Sports world spotlight shows Seattle is ready for NBA expansion

It’s Seattle’s turn to steal the sports spotlight – not just this coming Monday, but also when it comes to the future of sports in this city and the return of the NBA.

New York and Los Angeles get the glory, but we’re long past the days when the Pacific Northwest was overlooked as a sports or culture hub. And that point was an important part of a Kenny Mayne interview with Bump and Stacy Thursday.

The Emerald City is finding itself front and center once again on Monday when Seattle Stadium (AKA Lumen Field) hosts the U.S. men’s national team’s round-of-16 match against Belgium. With a win, the US will reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time since 2002.

Get-in price for US’s World Cup knockout match in Seattle is huge

Fans impressed the FOX crew during the group stage, and Seattle certainly seems poised to meet the moment again. The Mariners rolled out the red carpet for the U.S. men’s national team during a special ceremony prior to Friday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, which was highlighted by head coach Mauricio Pocchetino throwing out the first pitch.

“Never seen anything like this in American soccer.” 🇺🇸@RobStoneONFOX x @CarliLloyd x @clint_dempsey x @AlexiLalas pic.twitter.com/4XQWjVnAx2

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 19, 2026

It’s moments like this weekend – or the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl, or the Mariners and Cal Raleigh stealing the show in 2025 – that continue to lift the city to center stage.

For Mayne, it feels impossible that a league could see Seattle as anything other than a great sports city. That includes the NBA, which is considering expansion more formally than ever before with a decision planned for late 2026.

“I don’t know how it can be (overlooked)” Mayne said, though he still finds himself fighting pessimism. “Honestly, and I’m not on the inside of (NBA expansion talks) but I think they’re just figuring out how much we’re gonna tax these guys to get a team, who’s gonna be the owner. I think they’re down to the politics and the financials more than they are (deciding) whether Seattle’s a good city to have a team.

“You talk to ex-players who did get to play there,” Mayne added. “They all miss Seattle, they all miss coming there. It’s a great place, and there’s just such a great amount of local talent. We have the foundation for it, we have the gym for it, we’ve got the crowd for it. If there’s anything more to argue about, it’s just when they’re going to do it.”

Mayne also talked USMNT’s win over Bosnia-Herzegovina and his continued belief in the Mariners. Take a listen at this link.

Commish says when potential Seattle NBA expansion team would play

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