NBA Expansion: Five Cities Who Deserve an NBA Team

In terms of NBA lore, the Seattle Supersonics hold a special place in the hearts of fans. The Sonics were an NBA franchise from 1967 to 2008 before the team relocated to Oklahoma City.

Seattle still has one of the most bustling hoops scenes in the country. There is also no question that Seattle fans would come out in droves, just look at the reaction when they found out LeBron was in town.

Las Vegas is getting a complete overhaul. What used to be Mecca for gambling and overindulgence in the desert is getting the corporate treatment. We have already seen the NHL and NFL move franchises into Sin City, and one of the NBA's best wants to be the next.

LeBron James announced in 2022 that he was to own an NBA franchise one day in Las Vegas. The King has been a business mogul since entering the NBA, making a nice chunk of change off of endorsements and investing that into profitable ventures. I wouldn't bet against him owning a franchise one day, and with his influence there is increasing probability that it will be in Las Vegas.

Louisville, Kentucky does not get the roses it truly deserves for being a basketball mecca. At the NCAA level you have the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, two staples of college basketball. On the professional level, the Kentucky Colonels were one of the first professional basketball teams in the ABA.

Currently, the state of Kentucky only has two professional sports franchises which are both soccer teams. The people of Louisville deserve a team in one of the four major sports, and I think an NBA expansion team would be the perfect fit.

The New Jersey Nets are one of the most important franchises in basketball history. Founded in 1967, the team was originally part of the rival ABA league. The Nets won two ABA championships before they merged with the NBA.

Since then, from Julius Erving to Jason Kidd, the Nets have produced some of the most iconic NBA players of all-time. Jersey continues to be a mecca of basketball and there is no reason a new franchise shouldn't take the place of the Nets. I doubt Jerseys gets an NBA team in the near future, but it would be great to see.

Kansas City might be a left-field choice, but hear me out. The Chiefs have one of the most die-hard fanbases in all of sports, there is no reason that can't extend into basketball. Furthermore, the University of Kansas has produced some of the best basketball players of all-time like Wilt Chamberlain, Joel Embiid, Paul Pierce, Jo Jo White and so many more. Why not tie an NBA franchise to the city.

Sports fandom is already deeply embedded into the local DNA and the infrastructure is in place for an NBA team. Hey, maybe if Patrick Mahomes gets tired of football he'll invest an NBA franchise just as he did with the Kansas City Royals!