Bill Simmons thinks NBA will expand to Las Vegas and Seattle – New York Post

Bill Simmons believes we could see the NBA expand to 32 teams, with new franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle, in the near future.

Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons said he thinks Fenway Sports Group and LeBron James will be involved in eventual expansion ventures.

Theyve been circling different NBA teams for a while, Simmons said of FSG, which owns the Red Sox, Liverpool FC and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Both Vegas and Seattle would be logical places to expand, with both cities already having arenas and fan bases that would be ready to go. T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has hosted the NBA All-Star Game, Pac-12 Tournament and a plethora of other college basketball games. The success of the Raiders and Golden Knights in the city is also promising.

Seattle has long been thought of as a destination for NBA expansion, since the Supersonics were upended in 2008. The NHLs Kraken just became the citys newest team, and their Climate Pledge Arena hosted an Alabama-Gonzaga basketball game earlier this season.

I dont know what the possibilities would be, but I think Seattle and Vegas are going to have teams, Simmons said. Thats happening.

James, whose net worth is reportedly close to $1 billion, would be a logical choice to be involved in an ownership group. Simmons specifically linked him to a potential team in Vegas.

I think its officially real LeBron is definitely going to be involved in that, Simmons said.

Exactly when such expansion would occur is unclear, but as Simmons pointed out, the expansion fees would help make up for revenue losses the league has suffered due to COVID-19.

In a December 2020 press conference, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said expansion is sort of the manifest destiny of the league but that it wasnt on the front burner.

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Bill Simmons thinks NBA will expand to Las Vegas and Seattle - New York Post