Recently, the NBA voted to approve bids and investors to bring expansion franchises to Seattle and Las Vegas for the 2028-29 season.
On one hand, bringing a franchise back to Seattle makes total sense for the NBA. The Seattle SuperSonics were moved from the Pacific Northwest to Oklahoma City in 2008, leaving behind a passionate fanbase that has been chomping at the bit to get their team back.
On the other hand, my NBA fan heart broke a little when it was Las Vegas and not Vancouver that was announced as the other candidate. I never got to see the Vancouver Grizzlies play as they left town after the 2000-01 season, but there is no doubt that I would have been a die-hard fan.
I think the past decade or so has been more than enough proof that Canada can support another basketball team. From the Toronto Raptors NBA championship in 2019 to the WNBA introducing the Toronto Tempo as an expansion team for the 2026 season, basketball in The North is booming.
And while the time is not now for the Grizzlies to return to Vancouver, hopefully one day Canada will welcome their second franchise back home with open arms.
