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The idea of a Las Vegas-based franchise in the NBA continues to be a dream for many older players. Kevin Garnett was the latest one to advocate for it. Despite Adam Silver’s hints that expansion may be a thing of the past, the Celtics Legend seemed convinced that a Las Vegas franchise will be joining the NBA soon.

San Diego dominated headlines with the MLS agreeing to expand there. Formula 1 recently announced a Las Vegas Grand Prix. The idea of a Nevada-based basketball team doesn’t seem like a long shot. Garnett certainly believes that the League will add a new team for the first time in 20 years, and give Sin City a long-awaited NBA franchise.

Kevin Garnett’s Las Vegas dreams crumble as he posts fake news

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Ever since his dream of becoming a part owner of his beloved Timberwolves fell through, Garnett has been vocal about moving on to another franchise. In a 2021 Instagram story, Garnett said “GUESS IT’S TIME TO FOCUS ON OTHER PLACES #seattle #vegas”. The Big Ticket’s desire to be a part owner of an NBA franchise is what could’ve caused such a positive reaction from him.

Garnett was in high spirits as he shared a post citing new expansion teams in the NBA. Hyped about it all, the Hall of Famer posted a story regarding the news, captioning it. “Ayyyyyyeeee” followed by clapping emojis. Clearly a fan of the idea, he didn’t seem aware of its credibility as the post didn’t have any trustworthy source.

The post revealed that Seattle and Las Vegas were the chosen cities. The account “sbehoops” claimed that the NBA was not ready to make an announcement, but “behind the scenes this is 100% decided”. Continuing to make claims, it said that the cities were aware of the expansion. Additionally, it reported that both teams would play in the Western Conference with either of the Memphis or New Orleans teams moving to the East.

 

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A post shared by SBE Hoops (@sbehoops)

With such a riveting story, it’s no surprise that many, including Kevin Garnett, believed these claims. Given that both cities have intertwined histories with the League, (Vegas hosts the Summer League and Seattle had the Supersonics) the idea does not seem outlandish.

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Adam Silver’s repeated pleas say otherwise

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While many remain excited at the prospect of new teams joining the division, commissioner Adam Silver had a few things to say on the matter. Speaking about new teams joining the League, Silver did hint at an expansion, stating, “I think it?s natural that organizations grow over time.” He also added that any expansion plans would have to wait until the league’s current media rights expired.

USA Today via Reuters

To avoid any misunderstandings like the one Garnett had, Silver also added, “For the people who hear or read about this interview, we are not engaged in that process now.” Making a plea to the media, the NBA commissioner was clear that any plans for expansion would have to wait until the 2025 season was over.

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While it’s clear that expansion plans will be put on hold till the conclusion of the 2025 season, Kevin Garnett’s wish to see a Vegas-based franchise will have to wait for now.

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