NEW YORK — Erik Spoelstra is from Portland. He grew up as a Trail Blazers fan, which means he absolutely could never bring himself to root for the Seattle SuperSonics.
But the idea of NBA games in Seattle again — about two decades after the SuperSonics were relocated to Oklahoma City — most certainly appeals to the Miami Heat coach.
Spoelstra's reaction to Wednesday's news that the league finally is going forward with formal exploration of expansion — and will be looking at Seattle and Las Vegas as the two candidate cities — largely mirrored the thoughts of many in the NBA.
He's for it.
“It would be fun,” Spoelstra said Wednesday. “I think all the Pacific Northwest people were sad when it left. I loved the games there. I grew up disliking the Sonics very much because I was a Trail Blazer fan, but it was an awesome environment. It’s a city that can really rally around their team.”
It's not a guarantee that expansion will happen, and the earliest possible season for a new team, or teams, to be added is likely 2028-29.
Still, just getting to this point is significant and brought reaction right away from Las Vegas, Seattle and other places around the league.
From the Las Vegas perspective, MGM Resorts CEO & President Bill Hornbuckle offered his thanks to the league's owners for the vote.
“It’s only the first step, but it’s a big step," Hornbuckle said. "A new team would be great for both locals and visitors, while creating jobs and providing a boost to the economy. ... We would welcome the opportunity to work with the NBA on creating an unforgettable fan experience.”
And from the Seattle perspective, Tod Leiweke — the CEO of the NHL's Kraken and someone who'll also be CEO of One Roof Sports and Entertainment, which is in the process of becoming the majority owner of the city's Climate Pledge Arena — said “the hardest part of this is now done.”
“We will put together a bid that has it all," Leiweke said. “And I would say the most important thing in our bid is the ability to do it and do it well. And that’s going to be very important for the NBA if ultimately they push ahead and want to expand, they’re going to want to make sure that it’s done well, that there’s no drama, that there’s no slips, there’s no mistakes.”
Heat center Bam Adebayo is in a relationship with Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson, the four-time WNBA MVP, and he's spent plenty of time in that city to watch her games. He doesn't think an NBA team in that city would do anything to erode the support the Aces are getting.
“Aces fans are really true to the Aces,” Adebayo said.
The early returns certainly suggest that most current NBA players and coaches want to see expansion happen.
“I think we’re adding two good teams, two good markets,” Spoelstra said. “It’ll be a big positive for the league.”
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