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NBA commissioner Adam Silver is a major fan of the Canadian basketball market, but that doesn’t mean an additional franchise will be joining the Toronto Raptors up north anytime soon.
Silver joined Will Lou and Blake Murphy on Thursday’s edition of The Raptors Show to discuss a myriad of topics, including Draymond Green’s latest suspension, the new in-season tournament and Miles Bridges return to play amidst a pending court date.
Regarding interest from Vancouverites to have NBA basketball return after the Grizzlies unfortunate departure and calls for Montreal to get a franchise, Silver stressed expansion was not in the league’s plans at this time.
“There are no active expansion discussions going on at the league right now,” said Silver.
“Of course, we used to have a team in Vancouver, but once they left the market, I think the Raptors really stepped up and it’s amazing what’s happened in terms of NBA basketball over the course of the existence of that franchise to the point now where outside of the United States, the largest number of players come from Canada.
“I think that’s part of a great indicator of how much fan interest has grown and developed since the Raptors came to Canada. Having said that, we have heard from other markets, including Vancouver and Montreal, about their desire to have a team. I think at some point the league will turn back to expansion, but it’s not an active discussion we’re having right now.”
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Of course, interest in expansion NBA franchises is not limited to Montreal and Vancouver. Las Vegas and Seattle are seen as cities the league covets, and Mexico City has proven to be a revelation. Mexico’s capital has now hosted more NBA games than any city outside the United States and Canada.
“One of the things I said when I was down (in Mexico) is that we’re certainly not ready to bring an NBA team to Mexico City presently, but that our G League is growing and I see an opportunity potentially to have more G League teams in Mexico and in Latin America,” said Silver. “And we also have an NBA academy in Mexico City recognizing that developing young players in Mexico ultimately for the NBA and the WNBA would have a huge impact on fan interest.”
With the in-season tournament driving most of the early season conversation, Silver was asked how he was enjoying the experience thus far.
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“The early returns have been pretty positive from a ratings standpoint,” said Silver.
“We were up over 100% actually off the weekend from last year. In the second weekend, we were up over 50% from the prior year. So that’s been really positive and attendance has been up as well. But most importantly, the players are really into it and the coaches and the teams have been very engaged and excited about it and that’s what’s most important. I think that’s what will ultimately translate into the most interest from the fans.”
Catch The Raptors Show every weekday from 2 p.m ET to 4 p.m. ET on Sportsnet+, Sportsnet 360 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
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