Smallest NBA Markets and Largest Markets Without an NBA Team

There is no single measurement that determines the size of an NBA market. Two of the most useful measurements are television-market size and metropolitan-area population. They measure different things and can produce very different rankings.

Television markets are commonly measured using Nielsen Designated Market Areas, or DMAs. A DMA includes the counties in which local television viewing is primarily associated with stations from a particular market. Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, are population areas defined by the federal government around a major urban core and surrounding economically connected communities.

For that reason, calling a franchise a "small-market team" depends on what measurement is being used. Salt Lake City, for example, has a relatively small metropolitan population but a television market that reaches considerably farther beyond the immediate Salt Lake metro area.

The following list uses the 2025-26 U.S. television-market rankings. A larger DMA rank number represents a smaller television market. Toronto is not included because Nielsen's U.S. DMA system does not rank Canadian television markets.

This ranking uses 2025 U.S. Census Bureau metropolitan-area population estimates. This is a different measurement from television market size, which explains why teams can occupy very different positions in the two lists.

These television markets do not currently have an NBA franchise. This list is particularly interesting whenever NBA expansion or relocation is discussed. It measures television-market reach rather than whether a city is considered a likely expansion candidate.

Metropolitan population provides another way to evaluate potential basketball markets. Several metropolitan areas without an NBA team are larger than a number of current NBA markets.

The original version of this NBAHoopsOnline page used television and metropolitan population figures from roughly 2004. The NBA market map has changed substantially since then.

The most obvious change is Oklahoma City. The Thunder did not exist when the original list was assembled. The Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, placing one of the league's smallest television markets on the NBA map while removing Seattle, one of the country's largest markets, from the league.

Population growth has also changed the rankings. Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Charlotte, Orlando, Phoenix, Austin and Las Vegas have all grown substantially since the original data was collected. Meanwhile, metropolitan definitions themselves have occasionally changed, so historical and modern MSA figures should not always be treated as perfectly identical geographic comparisons.

Market size can influence local television reach, sponsorship opportunities and the size of a team's immediate population base, but it does not determine competitive success. Some of the NBA's most successful franchises and strongest fan bases have operated in markets that rank near the bottom of the league by television size or metropolitan population.

San Antonio won five NBA championships between 1999 and 2014. Milwaukee has won championships in two very different eras. Oklahoma City has developed into a major NBA success despite operating in one of the league's smallest television markets. Utah and Portland have also maintained NBA franchises for decades despite comparatively modest local-market populations.

Market measurements also fail to capture regional reach. The Utah Jazz, for example, are based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area but draw support across a much larger portion of the Mountain West. Oklahoma City, Portland, San Antonio and several other teams similarly serve fan bases extending well beyond the formal borders of their MSAs.

The market comparison becomes especially interesting when NBA expansion is discussed. Seattle stands out because it combines a large television market, a metropolitan population of more than four million and a long NBA history. Las Vegas has a smaller television market but a rapidly growing population, major tourism industry and established presence in professional sports.

Other large markets without NBA teams include Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Nashville, Kansas City, Austin, Cincinnati and Columbus. However, market size alone does not determine whether the NBA would place a franchise in a city. Arena availability, ownership, corporate support, geographic balance, existing regional teams and expansion fees all matter.

The following figures are retained from the original version of this page. They are no longer current and should be viewed as a historical snapshot of the NBA's market landscape approximately two decades ago.

Current metropolitan populations use 2025 U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Television-market rankings use the 2025-26 U.S. DMA rankings. Population estimates and television-market boundaries change over time, so rankings should always be associated with a specific year.

Toronto is not included in the U.S. television-market tables because Canadian television markets are not part of Nielsen's U.S. DMA ranking system.

The term "market without an NBA team" can also be subjective in large overlapping regions. Riverside, San Jose and Baltimore, for example, may be separate metropolitan areas while still sharing important regional media relationships with nearby NBA markets. For that reason, television-market and metropolitan-population tables should be considered separate comparisons.

Current data updated for 2025 population estimates and the 2025-26 television season. Original NBAHoopsOnline figures are retained separately for historical comparison.

Market rankings and population estimates change regularly. If you notice an outdated figure, market-boundary change or other correction, please send the information and source to NBAHoopsOnline.

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