NBA to Launch G League Team in Mexico City Starting 2020-21

The Mexico City Capitanes will join the NBA G League next season, becoming the league's first club from outside the U.S. and Canada.

The NBA is continuing its international expansion and will launch an NBA G League team in Mexico City in 2020-21, the league announced Thursday.

Commissioner Adam Silver, speaking ahead of the Mavericks-Pistons game, which is being played Thursday night in Mexico City, announced that the Capitanes, a professional team currently competing in Mexico's Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, will join the NBA G League as the league's first club from outside the U.S. and Canada. 

It will have an initial five-year commitment from the league, playing its home games at the Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera in Mexico City. 

“Bringing an NBA G League team to Mexico City is a historic milestone for the NBA which demonstrates our commitment to basketball fans in Mexico and across Latin America,” Silver said in a statement. “As the first G League franchise based outside of the U.S. and Canada, we look forward to welcoming Capitanes to the NBA family.”

A two-time Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional runner-up and League of the Americas’ Final Four team, Capitanes debuted in the 2017-18 season. In September 2019, the team took part in the NBA G League International Challenge.

“The NBA G League has long been focused on growing the game in Latin America and internationally. Having a team in Mexico City is an important step in realizing that vision,” added NBA G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim. “I’m proud to welcome Capitanes to the G League and look forward to watching the team play at Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera next season.”

The Capitanes will be the league's 29th team and will be the lone franchise without an NBA affiliation.