For two seasons, Oklahoma City unknowingly served as the NBA's audition stage. What began as a temporary solution following Hurricane Katrina ultimately proved that professional basketball could thrive in a market few had previously considered for an NBA franchise. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, one of the league's most historic basketball cities was fighting to keep the team it already had.

In Part Three of The 32nd Team, Gavriel Wilkins & Torrence Stagger examine the circumstances that transformed Oklahoma City from the temporary home of the New Orleans Hornets into a permanent NBA market. The conversation explores how the city went about embracing the displaced franchise, the role Chris Paul's emergence played in strengthening Oklahoma City's basketball culture and whether those two seasons permanently changed how the NBA viewed  ...