• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 22, 2025

NBA Returns to Seattle for Preseason Game, Fuels Sonics Speculation

  • Climate Pledge Arena will host an NBA ‘Rain City Showcase’ preseason game for the second straight year.
  • Seattle and Las Vegas are top candidates for expansion after the NBA settles its next media rights deals.
Seattle and Las Vegas are top NBA expansion options.
Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Another NBA preseason game will be held this October at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, fueling speculation that an Emerald City expansion team may not be far behind. 

The Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz will play October 10 in a preseason matchup branded by the NBA as the Rain City Showcase. Last year’s preseason saw the Clippers play the Portland Trail Blazers in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,440 fans at Climate Pledge Arena, home to the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and WNBA’s Storm.

“Seattle is a world-class sports town, and fans continue to be hungry for NBA basketball,” Climate Pledge Arena GM Steve Mattson said in a statement. 

Seattle, home of the NBA’s SuperSonics from 1967 until their 2008 move to Oklahoma City, has been considered a top option alongside Las Vegas for NBA expansion. Las Vegas is home to the NBA Summer League and will host the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game, while Oak View Group is leading a $10 billion project to build a basketball arena in Las Vegas.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said that the league will “turn to expansion” once its next slate of media rights deals are completed. Silver said those negotiations are expected to begin next spring before the NBA’s current broadcast deals expire at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Adam Silver

Silver Warns RSN Uncertainty Could Slow NBA Expansion

The commissioner said Tuesday that the league will study the issue.
April 19, 2022; Austin, TX, USA; Tim Leiweke of the Oak View Group speaks at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Moody Center, a multi-purpose arena that will be home to concerts and the UT basketball teams on Tuesday April 19, 2022.

Oak View Founder Tim Leiweke Indicted for Alleged Rigged Arena Bid

The longtime sports executive leaves his day-to-day leadership role.

Silver: NBA Local Media Woes Could Hurt Expansion Momentum

Las Vegas and Seattle have long been rumored as expansion cities.
Jun 1996; Seattle, WA USA; FILE PHOTO; Seattle Supersonics guard Gary Payton (20) lays the ball up against the Chicago Bulls during the 1996 NBA Finals at Key Arena.

5,000 Pieces of Thunder History Are Hidden in Seattle

Sonics championship banners, trophies, and retired jerseys are all in one place.

Featured Today

Ryan Field Construction
exclusive

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.
Jul 21, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Xander Schauffele celebrates with Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon.
July 17, 2025

The Boozy History and Traditions of The Open’s Claret Jug

The Open awards the world’s most famous wine decanter.
2025 PDC World Darts Championship Final - Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
July 16, 2025

A Teen Darts Prodigy Is Becoming Bigger Than the Game Itself

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is cashing in on his devastatingly accurate shot.
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive
July 13, 2025

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.

NFL Training Camps Kick Off With Holdouts, Big Paydays Looming

The Cowboys have not signed Micah Parsons to an extension.
July 20, 2025

Sabrina Ionescu Calls for Longer WNBA Break After ASG Blowout

Ionescu is frustrated with top players’ packed schedules.
July 20, 2025

JC Tretter to Resign from NFLPA, Won’t Go for Executive Director Role

Tretter had been serving as NFLPA chief strategy officer.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 20, 2025

Scheffler Dominates The Open, Draws Comparisons to Tiger’s Prime

Scheffler, 29, won his second major of the year and fourth of his career.
July 20, 2025

Trump to Commanders: Lose the Name or Lose the $3.8B Stadium Deal

The NFL and MLB franchises have been using their current nicknames since 2022.
Angel Reese
July 19, 2025

Cathy Engelbert, WNBA All-Stars Trade CBA Barbs: ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’

The commissioner called the WNBPA’s characterization of labor talks ‘not accurate.’ 
USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) takes to the court on Jan. 22, 2025, ahead a game against the Purdue Boilermakers.
July 19, 2025

Unrivaled Makes NIL Splash During WNBA All-Star Weekend

The 3-on-3 women’s basketball league signed 14 college players to NIL deals.