Thirty teams currently make up the NBA today. Soon, there could be thirty-two.

As the league prepares for what could become its next era of expansion, Gavriel Wilkins and Torrence Stagger turn back the clock on The 32nd Team, an exclusive series from The New Twenty Four chronicling the history of NBA expansion, the decisions that shaped the league's map and the markets that could ultimately become part of its future.

In Part One, Gavriel and Torrence examine the state of the NBA entering the 1980s and why the decade created the perfect environment for the league to begin thinking bigger. The discussion explores Dallas becoming the NBA's 23rd franchise, what the Mavericks' arrival meant for future expansion and why Miami, Charlotte, Orlando and Minnesota were ultimately chosen to serve as hubs for new organizations as the league grew f ...