6 Dark Horse Cities to Host NBA Expansion Franchise

G'day tribe!!! Today I'll be looking at six dark horse cities for the next NBA expansion franchise. I've already discussed how Louisville could host the next NBA expansion city, the Buffalo Braves, Vancouver, and the Supersonics in Seattle.

Mexico City, Mexico

In 2017, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talked about the chances of an NBA franchise in Mexico City: "It's something that we're going to look at. This is a competitive market, well over 20 million people [metro area]”.

Mexico City has a higher population than all North American markets including New York City, and a population of around 9 million people within the city limits alone. Perhaps in a sign of things to come, the New Mexico Capitanes made their debut in the G League in 2021.

Montreal, Canada

Vancouver is viewed as the favoured option for an NBA expansion franchise from Canada but Montreal should not be forgotten. Montreal is one of the largest markets in North America without an NBA team and bigger than that of Vancouver.

The Bell Centre is capable of hosting NBA games and has a capacity of 22,000. Basketball culture in Montreal is also exploding among the large Haitian and French-speaking African community, fitting into the global brand of the NBA.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

In 2013 NBA commissioner at the time David Stern mentioned Pittsburgh as a possible location for a franchise. PPG Paints Arena could host an NBA expansion team and has a capacity of 19,000 seats.

The question is whether Pittsburgh is big enough for a fourth major league sports team. The city has the 23rd largest media market in America but the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the strongest brands in any local market across all major sports. Add to that the Penguins (NHL) and the Pirates (MLB), it's a hotly contested market.

Hampton Roads, Virginia

In 2017 NBA Editor Tom Ziller ranked Hampton Roads fourth in line for an expansion in a piece written for SBNation.com. Surprisingly the area also ranked first across all markets for percentage of TV's tuned in to watch NBA games. And with no pro sports teams in Virginia an NBA expansion franchise would own the local market.

Virginia is the 12th most populated state in the U.S. so an area like Hampton Roads - covering Virginia Beach & Norfolk areas - could realistically host an NBA expansion franchise. It could also spark a rivalry with the Washington Wizards who are located only 200-miles north of Norfolk.

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City is home to die-hard fans of the NFL's Chiefs and MLB's Royals. Basketball culture already runs deep in the city with college teams Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri among the very best in the country. The college basketball Hall of Fame also calls Kansas City home. The Sprint Center located downtown is NBA ready and there are no NBA teams nearby with Oklahoma City 350-miles southwest and Memphis 450-miles southeast.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Vegas rallied around the NHL's Golden Knights who play out of the $375m T-Mobile Arena. The arena is capable of hosting 18,000 fans and is already home to the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces. From having no major league franchises to having the Golden Knights, the NFL's Raiders and the Aces, it's inevitable the NBA will eventually capitalise on Vegas with an NBA expansion franchise.

​

All the way from the Land Down Under, I created Wolfgang Sport as I enjoy writing and watching British and American sports. Started in 2017, I started the blog as a way to connect my passion for sports in the US & UK.