TNTF Presents The 32nd Team: Ep. 4 - "Have Our Own Residency"

For nearly two decades, Seattle has waited for the NBA to return. During that same period, Las Vegas has transformed itself into one of the fastest-growing and most prominent sports markets in America.In Part Four of The 32nd Team, Gavriel Wilkins and Torrence Stagger examine two cities that have become central to the conversation surrounding the NBA's next era of expansion. The discussion begins in Seattle, where the SuperSonics may have disappeared in 2008, but the city's passion for basketball never did. From a dedicated fan base and corporate support to the arrival of Climate Pledge Arena, Gavriel and Torrence discuss why Seattle's remained relevant in NBA circles and whether nearly two decades of waiting has helped make their case for another franchise stronger than ever.The conversation also revisits Seattle's unusual role throughout the 2010s decade as a potential destination whenever teams such as Sacramento, Milwaukee & the LA Clippers encountered arena uncertainty. Why did the Emerald City become the NBA's unofficial relocation fallback —and how much did the threat of Seattle help other markets secure the facilities necessary to keep their own teams?Then, the focus shifts to Las Vegas. From UNLV, NBA Summer League and the 2007 All-Star Game to the NBA Cup and the arrival of major professional sports throughout the city, Gavriel and Torrence examine how Las Vegas evolved from an occasional basketball destination into a market increasingly viewed as capable of supporting an NBA franchise of its own. They also weigh the qualities that make Vegas attractive against the questions that remain surrounding local support, an increasingly crowded sports landscape and the sustainability of an 82-game NBA season.With Seattle seemingly positioned at the front of the expansion line, a much larger question begins to emerge: If the Emerald City ultimately becomes home to the NBA's 31st franchise, which market should receive No. 32? And what should matter most when the league makes that decision—geography, market size, television reach, international growth or something else entirely?Seattle has waited. Las Vegas has emerged.Now, the search for The 32nd Team truly begins.Follow The New Twenty Four across social media on IG and Twitter/X (@TNTF_).