The NBA is considering adding expansion teams outside the U.S. and Canada, according to commissioner Adam Silver.
While Silver does not expect new overseas teams to join the league in the near future, he says it’s a distinct possibility down the road.
“It’s not preordained that we will expand at this time, but I know there’s an enormous amount of interest out there,” Silver said before Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
“… At some point, we’d like to look outside the United States. In addition to Canada. This may not be the right moment to do that, but I’m thinking long-term as well.”
This is not the first time Silver has floated the idea of expanding abroad. He also broached the topic during a local Celtics broadcast in November last year.
“Mexico City is easy in terms of, I mean it’s high altitude, it’s 2,000 feet higher than Denver, so that affects the players a bit, but it’s a shorter flight to Mexico City from New York than it is to LA, so … One day, I think that would be incredible to actually expand to a market like Mexico City,” Silver said.
“In the meantime, we are playing in Paris in January again,” Silver said. “It is very much a global league, we got players from roughly 40 countries, over a quarter of the players were born outside of the United States, and especially now with digital media, streaming media, you guys know; I’m sure you get fan mail from 200-plus countries, that’s where our games are carried.”
Mexico City is also an intriguing option given the sheer size of the city, with the broader area being home to more than 22 million people.
The city is already home to a G League team, the Mexico City Capitanes.
