[NBA] Xiao Hua is about to formally study the issue of military expansion, and the entrance fee may reach US$6 billion

Recently, after the Bass family decided to sell most of the Lakers' equity at a valuation of $10 billion, the old topic of the NBA's upcoming expansion has once again become a hot topic for fans to pay attention to. Several sources from the league said that the Lakers' sale will not have any impact on the NBA's established plans to expand the army.

At a press conference earlier this month, NBA President Adam Xiao publicly stated that league expansion will be an important issue in the league meeting held in July, and that "a committee will likely be set up to formally study related issues", which means that the NBA's expansion plan will be on track this offseason.

This season, two traditional powerhouses have been sold one after another, winning 18 championships, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, which have won 17 championships, sold $6 billion and $10 billion respectively. League sources said that as the team's trading prices have risen in recent years, the "entry" fee for this league expansion may reach nearly $6 billion. Such a price means that if the league expands two teams, the current 30 team owners will each receive about $400 million in expansion bonus.

At a press conference earlier this month, Xiao Hua said when talking about the city choice of new teams that the United States is vast and the league hopes to have representatives across the country, and "to ensure that the coverage is wide enough." However, in the long run, Xiao Hua also said that Canada still has a broader space, and the Mexican capital Mexico City is also an option discussed previously. "Many cities have contacted us to express strong interest, and we will discuss this matter again at the league board meeting in July." Earlier, Seattle and "casino" Las Vegas also expressed their interest in owning NBA teams.

It is worth mentioning that Xiao Hua's term of office as NBA president is currently three years left. At the beginning of his term, Xiao Hua regarded the new labor-management agreement, the new television broadcast contract and the expansion of the army as three major events during his term of office, and the first two tasks have been completed.

As far as the broadcast agreement is concerned, Xiao Hua brought considerable commercial profits to the NBA: in 2014, the NBA signed a 9-year broadcast agreement with ESPN and TNT, which took effect in the 2016-2017 season; and in 2024, the NBA's New Broadcasting Association (the 2025-2026 season) agreement soared to 76 billion US dollars in 2021. Under the new broadcast agreement, the salary caps of each team have increased significantly, and the salary levels of players have also increased significantly. The real income of the boss and the players has also made Xiao Hua establish his prestige in the league. Now that the league's expansion officially enters the agenda, two new NBA teams may be implemented within three years.

Text丨Reporter Lu Hang

Picture丨Visual China