6 Long-lost franchises the NBA needs to breathe life back into

2) Cincinnati Royals

Unlike most of the teams on this list, the Cincinnati Royals technically still exist with the Sacramento Kings. Even still, few NBA fans even remember that era since it lasted from 1957 until 1972. 15 seasons is longer than most of these forgotten teams got and none can say that they had a player as great as Hall of Famer Oscar Robinson.

Robinson played 10 seasons in Cincinnati, was their best player during that entire run, and even led them to six straight playoff appearances during his time with the team. However, his strong play and their on-court success didn't help them stay in Cincinnati. Instead, they moved to Kansas City and eventually to Sacramento.

With the NBA considering expansion, adding another team in Ohio makes sense. After all, both the NFL and MLB have teams in both Cincinnati and Cleveland, with the Bengals and Browns and the Reds and Guardians, respectively. Few states can say that they are big enough to support two franchises in two of the three biggest sports leagues in North America, but Ohio can, which makes it strange that the NBA hasn't returned.

The NBA has the Cavaliers, who, after an ugly start to their franchise, have become one of the most successful small-market teams in league history. Even then, the small market is relative. Ohio has more than 11 million people, the seventh-biggest state by population and Cleveland and Cincinnati have almost identical population sizes of around 1.7 million. Thus, Cincinatti can definitely support another NBA team.