Will NBA ever return to Vancouver? Here's what Adam Silver said
The NBA is looking to add two new expansion teams, with Seattle and Las Vegas as the likely landing spots.
But who’s next in line?
During an in-game interview on TSN, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted that he has been contacted by groups from Canada regarding expansion in the past. And yes, he brought up Vancouver.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver joins the TSN broadcast to talk about the potential expansion back into Canada, the growth of basketball in Canada, the new Toronto Tempo, and more! pic.twitter.com/vAFvCwLnJX
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 26, 2026
“We have been [contacted] over the years, whether it’s returning to Vancouver, whether it’s Montreal… There’s so much interest in this country now,” Silver said in response to the first question from Toronto Raptors play-by-play broadcaster Matt Devlin.
It certainly doesn’t sound like anything is imminent regarding Vancouver, so don’t hold your breath. But it’s at least on Silver’s radar.
“Obviously we started in Toronto and Vancouver. [Canadian expansion is] not in the immediate plan… Over time, we’ll be looking at other cities in Canada, but not in this round of expansion.”
Vancouver packed Rogers Arena for an NBA preseason game last October (Mary Kessenich/Daily Hive)
The NBA used to dominate expansion and relocation discussions locally, though lately that has shifted to MLS and MLB.
Fears are growing that the Vancouver Whitecaps may leave if they can’t find an investor willing to buy the team and build a new stadium. At the same time, Mayor Ken Sim says there’s “credible interest” in bringing an MLB expansion team to Vancouver.
Vancouver has been without an NBA team ever since the Grizzlies left for Memphis in 2001. And while there’s already an NBA-ready arena in Downtown Vancouver, the challenge in bringing the NBA back is not dissimilar to MLS and MLB chatter: it’s going to take a lot of money.
Francesco Aquilini has previously indicated that the cost of an NBA team is likely too expensive for him to get involved. That means if someone wants to own an NBA team in Vancouver, they’ll have to build their own stadium or be a tenant at Rogers Arena. Or, if they have enough money, the other option is they could buy the Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena off the Aquilini family.
It’s nothing a few billion dollars can’t fix.