2023-11-10 07:05:18
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The dream of having an NBA team in Mexico could be a reality one day.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver did not rule out Mexico City hosting an expansion team. But he did not venture a date for it.
“The dream of bringing an NBA team to Mexico City is something I discussed with my predecessor David Stern. We talked many years ago,” commented the commissioner before the meeting between the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic in Mexico City. “But it is something we dreamed about and never forgot given the population and the great interest.”
Thursday’s game, in which Orlando was the nominal host, marks the 32nd time, including preseason, that the NBA has brought a game to this country, which, according to measurements provided by the league, has about 30 million basketball fans.
Mexico City already has a G League team.
Although the idea of taking the league permanently outside the United States and Canada persists, Silver clarified that it would not be so easy. The league basically has no interest in expanding at this time.
Almost two decades have passed since the last expansion of the NBA, recorded in the 2004-2005 campaign with the emergence of the Charlotte Bobcats. Any proposal in this regard would have to be approved by the rest of the teams and players.
“There are problems that need to be worked on and of course, we are not in expansion mode at the moment,” clarified Silver, who stressed that Mexico is its most important foreign market.
“Well, I don’t want to give a specific timetable. Many years have passed since the last expansion. But as I said, there is no market we have traveled to as much as Mexico City, with the exception of Canada. “We really believe in the market and conditions change all the time.”
The league will continue to hold international matches and will return to Mexico next year in hopes of extending the contract for more seasons.
At the moment the league is focused on continuing to expand the G League, after the success of Capitanes in Mexico City, which will begin its third season on Friday.
“There is great interest from fans in the country and in the city, so much so that we have already begun to think about expanding the G League to more teams, both in Mexico City and in Latin America.”
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