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 one day become reality.

Silver said it was definitely possible. I don't have a specific time frame for expansion, but there is no doubt that we will be looking at Mexico City over time.

Jeff Zillgitt @JeffZillgitt

With an NBA game in Mexico City today, Commissioner Adam Silver addressed a possible expansion team in Mexico. I believe two U.S. cities get expansion teams first but the league is serious about Mexico City and its market as Silver reiterated in his comments: pic.twitter.com/ar7VaPF9dC

The first NBA game in Mexico City in over a year will take place on Saturday. The league has held 30 games in Mexico since 1992, which is more than any other country outside of the US and Canada.

It feels like it's only a matter of time before the NBA expands to Mexico. Expansion to Las Vegas and/or Seattle has been rumored for a long time.

Mexico City is a viable option for expansion according to the NBA deputy commissioner.

The man said that.

"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."

The NBA sees enormous potential for basketball and the NBA to continue to grow in Mexico according to the league's vice president and managing director.

Basketball is the second-most played sport among Mexican sports fans, according to Zarraga. He said a rise in TV viewers, NBA League Pass subscriptions and digital engagement show a growing interest in the NBA.

It won't be for several years if the NBA expands into Mexico. The last expansion of the league was in 2004, when the Charlotte Hornets were founded.