According to 9News, the NBA Board of Governors has officially voted to allow the league to “formally explore potential team expansion” into Las Vegas and Seattle. This long-awaited decision marks the most significant step toward growing the league since the early 2000s, potentially bringing professional basketball back to the “Emerald City” and introducing it to the “Sports Capital of the World.”
The vote allows Commissioner Adam Silver and league officials to begin vetting ownership groups and arena infrastructure in both cities. Seattle has been without a team since the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, a departure that left a void in West Coast basketball culture.
Las Vegas, already home to the WNBA’s Aces and successful NHL and NFL franchises, is viewed as a “slam dunk” for the league’s commercial growth. Current NBA stars and Seattle natives, including Paolo Banchero, have already expressed their excitement, noting that the return of basketball to their hometown is “mandatory.”
While expansion isn’t yet a “done deal,” the league has hired investment bank PJT Partners to evaluate the economic implications. The move is expected to trigger a bidding war among billionaire investors looking to secure a franchise in these high-value markets.
* NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted that the vote reflects the board’s interest in markets with “a long history of support for NBA basketball.”
* TSN confirmed the report, adding that “Vegas and Seattle are the undisputed front-runners to land the next franchises.”
Echotitbits take: This is the moment basketball fans have prayed for. Seattle deserves its team back, and Vegas is the inevitable future of all major sports. Watch for LeBron James or Shaquille O’Neal to potentially lead one of these ownership groups—the celebrity “business of basketball” is about to reach a fever pitch.
Source: 9News — https://www.9news.com/article/news/nation-world/seattle-las-vegas-nba-teams-league-board-governors-approve-plan-explore-expansion/507-3c8db881-851b-4e79-9f92-6a5fcd507032 March 25, 2026
Photo: 9News
