NBA executive: Kansas City will get NBA team 'at some point'

Ryan Young
·Staff writer
FILE - In this Sunday, June 23, 2013, file photo, people fish in the Missouri River along the banks of downtown Kansas City, Mo. Amazon's final cut of 20 contenders for its second headquarters leaves hundreds of cities disappointed. That includes hopefuls like Detroit, Memphis, Tenn., and Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
It sounds like Kansas City has joined Seattle on the short list for an NBA expansion team. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

It sounds like Kansas City has made the short list to land an NBA team.

Jarrett Sutton of the SEC Network spoke to an anonymous NBA executive on Friday, who said that Kansas City “will get an NBA team at some point.”

“Kansas City will get an NBA team at some point,” the executive told Sutton. “It’s a real thing I’ve heard from multiple sources. Just a matter of time. Seattle and KC to me are most valuable markets for league expansion when it makes sense.”

The Kansas City Knights of the American Basketball Association were the last professional basketball team in the city, though the league shut down after the 2004-05 season. The Sacramento Kings were the last NBA team in Kansas City, however they relocated to Sacramento after the 1984-85 season.

Kansas City is the 30th largest metro area in the country, according to the Kansas City Star, and is at least five hours away by car from the closest active NBA team.

Kansas City already has a downtown arena in place to host a potential NBA team, too. The Sprint Center was built in 2007, and can hold more than 19,000 people. For comparison, the Cleveland Cavaliers averaged 20,562 fans per home game this season, and were the second-highest in the NBA. The Sprint Center also plays host to the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament every year, and is home to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Seattle has been mentioned for years as a possible expansion city. KeyArena is already undergoing renovations, and the city has already filed for an NHL expansion team. The Seattle SuperSonics were the last NBA team in the city, and left after the 2007-08 season to become the Oklahoma City Thunder.

While expansion rumors have swirled around the league for years, the NBA has not formally announced anything regarding expansion.

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