MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WSMV) – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated on a sports podcast, “Pardon My Take,” that the Grizzlies have no plans to leave Memphis.
“The owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, a guy name Robert Pera, has no interesting in moving the team out of Memphis. He’s made that clear,” said Silver. “I’ve never heard that issue of players not wanting to be in Memphis.”
This topic became unsubstantiated internet fodder recently, after a social media post caught LeBron James saying disparaging things about Memphis and positive things about the city of Nashville.
Silver did acknowledge the Music City’s positive vibe.
“Nashville is a city on the rise. There’s incredible things happening there. If it were up to me, I love for them to play a few games a year in Nashville and sort of be Tennessee’s team.”
However, it is not up to Silver. It is up to, at the very least, the franchise and both cities’ officials.
He is the second pro sports commissioner to flippantly opine about the prospects of making inroads in Nashville.
In 2018, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred made a similar statement on a TV interview about Nashville being a potential expansion city for the league.
To date, no matter how many times that topic is brought up, it remains empty rhetoric. Nashville officials have repeatedly said they have no plans to bring MLB to town.
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