Adam Silver Says NBA Adding Expansion Team in Mexico Is 'Definitely Possible'

The NBA currently has no plans to add an expansion team in Mexico, though commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday ahead of the league's Mexico City game between the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat that adding a franchise south of the American border could eventually become reality.

"It's definitely possible," Silver said. "... I don't have a specific timeline right now in terms of expansion, but there's no doubt we will be looking seriously at Mexico City over time."

Saturday's game between the Spurs and Heat marks the first NBA game in Mexico City since 2019. However, the league has held 30 games in Mexico dating back to 1992, which is more than in any other country outside the United States and Canada.

It only feels like a matter of time before the NBA expands to Mexico, especially because it added the Mexico City Capitanes to the G League in 2019. However, expanding to Las Vegas and/or Seattle has been at the peak of rumors about the league possibly adding more teams.

While the logistics of adding another franchise in America might be slightly easier, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told Marc J. Spears of Andscape in November that Mexico City is absolutely a viable option for expansion.

Tatum said:

"Expansion is currently not on the docket, but at some point, if we were to turn to expansion, there's no doubt that Mexico City would have to be one the cities that would be in consideration along with a host of other very big and relevant cities in North America. One of the biggest challenges around international expansion has always been the travel issues, the facility issues. But there is a world-class facility in Mexico City in Arena CDMX, which is where we've been playing our games and our global games in Mexico. And that's actually the home of the G League team, the Capitanes. And so that's not an issue."

"And the travel is not an issue. It's a pretty short flight for several of our teams, particularly our Texas teams, our Florida teams, our New Orleans team. Arizona actually is a pretty short flight. So, those are all the kinds of things that we would take into consideration, and for those reasons you'd have to consider it. But again, I'd say it's not immediately on the docket right now."

Additionally, NBA Mexico Vice President and Managing Director Raul Zarraga said the league sees "enormous potential for basketball and the NBA to continue to grow in Mexico," per Morten Stig Jensen of Forbes.

Zarraga added there are roughly 30 million NBA fans in Mexico and that basketball "is the second-most played sport among Mexican sports fans." A rise in TV viewership, NBA League Pass subscriptions and digital engagement across the country show a growing interest in the NBA, he said.

If the NBA does eventually expand into Mexico, it likely won't be for at least several years. The last time the league expanded was in 2004 when the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Charlotte Hornets) were founded.