Pacers vs. Thunder: Adam Silver says NBA 'should be exploring' expansion, notes potential Europe league ahead of NBA Finals
In a wide-ranging new conference on Thursday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed a wide variety of issues around the league ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. And, like in many of the news conferences Silver has held in the past couple of years, one of the first questions of the night was about NBA expansion.
Silver said that, when it comes to expansion, the league "should be exploring it," and they would address the possibility at the July owners' meeting in Las Vegas.
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"It will be on the agenda to take the temperature of the room. We have committees that are already talking about it. But my sense is, at that meeting, they're gonna give direction to me and my colleagues at the league office that we should continue to explore it," Silver said.
Silver said Thursday that he's received "unsolicited" calls from people about expansion, likely referring to potential investors. But Silver warned that, despite interest from owners, expansion might not be a guarantee.
"I don't think it's automatic, because it depends on your perspective on the future of the league," Silver said. "Expansion is in a way selling equity in the league, and if you believe in the league, you don't necessarily want to add partners. On the other hand, we recognize there are underserved markets in the United States, and elsewhere — markets that deserve to have NBA teams. Probably even if we were to expand, more than we can serve."
Silver added league expansion could also be an opportunity to expand outside the United States, mentioning the league's investment in NBA Africa.
"We have been discussing potentially creating a league in Europe, and I view that as a form of expansion as well," Silver said. "We think there's an opportunity to serve fans in Europe."
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(Silver added this was not meant as a "knock on European basketball." "There's really high-level basketball being played there," he said.)
The issue of expansion is one Silver has had to field for a while. The commissioner has said the NBA wouldn't touch the issue until after the league's media right deal was finished; that deal was completed last July.
However, if the owners want expansion, Silver said that the league would start a formal process to look into it.
Seattle, which lost the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2007, has long been a favorite if the NBA chooses to expand. Las Vegas has been floated as another option.
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Silver speaks on formats for the season and the All-Star Game
In addition to talking about expansion, Silver touched on other issues, such as the perception of a small-market Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
But he also spoke about the season schedule, and whether the league would be willing to cut down on player workload by shortening the season. Silver said he didn't see much of a benefit to changing the NBA's current 82-game season.
"I don't really see the benefit to reduce the number of games," he said.
One of the main points made by people in favor of the change is that it might reduce the number of injuries. But Silver said there isn't any evidence or data pointing to increased injuries as a result of the lengthy schedule and postseason.
"If that were the case, you'd think you'd have more injuries in April than you do in October. We don't see that. Or you think you'd see more injuries in the playoffs than you do in the regular season, and you don't see that either," he said.
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Instead, he said longer seasons result in "more opportunities" for fans to engage in games, adding that he'd be more inclined to add rest rather than shorten the timeline.
Silver also spoke about the All-Star Game, which he said would be a version of a U.S. vs. World format. He added the All-Star break will take place around the same time as the 2026 Winter Olympics, and he hopes it'll help players get into a national spirit.
"We've had positive conversations. I know I've been up here before saying, 'I think I have a fix,' and I haven't been so far, but I think we're onto something, and I think there's a real opportunity to create enhanced interest and enhanced competition from the players," he said of the All-Star Game.
Silver thanks TNT after network's final NBA broadcast
Lastly, just before ending the conference, Silver took a moment to "share my appreciation and gratitude to Turner sports," as TNT's partnership with the NBA came to an end last weekend.
"They were our partners for 41 years, I was with the league for 33 of those 41 years. Their coverage has been fantastic, and it's not just the on-air talent," Silver said. "I wanna share my appreciation and thanks with the literally hundreds — probably over the 41 years, thousands — of people who've worked on NBA production and wish them well, and just make sure we acknowledge them since this past weekend they went off the air."
TNT's final NBA broadcast was Saturday, as the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks. The network's beloved postgame show, "Inside the NBA," signed off after the game with a literal mic drop.
But the show won't be going away entirely, although its format might change. ESPN acquired the rights to "Inside the NBA" in November in a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery and will keep the broadcasting the show next season.
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