Hall of Famer Issel joins Louisville NBA expansion bid

Basketball Hall of Famer Dan Issel has been named president of "NBA 2 Louisville," an investment group seeking to bring an expansion team to Kentucky's largest city.

"Commissioner (Adam) Silver said the NBA would be flattered that Louisville wanted a team," Issel said, according to the Courier Journal's Tim Sullivan. "He said right now there is no timetable for expansion. That will be their stance until they start accepting applications ... if and when they accept applications, we want to be on the top of the pile."

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The NBA has not prioritized expansion, but there could be a market opening with Seattle filing NHL expansion papers this week after plans for a retrofitted arena were approved. The Pacific Northwest metropolis has been a candidate to bring a pro basketball team back since the Sonics left to become the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.

Louisville has long been a college basketball hotbed thanks to the success of the Cardinals' program, prior to recent turmoil. Issel was a college standout at Kentucky and a star - and later coach of - the Denver Nuggets.