NBA to Include a Mexican Team in the Following Year’s G League Season
(Photo : Reuters)

The NBA will be establishing a team in Mexico for the coming season. The new league's first game outside the United States of America and Canada will be a test run for the long-time plans for expansion by the NBA.

Adam Silver, the NBA Commissioner, had released a public statement saying that the Capitanes team which are participating in the National Professional Basketball League in Mexico will be part of the G League for the following year's season games. 

The club was established in 2016. It is based in Mexico City. It will become the 29th team of the G League after attaining a five-year contract with the NBA.

According to Silver, including the Mexican team in the G League is a milestone in the NBA's history. The move shows the dedication of the NBA to its Latino fans.

The G League will be composed of the minor affiliate league organizations for twenty-eight teams of the NBA. The Mexican club will be operating independently will use its present logo and will continue to be related to a specific team in the NBA. It will be affiliated with an Ontario-based affiliate of the Toronto Raptors.

According to the Capitanes group, the NBA's move to put "two solid feet" in Mexico is good news for the country's basketball and sports leagues.

Mexico City had been affiliated with the NBA for a long time. It had hosted its first-ever pre-season game in the year 1992 and its first-ever regular-season game in the year 1997. 10 regular-season games were held in the city in the past five seasons of NBA games. 

Not all of the games played by the NBA in Mexico had run smoothly. There was a time in 2013 when a game was postponed after the malfunctioning of a generator that had filled the arena with smoke.

Regardless of some shortcomings, it had been rumored for a long time now that Mexico City will become an expansion site of the NBA. One reason may be the 8.80 million population of the country that exceeds other countries in North America. 

Currently, the NBA has thirty franchises since 2004.

According to Silver, there is a chance to create a team for Mexico. He also added to his statement that there is a big population of Mexican Americans to transform into fans. However, he stated that the NBA is still not in the mode to expand but he said that if ever there will be a plan for expansion, Mexico City will be part of the list.

Putting the G League franchise in Mexico City will provide an opportunity for the NBA to resolve issues on traveling and logistics. It will also allow itself to familiarize itself with Mexican audiences and Mexican fans.

Basketball is a popular sport in Mexico. The country had only given a few NBA players. One of these players was a professional basketball player, Eduardo Najera, who had retired from the sport in 2012 after participating in the sport for twelve years. He is one of the county's most successful NBA players.