A spokesman for the NBA confirmed the conversation, saying Ferguson initiated the call to introduce himself to Silver and discuss the Seattle market.
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has held an introductory meeting with Adam Silver as the National Basketball Association moves closer to a decision on league expansion that could include Seattle.
A spokesman for the NBA confirmed the conversation, saying Ferguson initiated the call to introduce himself to Silver and discuss the Seattle market.
“Governor Ferguson initiated the call to introduce himself to Commissioner Silver, and they had a good conversation,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.
The governor’s office said Ferguson, who grew up attending Seattle SuperSonics games and participated in Lenny Wilkens’ basketball camp as a child, offered to “be helpful in bringing back the Sonics.”
Silver said in December that the NBA expects to make a decision on domestic expansion in 2026, offering the clearest timeline yet as the league considers growing from 30 to 32 teams. Speaking before the NBA Cup final in Las Vegas, Silver said both Seattle and Las Vegas remain under serious consideration.
“Not a secret, we’re looking at this market in Las Vegas. We are looking at Seattle,” Silver said. “We’ve looked at other markets as well. I’d say I want to be sensitive there about this notion that we’re somehow teasing these markets, because I know we’ve been talking about it for a while.”
Seattle has been without an NBA team since the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. The move followed a settlement between the city and the team’s ownership group that ended a legal dispute over the franchise’s KeyArena lease.
Expansion has been discussed for years, and Silver reiterated that the league is being cautious about raising expectations in any one market. Still, he described both Seattle and Las Vegas as strong candidates, citing Seattle’s NBA history and the league’s existing presence in Las Vegas through the WNBA’s Aces.
“I think now we’re in the process of working with our teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams and what a pro forma would look like for them, and then sometime in 2026 we’ll make a determination,” Silver said at the time.
The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.
To ensure diverse coverage and expert insight across a wide range of topics, our publication features contributions from multiple staff writers with varied areas of expertise.
