An NBA franchise in Montreal?
The NBA isn’t currently looking to add any expansion franchises, but a group of Montreal business people intend to be ready should the day come when new teams are on the table.
Speaking at a media conference earlier Wednesday ahead of the NBA pre-season contest between the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets at the Bell Centre, members of the group said the NBA has been made aware of the interest, which originated back in 2014, but has been ramped up with the addition of GardaWorld founder Stéphan Crétier as a main investor, willing to put up 10 per cent of the cost of the franchise.
The group said while there is no appetite for adding Montreal or any other city at the moment, their goal is “to be ready the day that opportunity comes along.”
They’ve also informed NBA commissioner Adam Silver that while they recognize “Montreal isn’t on anybody’s short list,” they don’t mind being Plan B for now.
At Wednesday’s availability, former Canadian minister of international trade and former Quebec senator Michael Fortier talked, along with sports consultant and former Montreal Canadiens COO Kevin Gilmore and Montreal Chamber of Commerce president Michel Leblanc, who expressed support for the efforts to attract investors.
No public funding would be requested.
The group hopes that an expansion team (there has been no talk of relocating an existing franchise) would play out of the Bell Centre, either as a tenant, or with Canadiens co-owner Geoff Molson involved in ownership (though ownership partners are being pursued from across the globe).
While many believe it is unlikely the NBA brings a second team to Canada again, the group is hopeful that the Montreal and Quebec television market could be a lucrative one for the league, especially with so many young basketball fans living in the province.
The group prepared a case study and booklet pointing out facts and statistics that boosted Montreal’s candidacy. The study compared 49 North American cities with at least one professional sports franchise from one of the four major leagues and it found that Montreal ranks 16th in population among those cities and fourth in population density. It’s also the largest untapped population pool in North America and the study ranked the city fourth in quality of life, ahead of all American cities.
The study found that Montreal has a higher “attractiveness index” than 22 existing NBA cities.
The presentation and case study also noted the potential of a 7.2 million French-Canadian fan base and how a Toronto-Montreal NBA rivalry could boost the league’s prospects as a whole.
Vancouver is also hoping to get a team, having seen the Grizzlies move to Memphis years ago following the 2000-01 season.
Montreal is also eager to bring Major League Baseball back, though a basketball bid would have the advantage of potentially already having a world-class facility available to play in.
“A sports project of this magnitude can only make Montreal more vibrant. Sports are extremely popular with Quebecers, and basketball is no exception,” Crétier said in a release.
“I have seen the growing popularity of basketball internationally, and I’d be delighted to be a part of bringing the NBA to my hometown.”
Wednesday’s game marked five pre-season appearances in Montreal over the years. Toronto went 4-0 in the first four (2010, 2012, 2014, 2015) and is 7-2 all-time in NBA Canada Series games.
“With us being Canada’s team and going to Vancouver and coming out this way, it gives us a chance to have our all fans see us and touch us and gives us a chance to play in front of another great fan base,” Raptors all-star Kyle Lowry said.
“The energy. The fans appreciating us and the overall enjoyment of the game. It’s a rowdy crowd (at Bell Centre) and loud and they expect us to win,” he said.
“I certainly think that the Canadian market is unbelievable. The spread of everything from the national team to the Raptors, to the talent level that is being produced out of Canada right now, we’re riding an amazing high,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.
“I don’t know what Adam Silver’s plans are for expansion, but I think everything out of Canada is super positive.”
SPORTS ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR WITH QUEBECERS.