The NBA is contemplating including enlargement groups exterior the U.S. and Canada, in keeping with commissioner Adam Silver.
Whereas Silver doesn’t count on new abroad groups to hitch the league within the close to future, he says it’s a definite chance down the street.
“It’s not preordained that we’ll develop at the moment, however I do know there’s an infinite quantity of curiosity on the market,” Silver mentioned earlier than Recreation 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
“… Sooner or later, we’d prefer to look exterior the US. Along with Canada. This will not be the best second to do this, however I’m pondering long-term as nicely.”
This isn’t the primary time Silver has floated the thought of increasing overseas. He additionally broached the subject throughout a neighborhood Celtics broadcast in November final 12 months.
“Mexico Metropolis is simple when it comes to, I imply it’s excessive altitude, it’s 2,000 toes greater than Denver, in order that impacts the gamers a bit, but it surely’s a shorter flight to Mexico Metropolis from New York than it’s to LA, so … In the future, I believe that might be unimaginable to really develop to a market like Mexico Metropolis,” Siver mentioned.
“Within the meantime, we’re taking part in in Paris in January once more,” Silver mentioned. “It is rather a lot a worldwide league, we received gamers from roughly 40 nations, over 1 / 4 of the gamers have been born exterior of the US, and particularly now with digital media, streaming media, you guys know; I’m certain you get fan mail from 200-plus nations, that’s the place our video games are carried.”
Mexico Metropolis can be an intriguing choice given the sheer measurement of the town, with the broader space being house to greater than 22 million folks.
The town is already house to a G League workforce, the Mexico Metropolis Capitanes.
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