Adam Silver raises Mexico City as a possible future NBA expansion market
The NBA commissioner said Mexico City could enter the expansion conversation further down the road, while Las Vegas and Seattle remain the league’s stated focus.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver raised Mexico City as a possible future expansion market during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, October 20, according to Mexico News Daily. The remarks put the Mexican capital in the conversation alongside the league’s stated targets of Las Vegas and Seattle, though Silver said expansion was still a few seasons away.
Silver described Mexico City as a possibility further down the road, rather than an immediate destination. He cited its size and its position relative to existing NBA markets, saying the flight from New York to Mexico City is shorter than the flight from New York to Los Angeles. That travel comparison was part of his case for the city’s potential, Mexico News Daily reported.
Mexico City group has proposed a team and arena district
The comments follow an earlier account by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that Silver had brought up Mexico City as a possible destination at a board of governors meeting the previous month. ESPN reported, citing several sources, that at least one Mexico City-based group had approached the NBA’s expansion adviser, PJT Partners, with a proposal for a franchise and a district built around a new arena.
Silver said people were discussing a new arena in Mexico City, but that it was not in immediate plans, according to Mexico News Daily. No arena construction plan has been confirmed or announced, the outlet said, citing ESPN’s earlier report. The group’s approach to PJT Partners establishes interest in a bid; it does not establish an approved team or building project.
Las Vegas and Seattle remain the NBA’s stated focus
Silver said the NBA had been public about looking at Las Vegas and Seattle. ESPN likewise reported that those cities were the league’s announced focus, while describing uncertainty over whether both would receive teams. Its account said Silver had left owners with the impression that a Seattle franchise was no longer assured, citing multiple ownership sources.
ESPN also reported that Silver had given no guarantee the league would add two teams at the same time. Past NBA expansions have followed different patterns: the league added teams in pairs in 1988, 1989 and 1995. For Mexico City, Silver’s remarks identify a possible longer-term market while leaving the number, location and timing of any expansion teams undecided.
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Sources and context
- NBA commissioner hints at Mexico City expansionMexico News Daily (with reports from ESPN and Marca)
- NBA intel: Seattle expansion update, Towns extension drama, more from preseasonESPN (Brian Windhorst; ESPN reporting with multiple ownership sources)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.