NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has finally decided to consider expanding past its current 30-team footprint, with the league’s owners voting Wednesday to start exploring the process of adding franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle. It was not a surprise move; expansion has been a consideration for years, and it’s been clear for some time that those two cities are the ones that are now a significant step closer toward joining the league. Las Vegas has been clamoring for an NBA team since at least the late 1990s, if not even longer. And Seattle has been waiting for the SuperSonics to return for nearly two decades.
‘It would be fun’: NBA players, coaches seem excited about expansion possibilities
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA is moving closer to expansion, with Seattle and Las Vegas as the main target cities, and people around the league support it. The league voted Wednesday to begin a formal exploration process. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says he likes the idea, even though he grew up rooting against Seattle as a Portland native. Spoelstra says “it’s a city that can really rally around their team.” It’s not a guarantee that expansion will happen, and the earliest possible season for a new team, or teams, to be added is likely 2028-29.