seattle was previously home to the Supersonics, who were relocated to Oklahoma City and renamed as the Thunder in 2008. Las Vegas also also seen a drastic growth as a new home for professional sports franchises, now with the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights, WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, and potential future home of the MLB’s (Oakland) Athletics.
Silver also hinted at the idea of the NBA expanding across the globe, with the help of their NBA Africa venture, as well as their partnership with the EuroLeague.
“We have been discussing potentially creating a league in Europe, and I view that as a form of expansion as well,” Silver said. “We think there’s an opportunity to serve fans in Europe.”
Silver Discussed Other Topics Around the League
Along with the looming idea of NBA expansion, the commissioner gave time to talk about other topics that have been prominent in league discourse recently. Firstly was the proposal to decrease the amount of regular season games from the current 82 to a smaller number. He shot down that idea, despite the growing interest coaches, players, and fans.
“We’re a business. Having said that, I don’t really see the benefit to reducing the number of games,” Silver said. “People used to say you should reduce the number of games because it will lead to a reduction in a number of injuries. We have absolutely no data to suggest that.”
Silver also discussed his recent comments about the league shifting to a Team USA vs. Team World game to replace the traditional annual NBA All-Star Game. While he reiterated that the league will likely go in that direction, Silver said that ‘a straight-up USA versus World’ is unlikely, and rather something similar to the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off is more realistic.
While Silver stated that NBA expansion is not certain, his comments on Thursday could heat up the conversations about a changing league landscape in the coming future.
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