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The road to 32 NBA teams is officially underway.
The association’s Board of Governors approved a vote Wednesday to explore bids and applicants for expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle, ESPN reported.
ESPN noted that the association is considering the 2028-29 season for teams to begin playing, and it’s a question of “when, not if.”
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A general view of the opening kickoff between San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet and New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns during the NBA Emirates Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. (Kirby Lee/Image Images)
A team in Seattle would mark a return to a city that had an NBA champion, the SuperSonics, in 1979. They moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder in 2008, less than a year after selecting Kevin Durant with the second overall pick.
Seattle and Las Vegas will now become the Big Four cities for the first time: After decades of the Mariners and Seahawks, the NHL expanded to Seattle in 2021 to bring the Kraken, 13 years after the Sonics left.
As for Las Vegas, after decades of not having any professional sports due to concerns about legalized gambling, it will soon have a professional team in each of the four major sports leagues. The NHL expanded into the city in 2017, adding the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Oakland Raiders moved to Southern Nevada three years later. Major League Baseball’s A’s will be there in 2028; They currently play in a minor league stadium in Sacramento, as their stadium in Las Vegas is under construction and their lease in Oakland expired.
Bids are expected to be at least $7 billion and could rise even as high as $10 billion.
Seattle SuperSonics fans and Kevin Durant in stands with signs during the game against Phoenix Suns at Key Arena. (John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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LeBron James made headlines last week when he withdrew from the Las Vegas bidding process after he once proposed owning a team there.
“It’s a sports city. I hope one day I can bring my franchise here,” James said during the NBA Cup, whose semifinals and finals will be played in Las Vegas in 2023.
But when asked last week if he’s still interested in owning a team, James said bluntly.“No, I’m not. Not at all.”
James has been a business partner of Fenway Sports Group, owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool of the Premier League, since 2011.
However, before James’ comments, The Athletic reported that because bids could reach up to $8 billion for the Las Vegas team, the group is not interested in participating in the bidding.
The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces also moved from San Antonio in 2018 and have won three titles since then.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the press conference at the NBA Emirates Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Kirby Lee/Image Images)
The NBA has not expanded since 2004, when the association returned to Charlotte for the Bobcats after the original hornets moved to New Orleans. That team is now the Pelicans, while the Bobcats reacquired the original Hornets nickname in 2014.
Las Vegas hosted the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.
