That’s Amaury News and Commentary: NBA Expansion to Las Vegas

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is considering expansion teams to Las Vegas and Seattle that will be up for discussion sometime in 2026 (CNN photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: NBA Expansion to Las Vegas:

NBA Expansion to Las Vegas

That’s Amaury News Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

A decision on expansion (potentially to 32 teams) is anticipated sometime in 2026. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver praised Las Vegas support for basketball. The Commissioner notes support in Las Vegas for the WNBA Aces, the Summer League, and the NBA Cup.  Seattle is also another city that the NBA is showing interest.

The Seattle SuperSonics played in Seattle for 41 seasons, from their inaugural 1967-1968 season until relocating to become the Oklahoma City Thunder after the 2007-2008 season. They were Seattle’s first major sports franchise and won one NBA championship in 1979 under legendary coach Lenny Wilkens.

I remember as I covered the Warriors visiting Seattle with the team and witnessed the support of the Supersonics fans, the arena where they played was right, where the World’s Fair was held in 1962, today known as Seattle Center,  next to the Space Needle and the Monorail. It was made even more famous in 1963 with Elvis as the star in the movie “It Happened At The World’s Fair”.

Expasion history: Last time the NBA expanded was in 2004 when the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) joined as the league’s 30th team. While there’s been talk of expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle, no new teams have joined since the Bobcats’ debut.

More Hoops: Below made the rounds here in the Bay Area and in the national news of one Golden State Warriors Fan complaining to owner Joe Lacob about the struggles of the team recenlty even as Stephen Curry scoring in big numbers but still no victories.

(via Justdutari/Reddit, Alex Simon/SFGate)

A Warrior fan wrote Lacob: “Dear Joe, Please do something about this team. What Steph need to do every night to win? Drop 50 points? Team is need a real second option. Jimmy tool are being underutilized because he is playing as a power forward due to the small position players. We have no true center.”

Lacob replied: “You can’t be as frustrated as me. I’am working on it. It’s complicated. Style of play. Coaches desires regarding players. League trends. Jimmy is not the problem.”

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

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LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant at 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874.

NBA podcast Michael Roberson Thu Apr 3, 2025: Finger gun pointing has NBA calling for an investigation on Grizzlies Morant; Sixers Embiid expected out 6 weeks; plus more news

Memphis Grizzlies Jo Morant (middle) watches the game against the Utah Jazz in the first half at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Mar 25, 2025. The NBA is investigating Morant for making a finger gun gesture toward the Golden State Warriors bench on Tue Apr 1, 2025 in Memphis (AP News photo)

NBA podcast Michael Roberson Thu Apr 3, 2025:

#1 Michael, the NBA had called for an investigation into Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant who used his hands to mimic shooting a gun at the Golden State Warriors bench on Tuesday night. The league also is investigating a report that the Warriors Buddy Hield gestured before Morant’s finger guns. NBA officials said they spoke to Morant and Hield on Wednesday.

#2 The Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is prepared to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The 76ers say they will reevaluate Embiid’s knee in six weeks and will make a determination if he has fully recovered. Embiid for the last few weeks has been trying to solve his knee problems that has been hampering him for more than one year.

#3 Carmelo Anthony has been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for the class of 2025. Anthony was a six time All NBA selection and broke in when he was the third overall 2003 draft choice by the Denver Nuggets. That draft also saw LeBron James going to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dwayne Wade getting picked fifth for the Miami Heat.

#4 Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx owner Glen Taylor has agreed to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez having 100% ownership of the NBA And WNBA teams at the cost of $1.5 billion. Taylor and the Lore-Rodriguez groups had agreed on the price back in 2021. The agreement entails that Taylor would not appeal an arbitrators ruling that favored Lore-Rodriguez on the sale of the team contract.

#5 The amazing turn around of the Warriors Stephen Curry who scored 52 points against the Grizzlies on Tuesday night after Curry suffered a pelvic contusion. Watching Curry you would have never know he had suffered such an injury?

Michael Roberson does the NBA podcasts Thursday nights at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA podcast with Michael Roberson: Warriors Payton out indefinitely with torn thumb ligament; LeBron pleasantly surprised on making buzzer beater; plus more news

Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II against the Sacramento Kings during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 13, 2025, in San Francisco. Payton is out with a torn ligament on his left thumb. Godofredo A. Vásquez/Associated Press

NBA podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Golden State Warriors guard/forward Gary Payton II suffered a torn ligament on his left thumb and the Warriors say Payton is expected to be out indefinitely. Payton injured the thumb on Tuesday night against the Miami Heat in Miami. Payton had been averaging 10.4 points per game.

#2 LeBron James said he was trying to check to see if his buzzer beater made it into the basket as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 120-119 on Wednesday night. LeBron said he didn’t have too much emotion because see if it went in real time but later got a look at it on the replay. He couldn’t see the shot because he was getting mobbed on the floor by his teammates.

#3 Dallas Mavericks All Star Kyrie Irving had successful ACL surgery for his left ACL on Wednesday. Irving has the surgery at a New York City hospital performed by specialists in ACL surgery. Dr. Riley Williams who is chief of sports medicine did the surgery repairing the tear in the left knee and there was no other damage to the ligament, meniscus. Irving hurt the knee on Mar 3 in Sacramento.

#4  Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said he had confidence that the Bucks will remain competitive with their star player Damian Lillard. Rivers said that it will take multiple players to cover from the loss of Lilliard. Lillard who is a seven time All Star and is suffering from vein thrombosis in his right calf and is taking medication for blood thinning.

#5 Warrior guard Stephen Curry who suffered a pelvic contusion is expected back soon. The Warriors have lost two games without him is his absence a reflection of those loses and a demonstration of how his absence impacts the Warriors?

Join Michael Roberson for the NBA podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast David Zizmor: Why Kevin Durant declined coming back to Golden State

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) said he didn’t want to leave the Suns in the middle of the season to play at Golden State and was happy to be the Suns when the opportunity came up for Durant to return to Golden State. (AP News photo)

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 There was so much talk about why Kevin Durant didn’t want to return to Golden State, there was talk that he didn’t want to have to deal with Draymond Green again or as head coach Steve Kerr said that there was talk that Durant just jumped on the bandwagon when he had signed on as a free agent in 2016.

#2 With Green, Durant and Stephen Curry getting a little older if Durant had returned would age have made a difference or would the Warriors have improved their chances to get a shot at the finals again?

#3 Second half of the season gets underway on Friday night how do you see Jimmy Butler in this line up making a difference and giving Golden State a shot at making the post season.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: NBA coaches say Kings downfall not coach Brown’s fault; Did all the social displeasure put pressure on A’s Kaval?; plus more news

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said the firing of Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown was shocking and that Brown is one of the standard bearers of coaches in the NBA (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Sacramento Kings who fired head coach Mike Brown on Friday certainly fired up a number of NBA head coaches. Knowing Brown’s reputation They felt this firing was not his fault, that the organization didn’t get him the pieces to win, he was the wrong guy to take the blame for the Kings five game losing streak and a foul call that ended up giving the Detroit Pistons a four score for shot for the one point win on Thursday night.

#2 Former A’s team president David Kaval who resigned on Friday was well talked about amongst the media and was remembered for saying once upon a time that the A’s were rooted in Oakland but that quickly changed in June 2023 when Kaval announced that they were headed to Las Vegas and were not reupping at the Oakland Coliseum and playing their interim years in Sacramento. Needless to say Kaval was very unpopular. Do you think public pressure and the huge criticism that he received eventually forced Kaval to resign?

#3. The Las Vegas Raiders who snapped their ten game losing streak against the Jacksonville Jaguars in their last game Sunday 19-14 at Allegiant Stadium. According to at NFL Rumors the Raiders plan to part ways with head coach Antonio Pierce after the last game of the season on Sun Jan 5th when the Raiders conclude their season with the Los Angeles Chargers.

#4 The Golden State Warriors loses continue to pile up as they have lost five of their last seven games and it had head coach Steve Kerr saying regarding his line ups, “I would love to get to a set starting line up. said Kerr. “I’m confident we’ll get there.” No one talks about it but with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both struggling on offense and defense some are questioning if their getting to the point that their time has come to an end in the NBA?

#5 The San Francisco 49ers have lost five of their last six games losing their most recently to the Miami Dolphins 29-17 at Miami Gardens last Sunday. They lost left tackle Trent Williams for the rest of the season due to a ankle injury, line backer Dre Greenlaw (calf), guard Jaylon Moore (quadriceps), guard Aaron Banks (knee), running back Christian McCaffrey (knee), and Brandon Aiyuk (ACL). With these injuries and one of the toughest teams in the NFL the Detroit Lions (13-2) coming to Levi Stadium for Monday Night Football it could be a long evening for San Francisco?

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Bucks thrilled to get Giannis back in line up; Hornets Ball to sit out 2 weeks with calf strain; plus more NBA news

Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Anteokounmpo 24 is even thrilled to be back in the line up against the Charlotte Hornets on Sat Nov 30, 2024 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Milwaukee Bucks had to thrilled getting Giannis Anteokounmpo back after suffering a swelled up left knee. Anteokounmpo returned for the game against the Washington Wizards in Milwaukee. Anteokounmpo sat out of Tuesday’s game against the Miami Heat for the NBA Cup win 106-103.

#2 The Charlotte Hornets LeMelo Ball will sit out of action for at least two weeks with a calf strain. Ball was injured in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night in a loss against the Miami Heat. Ball also sat out on Friday night against the New York Knicks. The are 6-14 and despite beating the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night they really miss Ball out of the line up.

#3 The Los Angeles Lakers Jaxson Hayes will miss two to three weeks due to a sprained right ankle. Hayes was out of action for the Lakers past two games and went underwent an MRI and medical staff found the injury. Hayes was out for two weeks previous to Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns where he reinjured the ankle while making a dunk in the final minute of the game.

#4 The Atlanta Hawks clinched the East Group C in the NBA Cup with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-101 on Friday night. It’s the Cavs second loss in two days. The Hawks clinched the Cup when they the Chicago Bulls lost to the Boston Celtics.

#5 The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry returned to action after missing three games. Curry returned on Saturday night against the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix. Curry has suffered knee issues and the Warriors had lost each of the three games while Curry was out.

Charlie O does Headline Sports podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Yankees say ex-teammate Severino was afraid to play them in June; Team USA bounces back after loss to WNBA All Stars; plus more news

New York Mets Luis Severino responded to his old New York Yankee teammates group text saying he was afraid to face them last month in June. Severino replied he wasn’t afraid and that the Yankees only have two good hitters. (AP News file photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:

#1 New York Mets Luis Severino said that the New York Yankees have only two good hitters and did not face his former team in June when the Mets faced the Yankees in a two game series at Citi Field in Queens. In a group text with Yankee players that said that Severino was afraid of them. Severino came back and said, “I’m not afraid of you. You guys only have two good hitters .

#2 After taking a loss to the WNBA All Star team at the WNBA All Star break last week Team USA came back and defeated Germany quite handedly 84-57 in US women’s Olympic basketball in London. Germany and Team USA will face off again on Aug 4th in Paris.

#3 The San Francisco 49ers fully intend to sign wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. 49ers general manager John Lynch said he intends to keep Aiyuk. Aiyuk formally requested a trade from the 49ers last week the 49ers are steadfast as Aiyuk is under contract for one more season and hope to get him an extension soon or at least the first pre season game.

#4 LeBron James helped Team USA with a win over Germany 92-88 on Monday night at age 39. He finished with 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists. LeBron said that they have a group of guys, Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry, and when Kevin Durant returns.

#5 Team USA Women’s gets the win over Germany but still does their loss to the WNBA All Stars say they prove that leaving out Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark could have been a bad decision by the coaching staff or was there pressure from the veterans to keep them off because of their rookie status?

Join Jessica every other Wednesday for Headline Sports podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Wendelstedt won’t be disciplined; A’s having slight uptick improvement so far this season

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was tossed out in the first inning after a fan behind the Yankees dugout shouted something to plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt at Yankees Stadium in New York on Mon Apr 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports with Jessica Kwong:

#1 Jessica, on New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s ejection on Monday. Boone had just come out of the dugout to question plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt about a ball that hit Oakland A’s hitter Esteury Ruiz’s foot and on a swing. Once back in the dugout Wendelstedt had warned Boone about saying anything further when a fan said something and Wendelsted threw out Boone who said nothing.

#2 The A’s who were the worst team in baseball last season has improved slightly. They won two straight series which didn’t happen much last season. They did get swept by the Cleveland Guardians who are the hottest team in baseball. But the A’s surprised everybody with a 2-0 shutout win over the Yankees on Monday, they maintain third place and are three games back in the AL West.

#3 The Chicago White Sox said before the season that they would be an improved team and they would compete but they have lost nine of their last ten games and are dead last in the American League Central winning on three games so far this season against 19 loses. The Sox have an atrocious road record winning only one game against 12 loses.

#4 Turning to the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James had lots to say about the officiating after last Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game 2 loss 101-99. LeBron was called for having his foot on the three point line and got only two points losing the three points in a close game. He also was called out of bounds in a game against the Golden State Warriors. LeBron questioned why the NBA has a replay center for when calls are going to stand like those ones?

#5 Jessica, the subject was raised about the Golden State Warriors possibly trading Stephen Curry. The Warriors who lost a play in game against the Sacramento Kings to be eliminated from post season. Curry scored only 22 points and teammate Klay Thompson had 0 points. The Warriors might even consider trading Draymond Green. It looks like Golden State is going to break up that old gang and try and get younger.

Jessica Kwong does Headline Sports podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Can Warriors get better than a play in game?

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reaches in on Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (left) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sat Mar 16, 2024 (AP News photo)

1.The Warriors are in battle for position in the standings as the season begins to wind down.  Right now a play-in game seems the only possibility but stranger things have happened.

2.The Warriors welcomed back Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to the lineup which they desperately needed with only about 16 games left on the season.

3.The Warriors got some great help all around from not only Curry but also Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga.

4.The Warriors had to try and contain LeBron James but things went south for the Lakers when Anthony Davis went down in the first quarter and did not return for the rest of the game.

5.Monday night the Warriors take on the New York Knicks in another challenging game but as of late they are meeting every challenge head on.

Join Barbara Mason for the Warriors podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: MGM says lack of A’s ballpark blueprints is putting them behind schedule for construction; NBA All-Star contest winners; plus more news

The MGM Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is waiting for an answer from the Oakland Athletics on a design that will connect a pedestrian bridge to the new ballpark. Without the design the MGM can not proceed with construction and the A’s non decision is holding up their plans. (Nevada Independent photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Top topic lack of Las Vegas A’s plans are stalling MGM Grand remodeling plans. The MGM is waiting for the future Las Vegas A’s to come up with with blueprints so they can figure in their remodeling plans. MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle said he’s been shown three different plans as to where the ballpark will sit on the site. Problem is the A’s do not have a definite design that has been decided on and Hornbuckle wants to get on with his construction at the MGM so he can build a pedestrian bridge to the ballpark.

#2 The A’s further have met with the Oakland Coliseum Joint Authority and have not come to an agreement for a lease extension that would have them play at the Coliseum from 2025-27 three years. Major League Baseball is in a bit of a pickle the A’s need to make a decision soon as the 2025 schedules come out in July but the City of Oakland wants MLB to guarantee an expansion team for Oakland and Rob Manfred said the Bay Area already has a team and that should be good enough.

#3 The Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry edged out the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu in the three point contest at the NBA All Star Game in Indianapolis Saturday night 29-26. Ionescu hit seven straight three points for the 26 points.

#4 Mac McClung won back to back slam dunk contests and is now the fifth NBA player to have back to back wins in the slam dunk competition. McClung surpassed Shaq O’Neil with a 50 point slam over all people Shaq who was holding the ball above his had for the record setting dunk.

#5 Wanted to get a chance to ask you about the firing of former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks who got the blame for the 49ers loss in the Super Bowl. Talk about what mistakes he made and how does a defensive coordinator who contributed highly on his defense takes a team to the Super Bowl and ends up getting fired?

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com