NBA commissioner Adam Silver teases two potential major expansion markets

The NBA playoffs have arrived with a lot of interesting storylines developing, but after commissioner Adam Silver's recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show there's another topic that is becoming more of a talking point this month.

While the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder aim to carry over their amazing regular season form into the playoffs, Silver joined Pat McAfee this week to discuss the current state of the NBA and potential changes that could be coming in the future.

Adam Silver told @PatMcAfeeShow that NBA expansion talks plan to pick up soon.

Las Vegas and Seattle are heavy favorites.

“I don’t want to say it’s a foregone conclusion that we’re going to expand, but I also think over time, organizations tend to grow.”pic.twitter.com/JmOwP3pgID
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) April 18, 2025

The biggest hint that was dropped was about possible league expansion, including two major markets that are being discussed that could build upon the 30 pre-existing NBA teams.

While Silver didn't state that the NBA is absolutely going to add more teams, the likes of Las Vegas and Seattle are two destinations that the league is actively looking at, and both cities certainly have a big appeal for a variety of reasons.

Vegas is a growing sports market with the Las Vegas Raiders and Las Vegas Golden Knights both playing there, while the city is also a major hub for sports betting and nightlife.

Adam Silver revealed that the league is officially looking into expanding overseas

The NBA and FIBA are exploring partnering on a new league in Europe pic.twitter.com/lF7ZytSqT6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 27, 2025

Seattle previously hosted the SuperSonics before the team was moved to Oklahoma City, so a potential reunion with one of the best team names in NBA history would present a major nostalgia win for the league.

Meanwhile, Silver and the league have also been very bullish on expanding internationally as well, with a reported European league being floated around in the future.

Home/NBA