The NBA’s governing body has given the green light to the upcoming increase from 30 to 32 teams. Las Vegas and Seattle are expected to have an NBA team starting in the 2028/2029 season. Above all, the possible return of the Seattle Sonics is causing euphoria.
The news of Seattle’s possible return to the NBA was received positively across the United States, not just in the sports-loving metropolis in the northwest of the United States. “It’s one of the most legendary franchises in the NBA”said Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors and the US national team. “It was quite a shock for all of us when the league left Seattle. They belong in this city. They are great fans, they deserve it. I would be thrilled to see Seattle and the Sonics again.”said five-time NBA champion Kerr. According to Kerr, his fondest memory by far was the 1996 NBA Finals with the Chicago Bulls, against the Sonics with Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and the first German NBA star, Detlef Schrempf.
NBA star Banchero: “Waited for this for so long”
“This is news that will please everyone,” said Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic, a Seattle native. “The city has been waiting for this for so long. Since the move, everyone has hoped that the team would come back one day.”
Hornets development player Dejounte Murray, also a true Seattle Kid, was eleven years old when the Sonics franchise moved away from his hometown to Oklahoma City. A certain Kevin Durant, who had just been voted the best rookie of the season, also left with the team at the time. “It’s a real basketball town, with a great basketball culture.”said Murray. Bringing the NBA back to Seattle is overdue.
Green light for NBA basketball in Seattle and Las Vegas
The Board of Governors, the NBA’s governing body, set the course for this in an initial decision on Wednesday evening. As the usually well-informed US broadcaster ESPN reported, citing league sources, the owners of all 30 NBA franchises have unanimously agreed to expand the league, with two new teams in Seattle and Las Vegas, for the 2028/29 season.
Seven to ten billion dollars in entry fees for new NBA franchises
The NBA thus gave the green light to the application process and potential investors can submit bids to acquire a new franchise in Steattle or Las Vegas in the coming months. According to estimates, seven to ten billion dollars will probably be due as an “expansion fee”, in a sense the entry fee for the lucrative NBA, for each of the two new teams. The expansion from 30 to 32 teams could be finally decided this year.
The NBA has already hired an investment bank to accompany the expansion process. There is great approval on the league board for a possible expansion with Seattle and Las Vegas, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was quoted as saying by ESPN. “We look forward to taking the next steps with potential interested parties.”
After football and ice hockey, there will also be NBA basketball in Las Vegas in the future
The first, unanimous decision by the team owners has already shown that the NBA is convinced that the inclusion of Seattle and Las Vegas, two so-called “big markets”, can only have a positive long-term effect on the NBA’s overall revenue. In addition to Formula 1, Las Vegas already has a number of franchises from the major US sports leagues in its portfolio: in addition to the Golden Knights (NHL), the Raiders (NFL), the Aces (WNBA), the Athletics baseball team is also scheduled to move into the event metropolis in 2028.
In Seattle, on the other hand, the old Key Arena, whose dilapidation was largely responsible for the franchise’s departure in 2008, has now been extensively renovated. The new hall is already home to an NHL team and a WNBA team – and possibly the Sonics again soon. It is a done deal that Seattle’s new NBA team will carry the legendary name of the old NBA franchise and also continue the legacy of the Sonics. This also includes the championship banner from 1979 – which could then hang under the hall roof again from 2028.
