Mexico City Begins Play in NBA G League in 2021-22 — But There's A Catch

The NBA is going international once again—sort of. The Mexico City Capitanes will officially make their debut in the NBA G League this coming season. However, due to international restrictions on travel, they won't be stepping foot in Mexico. 

The G League's Mexico City Capitanes will be based in Fort Worth for practice and housing purposes for the 2021-22 season and will play all games in their inaugural @nbagleague season in existing league markets, league sources say.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 13, 2021

As reported by Marc Stein, the first Latin American team in the G League will use Fort Worth, Texas as their home base, but only for practices; they'll play all of their games—even "home" games—in the arena of their opponents. 

"Safeguarding the health of players, fans, and everyone in the NBA G League is paramount to us," stated the Capitanes in an official press release. "Added to that, the existing international travel restrictions for COVID-19 have made this the most prudent decision for us."

ℹ️ · Press Release
Capitanes will participate in the 2021-22 @nbagleague season, pic.twitter.com/s3bmXPNeQk

— CAPITANES (@CapitanesCDMX) September 13, 2021

Two other new teams join the G League as well; the Motor City Cruise will be an affiliate of the Detroit Pistons, and the Birmingham Squadron, an affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans. That brings the league total to 28 teams.