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Earlier on Thursday, a spokesperson for the NBA denied rumours and reports of any potential expansion of the league. However, there still seems to be a lot of momentum behind the idea with Seattle and Las Vegas as frontrunners to new team additions.
Even NBA commissioner Adam Silver discussed the possibility and there seemed to be a certain kind of momentum behind the idea.
Seattle has been the clear-cut favourite to get a team as they’ve spent the past decade begging for the NBA to give them their Supersonics back. The Supersonics played in Seattle from 1967-68 until 2008. They won the championship in 1979 and reached the NBA Finals in 1996 where they suffered defeat against the Bulls. The team then moved to Oklahoma City Thunder.
According to reports from Chris Daniels of KING 5, the NBA has no plans of adding more teams n the league anytime soon. This came as a major blow to Seattle and Las Vegas who still remain keen on joining the NBA.
However, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is not giving up on his bid to get the city into the league. He also stated that the odds for an extension remain ‘high’.
“The odds are high. We’re very intentional about it. I chase down rumours and I chase down actual people in a position to make that happen. I feel good about our opportunity,” said Harrell.
Meanwhile, there are also a few top names prepared to bring a team from Las Vegas to the NBA. Four-time champion LeBron James is one of the many names in the hat. Even Boston Red Sox owners Fenway Sports Group have been linked with getting a team out of Vegas.
Either way, it doesn’t look like the the NBA will have any extension for new teams in the next four or five years at least.
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