Vegas and Seattle a step closer to getting NBA teams. League’s owners approve expansion exploration – Brandon Sun

Vegas and Seattle a step closer to getting NBA teams. League’s owners approve expansion exploration By: Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press Posted: 10:50 AM CDT Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026 Advertisement Advertise with us Tweet Share Print Email Read Later NEW YORK (AP) — Seattle and Las Vegas are one step closer to having NBA teams. Read this article for free: Email Address: Password: I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. or Already have an account? Log in here » We need your support!Local journalism needs your support! As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. Subscribe Now or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. 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The league’s board of governors voted Wednesday to approve a plan that will allow NBA officials to “formally explore potential team expansion” to those two cities, which have long been thought of as the front-runners to land franchises. “Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.” Silver will hold a news conference later Wednesday to discuss next steps. The league said investment bank PJT Partners has been brought on “as a strategic adviser to evaluate prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure, and the broader economic implications of expansion.” Expansion isn’t a done deal. But it’s not just a dream anymore, either. New Orleans guard Dejounte Murray was 11 years old when Seattle last had an NBA team. He grew up with hopes of being like Gary Payton, Ray Allen and Shawn Kemp, and even remembers a rookie who played for the SuperSonics named Kevin Durant. It’s been nearly two decades since those days ended. That said, Wednesday’s vote should finally fuel real hope of a basketball revival for Seattle — and a new chapter in Las Vegas. “It’s a basketball city, basketball culture, so it’s mandatory I think that they get it back over there,” said Murray, a Seattle native. Added Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, another Seattle native: “I think it’s been a long time coming for the city. I think everybody was pretty bummed out when they left. And since then it’s just been waiting and hoping that one day they will come back. I’m sure with the news, everybody’s excited. I know I’m excited for all the kids growing up because Seattle’s a really big basketball city.” It is, and so is Las Vegas — which has become a major part of the NBA ecosystem even without a team. The NBA’s Summer League is held in Las Vegas each year and has become a can’t-miss event for league executives, coaches, media, agents and even players who aren’t taking part in the games. The championship round of the NBA Cup, the in-season tournament, has been held in Las Vegas as well. And the city used to play host to the occasional regular-season game; for example, in 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers broke the league’s career scoring record in a game against the Utah Jazz — who used Las Vegas for some of their home games at that time.  The idea of putting a franchise there might have seemed unlikely a couple of decades ago. Not anymore, especially not with the NFL’s Raiders, the NHL’s Golden Knights and the WNBA’s Aces all already there and with Major League Baseball on the way. “I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said in December, speaking about expansion while in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup. Assuming owners will eventually decide to actually expand the NBA past its 30-team footprint, there will be much to figure out. On the short list: the expansion fee (expected to be at least $6 billion), the timeline for adding the clubs (2028-29 would almost certainly be the earliest this could happen) and how the Western Conference will be realigned (at least one team is likely to join the Eastern Conference). Golden State coach Steve Kerr said the SuperSonics were “one of the iconic franchises in the NBA.” The team left in 2008 and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. “I was shocked when the league left Seattle,” Kerr said. “Incredible fan base. Great basketball market. A ton of talent coming from Seattle. Top 10 media market. Incredible sports city. So, it was kind of shocking to all of us when the league left Seattle. And I think we all hoped it would be a lot sooner than 18, 19 years, whatever it’s going to be, before they got back in the league. “They belong in that city, and a team belongs there,” he added. “Those fans deserve it.” ___ AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney and AP Sports Writers Schuyler Dixon and Joe Reedy contributed to this report. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba Advertisement Advertise With Us Advertisement Advertise With Us Tweet Share Print Email Read Later Report Error Submit a Tip