NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirms Las Vegas 'definitely on list' as expansion candidate

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Las Vegas is “definitely on our list” for a possible expansion franchise.

Vegas is coming off the back of hosting the Super Bowl and also regularly plays host to the biggest fights in boxing, as well as being the home of the UFC at the Apex.

The Nevada City also boasts the Raiders in the NFL, the Golden Knights in the NHL and the Aces in the WNBA and it has been a rumoured franchise target for the NBA for many years.

With the NBA about to enter its final year of the current broadcast deal for the organisation, any changes will have to take place after that.

"We want to figure out what our media relationships are going to look like, but then we will turn to expansion," Silver said to ESPN.

Las Vegas is also the host city for the NBA’s primary summer league and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is reportedly keen on owning any team that expands to the city.

James is likely to retire in the next year or two, which would open up a path for him to move into ownership.

Other cities that could be given the nod for a franchise are Nashville and Seattle in the US - with many desiring a return of the Sonics to the league - while Vancouver and Montreal are Canadian candidates alongside the Toronto Raptors.

The other possible future market has been Mexico City, which Silver admitted earlier in the week is "on our radar," but he did concede that it is "probably not going to happen in the next wave of expansion."

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