Dallas Mavericks, Dallas

In 1979, millionaire Donald J. Carter and Mavericks' founding president, Norm Sonju, began making efforts to secure an NBA team in Dallas. His dream became a reality at the 1980 All-Star game, when league owners voted to admit the new franchise for an entry fee of $12 million and Mr. Carter's entire baseball-card collection. The newly formed Mavs experienced quick success, making the postseason six times during their first decade. The 1990s proved not so kind, however; the team failed to make the playoffs even once. That ineptitude came to a prompt halt with the start of the new millennium, when, under a fresh and outspoken ownership regime, the team set off a string of 12 straight playoff appearances, highlighted by its first NBA title in 2011.