Following Tuesday’s Board of Governors meeting in Las Vegas, Commissioner Adam Silver discusses the possibility of expansion.<\/p>\n
LAS VEGAS \u2013 As the NBA\u2019s presence in this neon city has grown over the past two decades \u2013 from a handful of summer squads staging tryout games for roster hopefuls to the full-blown, 30-team league convention it\u2019s become \u2013 Commissioner Adam Silver has taken to referring to Vegas as \u201cthe 31st franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s unofficial, of course, a term of appreciation for what the Las Vegas Summer League<\/a> and all its trappings have meant to the NBA for 11 days or so each July. Real talk of a 31st franchise, a 32nd, or any beyond that was addressed earlier in the day Tuesday at the annual offseason Board of Governors meeting held at a posh Strip resort hotel.<\/p>\n No champagne corks were popped in Seattle, Mexico City, locally or anywhere else entrepreneurs and civic leaders are hungry for NBA membership. But the league did take what Silver termed the significant step of tasking a committee to do an in-depth analysis of expansion, in both its economic and non-economic impact.<\/p>\n That means everything from the likely price of new franchise to the dilution of shared broadcast revenue, from the marketing potential opened in new NBA markets to finding enough stars and top supporting talent for additional rosters.<\/p>\n \u201cThe appetite in the [BOG] room I would define more as curiosity and more \u2018Let\u2019s do the work,’\u201d Silver said when asked if he sensed a \u201chunger\u201d for expansion among the 30 team governors. The commissioner spoke to reporters at a news conference at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus, as two summer league games went on in the complex.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I were an owner, ultimately, what you\u2019re considering is, is this additive to the league?\u201d he said. \u201cAdditive can be measured in lots of different ways. There\u2019s additive economically. But I think there is, from a competitive standpoint, how would particular markets impact our national footprint.\u201d<\/p>\n The expansion exploration work will be done in a joint venture of the league\u2019s Advisory Finance committee and its Audit & Strategy committee. Local\/regional television coverage, an area of NBA business plagued by instability, is another issue that will be studied, the commissioner said.<\/p>\n For NBA fans in Seattle, Las Vegas or other cities waiting to join the party, the incremental step Silver discussed Tuesday might be frustrating. It still could be several years before a specific city or group even gets the chance to be formally disappointed.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish standing here as the commissioner, I had teams to dispense to many different markets who are interested in NBA basketball,\u201d Silver told a reporter from Seattle, where the league operated from 1967-2008, until the team was sold and moved to Oklahoma City<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a market that some speculate as a frontrunner if and when the league expands, one Silver called \u201cincredible\u201d while noting the presence of a thriving WNBA team.<\/p>\n Still, he said: \u201cI think we also have this greater obligation to expand, if we do so, in a very deliberate fashion in a way that makes sense holistically for the league. That\u2019s really the best I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n This much is certain: The admission fee of any new member likely has increased significantly, owing to recent sales of the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers with valuations of $6.1 billion and $10 billion, respectively.<\/p>\n \u201cHad we expanded five years ago,\u201d Silver said, \u201cwe would have underpriced the market.\u201d<\/p>\n Silver fielded other questions during the news conference, on topics including:<\/p>\n \u2022 Concern about sports-betting investigations: Two current NBA players, Malik Beasley and Terry Rozier, are the subject of federal investigations for possible sports betting irregularities. Silver said the NBA is cooperating with authorities. He suggested that legalized gambling at least allows for formal oversight of data and behavior, compared to the shadows in which illegal betting did and does take place.<\/p>\n The NBA does business with gambling companies. Silver likened the prospect for illegal behavior to what goes on in the stock market.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that there might be insider trading doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re necessarily going to shut down those public markets,\u201d he said. \u201cBut often the way they are catching insider traders is because they have a system, a complex system, that detects aberrational behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n Proposition bets, often tied to individual statistical categories rather than a team\u2019s overall point spread thus fall more within a player\u2019s control. It was evident Silver sees the pitfalls there.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not have control over the specific bets that are made on our game. I do think some of the bets are problematic,\u201d Silver said.<\/p>\n What the league does have, though, is the hammer to address bad decisions.<\/p>\n \u201cAnybody in this league, any player who engages in that activity, there\u2019s no question they are putting their livelihood at risk,\u201d Silver said. \u201cIt\u2019s a message that\u2019s important that we deliver to our players or anyone who is in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Parity vs. dynasties: Oklahoma City\u2019s triumph in the 2025 Finals<\/a> last month gave the NBA its seventh different champion in seven seasons, dating back to 2019. That is seen as a sign the philosophy behind and mechanisms in the league\u2019s collective bargaining agreement with the players are working. That is, for any well-managed franchise to be competitive.<\/p>\n And yet, Silver doesn\u2019t want anyone to think the NBA has tried to legislate out dominance. The league grew tremendously in popularity during the multiple championship runs of the Celtics, the Lakers, the Bulls and the Spurs.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m perfectly comfortable with dynasties,\u201d he said. \u201cI like what we\u2019re seeing right now. I\u2019m not ready to declare, we are not going to have dynasties. I\u2019m sure [Thunder executive VP and GM] Sam Presti isn\u2019t ready to hear that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Portland franchise sale: The Trail Blazers were put up for sale in May by the estate of their late owner, Paul Allen, beginning a process expected to take a year or more. Silver said the NBA prefers that the franchise remains in Portland, though adding: \u201cOne of the factors there is the city of Portland likely needs a new arena. So that will be part of the challenge for any new ownership group coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Data on streaming customers: In its new 11-year, $76 billion broadcast deal, every NBA game \u2013 including those made available over-the-air (ABC, NBC) and on cable (ESPN) \u2013 will be streamed. Unlike days of yore in which audience were tracked one-way via Nielsen ratings, the new technology will enable the league to gather data on its consumers. Amazon Prime and NBC\u2019s Peacock will partner as streamers, too.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about knowing who your consumers are and customizing your feeds for them,\u201d Silver said. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the advantages of streaming.\u201d Various game feeds and camera angles can be made available, for example, as well as background info on players during contests and even merchandise opportunities.<\/p>\n Full Press Conference (34:24)<\/p>\n Adam Silver meets with media in Las Vegas to discuss expansion and other key topics in his latest press availability.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him\u00a0here<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n