NEW YORK (AP) — Erik Spoelstra is from Portland. He grew up as a Trail Blazers fan, which means he absolutely could never bring himself to root for the Seattle SuperSonics.

But the idea of NBA games in Seattle again — about two decades after the SuperSonics were relocated to Oklahoma City — most certainly appeals to the Miami Heat coach.

Spoelstra's reaction to Wednesday's news that the league finally is going forward with formal exploration of expansion — and will be looking at Seattle and Las Vegas as the two candidate cities — largely mirrored the thoughts of many in the NBA.

He's for it.

“It would be fun,” Spoelstra said Wednesday. “I think all the Pacific Northwest people were sad when it left. I loved the games there. I grew up disliking the Sonics very much because I was a Trail Blazer fan, but it was an awesome environment. It’s a city that can really rally around their team.”

It's not a guarantee that expansion will happen, and the earliest possible season for a new team, or teams, to be added is likely 2028-29.

Still, just getting to this point is significant and brought reaction right away from Las Vegas, Seattle and other places around the league.

From the Las Vegas perspective, MGM Resorts CEO & President Bill Hornbuckle offered his thanks to the league's owners for the vote.

“It’s only the first step, but it’s a big step," Hornbuckle said. "A new team would be great for both locals and visitors, while creating jobs and providing a boost to the economy. ... We would welcome the opportunity to work with the NBA on creating an unforgettable fan experience.”

And from the Seattle perspective, Tod Leiweke — the CEO of the NHL's Kraken and someone who'll also be CEO of One Roof Sports and Entertainment, which is in the process of becoming the majority owner of the city's Climate Pledge Arena — said “the hardest part of this is now done.”

“We will put together a bid that has it all," Leiweke said. “And I would say the most important thing in our bid is the ability to do it and do it well. And that’s going to be very important for the NBA if ultimately they push ahead and want to expand, they’re going to want to make sure that it’s done well, that there’s no drama, that there’s no slips, there’s no mistakes.”

Heat center Bam Adebayo is in a relationship with Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson, the four-time WNBA MVP, and he's spent plenty of time in that city to watch her games. He doesn't think an NBA team in that city would do anything to erode the support the Aces are getting.

“Aces fans are really true to the Aces,” Adebayo said.

The early returns certainly suggest that most current NBA players and coaches want to see expansion happen.

“I think we’re adding two good teams, two good markets,” Spoelstra said. “It’ll be a big positive for the league.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

MIAMI (AP) — Victor Wembanyama is making it clear: He wants to win the NBA's MVP award this season.

The San Antonio star — moments after his team officially clinched its first Southwest Division title in nine seasons — detailed some elements of his MVP case on Monday night after the red-hot Spurs beat the Miami Heat 136-111 for their 22nd win in their last 24 games.

“I have thought about it," Wembanyama said. "I think right now there is a debate. There should be, even though I think I should lead the race. I'm trying to make sure that at the end of the season, there's no debate.”

Wembanyama is averaging 24.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 blocked shots per game. Only six players have finished a season with such numbers — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it five times, Hakeem Olajuwon did it twice, while Shaquille O'Neal, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson all did it once. The sixth player on that list? That would be Wembanyama, who did all that last season as well, albeit in only 46 games.

The reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, is the overwhelming favorite to win the trophy again according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Next on the BetMGM list: the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic.

Wembanyama is next, with the third-best odds as of Monday, one spot ahead of Denver's Nikola Jokic. Everyone else would be considered a significant long shot for the award at this point, though the NBA's 65-game rule for major award eligibility — like MVP — could become a factor. Jokic can miss only one more game, for example, before he falls off the ballot and Wembanyama can miss no more than three more contests.

Wembanyama, who won rookie of the year two years ago and was generally considered a lock for defensive player of the year last season until he had to be shut down while dealing with deep vein thrombosis, has a three-part campaign pitch.

“My first one would be that defense is 50% of the game and that it is undervalued so far in the MVP race. I believe I’m the most impactful player defensively in the league," Wembanyama said. "Second argument would be that we almost swept OKC in the season, and we dominated them three times with their real team. ... The third argument would be that offense impact is not just points.”

It should not surprise anyone that the Spurs also believe Wembanyama is more than just an MVP contender.

“I think he’s close," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "All those guys you named are deserving; a couple of them already have that award. And I'm very biased. I get to see one of those guys every single night. I get to see him on the practice court. I get to see what he does in the morning. I get to see what does right now after the game. So, I understand my opinion and outlook and perspective is very different than almost everyone else.

“But he affects as much of the game in every single way — on the court, on both ends, with and without the ball, what the other team tries to do, plan for, scheme, adjust to, on both sides of the basketball, in my very ignorant opinion, as much as any other player I’ve ever seen. Take that for whatever it’s worth.”

The Spurs are 54-18. They're going to be the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. They'll have home court in Round 1 of the playoffs, Round 2 if they get there and almost certainly would have it in the NBA Finals if they get that far. There are a lot of reasons for that, but the biggest reason — literally, given that Wembanyama is 7-foot-4 — is a 22-year-old face of the franchise who has wowed the Spurs every day with his maturity and work ethic.

The MVPs are almost certainly coming at some point. Wembanyama doesn't want to keep waiting.

“Right now, it is still reasonable that there is a debate," Wembanyama said. "But as I said, my goal is to make sure there’s no debate anymore at the end of the season.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA