What NBA commissioner said about Seattle, Vegas expansion

The NBA Board of Governors approved a vote Wednesday to explore adding two expansion teams specifically in Seattle and Las Vegas, clearing the runway for the return of a Seattle Sonics franchise.

A step closer to Sonics: NBA votes to explore Seattle, Vegas expansion

NBA commissioner Adam Silver held a press conference Wednesday following the Board of Governors meetings this week. Here is a transcript of his opening statement regarding the league’s official exploration of expansion. Continue to check SeattleSports.com for more on Silver’s press conference and reaction to Wednesday’s big news.

So we just concluded two days of meetings with our Board of Governors. A bunch of issues were on the agenda. First and foremost, I think you all know at this point, because we issued a release, that the board voted to explore expansion in Las Vegas and Seattle.

Excited about that opportunity. We’ve had discussions with elected officials, both in Las Vegas and Seattle, and Nevada and the state of Washington. We have long histories in both of those markets. Of course, we had a franchise in Seattle for over 40 years, we have a WNBA franchise in Seattle right now, and there’s an enormous amount of passion for NBA basketball – and WNBA basketball – in that market. …

We have a WNBA team in Las Vegas, been there for several years now with great success. And I used to joke with both Mayors Goodman, Oscar, and Carolyn that it was as if we had a franchise in Las Vegas already with our summer league, given that we occupy that two-week-plus period in July. It’s become a major place of operation for the league, and we’ve had multiple USA basketball training camps there, as well.

So I think two markets with deep basketball roots and deep connections to the NBA, and we’re excited to begin that process. As we said in the press release, we are in the process of engaging an investment bank here in New York City called PJT. It’s led by someone named Paul Taubman, who’s been working with our league for decades. Actually, (Taubman) was part of the process when we expanded to Canada roughly 30 years ago. So he’s very familiar with the league, as is his organization.

And as I said, I anticipate enormous interest in both those (expansion team) opportunities.

More on potential Seattle Sonics NBA expansion

• NBA’s Seattle natives weigh in on potential Sonics expansion
• Insider explains good and bad of NBA expansion in Seattle, Vegas
• What the NBA vote this week on Seattle expansion means
• Kraken ownership takes potential step toward owning an NBA Sonics team
• Could a Seattle Sonics NBA return bring Kevin Durant back to town?

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