Will Canada Get Another NBA Franchise Alongside The Toronto Raptors?

By Amy Smith

December 4th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

Canada continues to establish itself as one of the NBA’s most valuable markets. The support the Toronto Raptors have received even during leaner years is consistent, and when they’re good, it’s arguably beyond compare. That makes sense.

For all this talk about other sports in The True North, basketball is ingrained into the fabric of societal interest. Canada’s impassioned fanbase is what drew the NBA to it in the first place. And now, with franchise valuations skyrocketing, gate revenue on the rise, Canadian sportsbooks emphasizing all sorts of basketball events, and a population of over 40 million people, an intriguing question is starting to make the rounds: Should the NBA add a second franchise to its Canadian ranks?

Is Canada fit to host a second NBA team, be it back in Vancouver or elsewhere?

Anyone who has tangentially followed the Association knows that Canada housed two organizations at one point. Both the Vancouver Grizzlies and Raptors debuted during the 1995-96 season. The Grizzlies, however, vacated Vancouver after just six seasons. More potential was seen in the Memphis market, which is now home to the Grizzlies.

Somewhat ironically, as NBA expansion talk continues its gradual crescendo, the Memphis franchise is commonly cited as one that’s a candidate relocation. Regardless of the machinations behind it, the question is out there: Is Canada fit to host a second NBA team, be it back in Vancouver or elsewhere?

Can Vancouver Support an NBA Franchise Now?

Let’s not mince words: If the NBA adds another team in Canada, it will revisit the Vancouver operation. In fact, many believe The Wet Coast is among the top three destinations for the next franchise, joining Seattle and Las Vegas.

Of course, this raises another question: If Vancouver couldn’t drum up the necessary support before, what has changed in the decades since?

A whole lot, actually.

The proliferation of social media has rendered, well, pretty much everything more accessible to everyone. It is easier for Vancouver residents to become enamored by the game of basketball, even if it’s from afar. The NBA, in particular, is among the leagues that have committed the most time and resources to growing their social media presence. It is no coincidence that Canada has turned into one of the Association’s three-best ratings drawers. And this holds true even if you filter out the Toronto market, which is obviously beholden to the Raptors.

Beyond that, Vancouver seems more attracted to basketball culture in general—not just NBA basketball, but basketball overall. As Niako Liapsis writes for Evolution 1079:

Toronto Raptors’ Fred VanVleet (23) makes a shot against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter of a NBA game at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2017.

“Fast forward now to 2025, the city now has a fantastic basketball culture with thriving programs for youth academies and university level athletes. UBC is one of the best university basketball programs in the country and has produced multiple high level professional players throughout the years. Vancouver is also home to the Vancouver Bandits, a professional basketball team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League or the CEBL. The Bandits have done a great job of increasing interest in basketball in Vancouver and even had some success with the franchise making it to the championship games in both 2020 and 2024 seasons. The team also welcomed Social Media Basketball Influencer Tristan Jazz as a new player to their roster in May, which has further gathered interest for the Bandits and the sport of basketball.”

This growth is enough to put Vancouver on the map. The same goes for its population size.

According to World Population Review, the greater metropolitan Vancouver area has a population of over 2.7 million. That does not compete with Toronto’s population of 7.7 million, but it’s more than double the population of the 1.4 million census data in Memphis.

Further Basketball Expansion in Canada is a Waiting Game

At the bare minimum, we can at least say Vancouver is a potentially viable market for another NBA team. The issue, however, will be moot until the league embraces expansion or relocation.

Unfortunately, the timeline for either is unclear. Relocation may happen first, since two teams have arena leases that expire by the end of the decade. The first is the Grizzlies, formerly of Vancouver. The second is the New Orleans Pelicans—who, for what it’s worth, play in a metropolitan area with a population of 1.7 million, which is smaller than that in Vancouver.

June 5th, 2019 Burlington citizens turned out to sit in Civic Square to watch the Raptors. 

Beating out other candidates is Vancouver’s bigger issue. Many experts believe Las Vegas and Seattle will have first dibs on whatever happens. If the league adds to expansion franchises, the prevailing assumption is that each city will end up with one. If there are relocation opportunities, Las Vegas is considered in the poll position, with Seattle right behind it.

This is not an insurmountable obstacle for Vancouver. Given the shaky state of affairs in Memphis and New Orleans, it’s fair to predict at least one of those franchises will be relocated in the semi-near term. And if you combine the prospect of expansion with relocation, there could be four bites at the apple for new markets (two from expansion, two from relocation).

Vancouver, in the above scenario, doesn’t just become a viable candidate. It may turn into an odds-on favorite.