Can Jacksonville be a "Basketball City"?

[Clem1029]

No way in the next 20 years Jax could support an NBA team economically. We have our one professional sports team for our market size. The only markest with more than one professional team smaller than ours are New Orleans (and that's almost entirely due to post-Katrina population numbers) and Buffalo (gee, a town on the Canadian border having an NHL team as their second professional team - go figure). The smallest one larger than Jax with more than 1 team (Milwaukee) has us beat by 225k people and 12 spots in the rankings. Jacksonville would have to have a major growth spurt to justify any other league deciding to bring a professional team to town. Not only that, but most Florida teams have a well earned reputation of being complete fair-weather fans - the only way Jax gets a second professional team is if one is somehow poached from another Florida city - which is highly unlikely.

[CS Foltz]

We can't even support a losing football team, so unless they were winners right out of the box, no way!

[WillNevaLeaveJAX]

The smallest one larger than Jax with more than 1 team (Milwaukee) has us beat by 225k people and 12 spots in the rankings.

Milwaukee's metro has more than 400k than ours and they got their NBA and MLB team in '68 and '69 respectively. And during that time Milwaukee's city population was almost 750k.

[fsujax]

well,OKC is a NBA city. we probbaly couldnt support both and NBA and NFL team. I wonder of OKC could support an NFL franchise.

[TheProfessor]

I wish the Jacksonville Barracudas would return.  Any news on that??

[JaxNative68]

if the city did jack up their rent in the arena, causing them to move to skate world, they would still be around.

[copperfiend]

I will give you four reasons Jacksonville will never have an NBA team.

Sacramento
Memphis
Indianapolis
Minneapolis

Four of the smallest markets in the NBA. They are also four of the bottom six teams when it comes to attendance and play at crowds under 80 percent capacity.

[Ethylene]

I wish the Jacksonville Barracudas would return.  Any news on that??

ditto!

When we yelled GO CUDAS we didn't mean show them the exit! 

[Sportmotor]

I dislike basketball. I'd never go to a game, the Jags are enough for me.

[BridgeTroll]

Love colledge hoops... despise pro hoops.