The national basketball league announced the award of two new franchises, bringing the total number of competing teams to sixteen and completing the league’s most ambitious expansion in its forty-year history.
The selected cities beat out five other applicants after a rigorous evaluation of arena capacity, local market size, financial backing, and community engagement plans. Both franchises are expected to begin competition in the 2027–28 season.
The league commissioner said the expansion reflects strong growth in attendance and broadcast revenues and positions the competition for a new national rights deal expected to be negotiated later this year.
