By Miguel Rapetti
06 Nov 2023, 22:40 PM EST
The former NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, the Mexican Juan Toscano-Anderson, said this Monday that he believes that an NBA franchise in Mexico would make much more sense and would be more attractive than in other cities such as Seattle or Las Vegas, in if an expansion occurs.
Toscano-Anderson gave the statements in what was prior to the match between Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks in Mexico, ensuring that the spectacle that will be in the match and the spectacle that is expected could be seen almost daily with a team in Mexico.
“I want Orlando and Atlanta to put on a real show here, because if the NBA players and people feel the screams and the great atmosphere of the Mexicans, they will think that they can bring a franchise to this city, better than in Seattle or Las Vegas,” said.
Toscano-Anderson, who currently lives with the Mexico City Capitanes of the NBA development league in Mexico after his internship with teams such as Jazz, Lakers or the Warriors themselves, said that his main intention is to become a project ambassador who can bring a team to be based in Mexico.
“Everyone thinks that Mexico is dangerous and that they don’t have the means to have a basketball team. My job is to be an ambassador that modifies that perception, I want to change the idea that everyone has of Mexico,” she emphasized.
Since 1992, NBA teams have divided their visits to this country with games in Monterrey, to the north, and in the capital, thanks to which the fan base of this league is the largest outside the United States, according to Toscano.
“We cannot lose sight of the fact that this is a business that the NBA wants to grow and when it comes to Mexico it is an opportunity for that growth because here they have 30 million fans, that is not easy, practically no NBA team has that support, maybe the Lakers there. “I want everyone to see that opportunity.”
The 30-year-old player who jumped into paid basketball with the Soles de Mexicali of the National Professional Basketball League of this country shared his desire for Mexican children to dream, but not become obsessed with reaching the NBA.
“Of course I want them to dream, but I want them to know that not everyone is going to be Stephen Curry or LeBron James, but they can be a Juan Toscano. It is very difficult to be a star in the NBA, they play at a level that is out of this world; I felt that pressure, that’s why I want to tell the children to first enjoy this game and then embrace whatever comes,” he concluded.