Vegas and Seattle a step closer to getting NBA teams. League's owners approve expansion exploration

NEW YORK — Seattle and Las Vegas are one step closer to having NBA teams. The league's board of governors voted Wednesday to approve a plan that will allow NBA officials to "formally explore potential team expansion" to those two cities, which have long been thought of as the front-runners to land franchises. "Today's vote reflects our Board's interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties." Silver was scheduled to hold a news conference later Wednesday to discuss next steps. The league said investment bank PJT Partners has been brought on "as a strategic adviser to evaluate prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure, and the broader economic implications of expansion." Expansion — and in Seattle's case, a return — isn't a done deal. But it's not just a dream anymore, either. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson applauded the vote, saying "the time is right." "Bringing the Sonics back is a top priority, and the state will be a strong partner in this effort," Ferguson said. "I plan to be there at tipoff with thousands of fellow fans when the Sonics return." New Orleans guard Dejounte Murray was 11 years old when Seattle last had an NBA team. He grew up with hopes of being like Gary Payton, Ray Allen and Shawn Kemp, and even remembers a rookie who played for the SuperSonics named Kevin Durant. It's been nearly two decades since those days ended. That said, Wednesday's vote should finally fuel real hope of a basketball revival for Seattle — and a new chapter in Las Vegas. "It's a basketball city, basketball culture, so it's mandatory I think that they get it back over there," said Murray, a Seattle native. Added Orlando's Paolo Banchero, another Seattle native: "I think it's been a long time coming for the city. I think everybody was pretty bummed out when they left. And since then it's just been waiting and hoping that one day they will come back. I'm sure with the news, everybody's excited. I know I'm excited for all the kids growing up because Seattle's a really big basketball city." It is, and so is Las Vegas — which has become a major part of the NBA ecosystem even without a team. The NBA's Summer League is held in Las Vegas each year and has become a can't-miss event for league executives, coaches, media, agents and even players who aren't taking part in the games. The championship round of the NBA Cup, the in-season tournament, has been held in Las Vegas as well. And the city used to play host to the occasional regular-season game; for example, in 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers broke the league's career scoring record in a game against the Utah Jazz — who used Las Vegas for some of their home games at that time. The idea of putting a franchise there might have seemed unlikely a couple of decades ago. Not anymore, especially not with the NFL's Raiders, the NHL's Golden Knights and the WNBA's Aces all already there and with Major League Baseball on the way. "Today's vote by the NBA Board of Governors is a testament to the incredible growth we're seeing in Southern Nevada and our state's business-friendly environment," Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said. "Las Vegans have already shown unwavering support for our professional sports franchises, and a new NBA team will provide even more entertainment, more jobs, and more small business growth for the region." Silver had said in December while speaking about expansion while in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup: "I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities." Assuming owners will eventually decide to actually expand the NBA past its 30-team footprint, there will be much to figure out. On the short list: the expansion fee (expected to be at least $6 billion), the timeline for adding the clubs (2028-29 would almost certainly be the earliest this could happen) and how the Western Conference will be realigned (at least one team is likely to join the Eastern Conference). Golden State coach Steve Kerr said the SuperSonics were "one of the iconic franchises in the NBA." The team left in 2008 and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. "I was shocked when the league left Seattle," Kerr said. "Incredible fan base. Great basketball market. A ton of talent coming from Seattle. Top 10 media market. Incredible sports city. So, it was kind of shocking to all of us when the league left Seattle. And I think we all hoped it would be a lot sooner than 18, 19 years, whatever it's going to be, before they got back in the league. "They belong in that city, and a team belongs there," he added. "Those fans deserve it." AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney and AP Sports Writers Schuyler Dixon in Dallas and Joe Reedy in Cleveland contributed to this report. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA