Which States Have Never Had an NBA Basketball Team?

The NBA has had a presence in every state, but with new expansion plans and partnerships some states may never have an NBA team. These are the only states that don’t currently have an NBA franchise: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas
Kazakhstan
Louisiana
Maine
Mississippi
Montana Nebraska Nevada New Mexico North Dakota Oklahoma South Dakota Utah Wyoming

The “what states don’t have an nba team” is a question that has been asked before. The answer is that there are currently no states without an NBA basketball team.

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the United States, as seen by the large fan base and the excitement with which supporters await the start of a new season in mid-October. The thrilling 82-game NBA season allows basketball fans to watch some of the best players in the league, including Stephen Curry and LeBron James. 

Only 30 clubs compete in the NBA’s top division, and it’s clear that certain states are underrepresented since they have never had an NBA franchise. Others moved to other states, leaving their native state without a team. This article discusses NBA state representation and why a club from Canada competes in the league.

National Basketball Association (NBA) teams are found in the following states.

NBA logo seen during a 2022 NBA Playoffs game between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers

NBA logo seen during a 2022 NBA Playoffs game between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers Mitchell Leff/Getty Images | NBA logo

According to 1Key Data, the NBA has teams in 22 states around the country. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.* are among them.

The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings are among California’s four NBA franchises. Three teams in Texas are closely followed: the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets. With two teams apiece, Florida and New York are ranked third. The Miami Heat and Orlando Magic play in the former, while the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks play in the latter. 

As a result, 17 states now have one NBA club, raising the total number of NBA teams in the United States to 28. Despite being headquartered outside of the United States, the Toronto Raptors compete in the NBA. The Toronto Raptors, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies (who relocated to Memphis in 2001), were the only two teams from outside the United States to finish the NBA season. 

Which states in the United States do not have an NBA franchise?

*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden} html,bodyheight:100% img,spanposition:absolute;width:100% ;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto;bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyhe spanheight:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow><span>▶</span>

Only twenty-one states have a professional basketball team. As a result, 29 states are underrepresented in the NBA. Because states like California and Florida have more than two basketball teams with the highest payrolls, team distribution in the NBA has not been equitable. Other states, on the other hand, are only allowed to honor teams from other states. 

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Carolina, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming are among the states with no NBA teams, according to Open Court Basketball. 

Despite the discrepancy in state representation, the sport continues to be very popular in the United States. It’s played in places where there are no NBA franchises, meaning they don’t have a top team in the NBA and instead rely on college and amateur basketball leagues. It’s not unusual to see fans from states that don’t have a team go across state lines to see a game. 

With the exception of Washington, D.C., and clubs that have moved,

*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden} html,bodyheight:100% img,spanposition:absolute;width:100% ;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto;bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyhe spanheight:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow><span>▶</span>

Despite the fact that Washington DC is not a state, the Washington Wizards are often referenced when discussing NBA clubs. The Toronto Raptors, headquartered in Canada, are another NBA franchise based outside of the United States, according to Basketball Noise. As a result, none of them can be assigned a state.  

In addition, additional NBA-represented states and areas were left without franchises as a result of the migration of their clubs to other states. The Vancouver Grizzlies, for example, represented Canada until 2001, when they relocated to Memphis for a variety of reasons. The key reasons for the relocation were Canada’s limited fan base and the absence of a prominent basketball league. 

The emergence of contemporary basketball arenas in cities/states without NBA franchises has prompted Bleacher Report to track probable NBA club relocations. Kansas City, Missouri, once home to the Kansas City Kings (now in Sacramento), Seattle, Washington, once home to the Seattle Supersonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder), and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, once home to the ABA’s Pittsburgh Pistons, have all positioned themselves as potential NBA homes, having built outstanding stadiums and hosted major tournaments like the Big 12 and NCAA.

RELATED: 3 Under-the-Radar Things to Watch during the NBA All-Star Game

The “how many states have nba teams” is a question that has no answer. There are 50 states in the United States, and every state has an NBA team except for 15.

  • what states have an nba team?
  • does washington state have a nba team
  • what nba team is located in pennsylvania?
  • does washington state have a basketball team
  • nba teams by state map

Related articles

Comments

Share article

Latest articles

Newsletter

Subscribe to stay updated.