By Angelica Medina
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A stormy Thursday evening could not stop the National Basketball Association (NBA) from taking over Mexico City as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 120-119 in front of a sellout crowd, as the league promises more matches for Mexican fans.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver sees Mexico as a gateway for further expansion of the sport throughout Central and Latin America, making it an attractive potential growth market.
“(We want) a bigger footprint here in Latin America, ultimately, the dream of an NBA franchise coming to Mexico City one day,” said Silver at a press conference.
“We’ve been fairly conservative in how we grow the league. Having said that, it still is important to plant a flag in every market we can. There’s no market we’ve been more than Mexico City, with the exception of course of Canada outside the U.S.”
Silver added that Capitanes, the Mexico City team with an axolotl mascot that debuted in the NBA G League in 2021, is one of the ways NBA is growing basketball in Mexico. The team became the first from Latin America to join the minor league.
“Our goal is for the 30 NBA teams to play in here in Mexico City. (However) our schedule has gotten so complicated it becomes more difficult to pull other games out of the regular season,” said Silver, who floated the idea of having two regular-season games per year in Mexico City.
Thursday’s game between the Hawks and the Magic, the 32nd overall that the league has hosted in Mexico, kicked off with Hawks center Bruno Fernando shouting “Viva Mexico!” following a minute of silence for the victims of the hurricane in Acapulco, Guerrero last month.
The festive atmosphere, with 19,986 supporters in attendance, was enlivened by the surprise appearance of former Chicago Bulls small-forward and six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen, who received a standing ovation.
A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
The prospect of a Mexican franchise and more regular season games is exciting for local fans. However, they noted that the NBA should adjust its pricing in the country and consider bringing in bigger teams.
“We travel from Queretaro and save all year to come. We have seen the growth of the league in the city and how it has improved, but for it to be feasible they should make an adjustment to the prices,” Orlando fan Carlos Alcaraz told Reuters.
Prices for Thursday’s game ranged from 660 ($37.42) to 12,920 Mexican pesos ($732.51), while the cheapest tickets for U.S. and Canadian fixtures can range from $15 to $30 according to Ticketmaster.
“We have the fanbase and the ideal place for the games, but the ticket pricing is a major issue if they look for an expansion in Mexico,” added New York Knicks fan Josue Corro.
“Yet, the experience here is unique plus we have the unparalleled opportunity to see the former NBA stars.”
($1 = 17.6379 Mexican pesos)
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City, additional reporting Amy Tennery; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
