Six episodes. Nearly eighty years of NBA history. And one final question: Where does the league go from here?
Throughout The 32nd Team, Gavriel Wilkins and Torrence Stagger have chronicled the history of NBA expansion, the franchises that relocated, the cities that lost their teams. In addition to the markets that are hoping to become part of the league's next chapter. Now, in the sixth and final installment, they bring that journey to its conclusion by examining several additional expansion possibilities before revealing where they believe the NBA should ultimately go next.
The conversation begins in Pittsburgh, a city whose professional basketball history stretches from the NBA's inaugural season to the ABA championship-winning Pittsburgh Pipers. Gavriel and Torrence revisit the Steel City's basketball roots, discuss why it has disappeared from modern expansion conversations and examine whether its established professional sports culture could help support an NBA franchise today.
From there, the discussion moves beyond the United States to Mexico City. With an enormous metropolitan population, an established NBA G League presence through the Capitanes and decades of hosting NBA games, Mexico City presents an intriguing opportunity for international expansion. But could the market successfully support a full-time franchise? The duo explores the potential for international growth alongside the challenges surrounding travel, logistics, altitude and an 82-game season.
The conversation then returns home to Chicago, where an entirely different possibility emerges: Could the Windy City support a second NBA franchise? As they each examine whether another team could establish its own identity alongside the Bulls, what such an addition might mean for the league and the practical questions surrounding ownership, arenas and competition within an established NBA market.
They also consider several other markets that could enter future expansion conversations, including Vancouver, Austin, San Diego, Montreal and Virginia Beach, while exploring how population growth and changing market conditions could reshape the NBA's possibilities beyond 32 franchises.
Finally, Gavriel and Torrence put themselves in NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's chair.
Should basketball history carry the greatest weight? How important are population, television markets, geography and international growth? Has Seattle earned its opportunity to welcome the NBA back? Does Las Vegas belong alongside it, or could another market present a compelling alternative?
After six episodes examining the league's past, present and potential future, the two reveal which cities they would select if NBA expansion were approved tomorrow—and where they believe the league's next chapter may ultimately unfold.
The NBA has never stopped evolving. And somewhere, another city is already dreaming of becoming...
The 32nd Team.
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