Information about the National Basketball Association (NBA)

"NBA" redirects here. For other uses, see NBA (disambiguation).

National Basketball Association (NBA)

Current season or competition:

2013 NBA Finals

Sport Basketball

Founded June 6, 1946 (as BAA),

New York City, New York, United States

Commissioner David Stern

Motto Where Amazing Happens

Inaugural season 1946–47

No. of teams 30

Country(ies) United States (29 teams)

Canada (1 team)

Continent FIBA Americas

Most recent champion(s) Miami Heat (2nd title)

Most titles Boston Celtics (17 titles)

TV partner(s) ABC/ESPN

NBA TV

TNT

Official website www.NBA.com

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league and one of the Big Four major sports leagues in North America. With thirty franchised member clubs (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada), the NBA is widely considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. It is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB),[1] which is recognized by FIBA (also known as the International Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues. NBA players are the world's best paid sportsmen, by average annual salary per player.[2]

The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[3] The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in 1949 after absorbing the rival National Basketball League (NBL). The league's several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Contents [hide]

1 History

1.1 Creation and merger

1.2 Celtics' dominance, league expansion, and competition

1.3 Surging popularity

1.4 Modern era

1.5 International influence

1.6 Other developments

2 Teams

3 Regular season

4 Playoffs

5 League championships

6 International competitions

7 Ticket prices

8 Notable people

8.1 Presidents and commissioners

8.2 Players

8.3 Coaches

9 Awards

10 See also

11 References

12 Further reading

13 External links

History

Creation and merger

Main article: Basketball Association of America

The Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, in a game the NBA now regards as the first played in its history.[4] Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues, including the American Basketball League and the NBL, the BAA was the first league to attempt to play primarily in large arenas in major cities. During its early years, the quality of play in the BAA was not significantly better than in competing leagues or among leading independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters. For instance, the 1948 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won that league's 1948 title, and the 1948 NBL champion Minneapolis Lakers won the 1949 BAA title.

The headquarters of the National Basketball Association in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA.[5]

On August 3, 1949, the BAA agreed to absorb the NBL, creating the new National Basketball Association.[6] The new league had seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities,[6] as well as large arenas and smaller gymnasiums and armories. In 1950, the NBA consolidated to eleven franchises, a process that continued until 1953–54, when the league reached its smallest size of eight franchises, all of which are still in the league (the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Royals/Kings, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and Nationals/76ers). The process of contraction saw the league's smaller-city franchises move to larger cities. The Hawks shifted from "Tri-Cities" (the area now known as the Quad Cities) to Milwaukee (in 1951) and then to St. Louis, Missouri (in 1955); the Royals from Rochester, New York to Cincinnati (in 1957); and the Pistons from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Detroit (in 1957).

Although Japanese-American Wataru Misaka technically broke the NBA color barrier in the 1947–48 season when he played for the New York Knicks, 1950 is recognized as the year the NBA integrated. On April 26, 1950, Harold Hunter signed with the Washington Capitols, becoming the first African American to sign a contract with any NBA team in history.[7][8] Hunter was cut from the team during training camp,[7][9] but several African American players did play in the league later that year, including Chuck Cooper with the Celtics, Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton with the Knicks, and Earl Lloyd with the Washington Capitols. During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships and established themselves as the league's first dynasty.[10] To encourage shooting and discourage stalling, the league introduced the 24-second shot clock in 1954.[11] If a team does not attempt to score a field goal (or the ball fails to make contact with the rim) within 24 seconds of obtaining the ball, play is stopped and the ball given to its opponent.

Celtics' dominance, league expansion, and competition

In 1957, rookie center Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics, who already featured guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, and went on to lead the club to eleven NBA titles in thirteen seasons. Center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league with the Warriors in 1959 and became a dominant individual star of the 1960s, setting new single game records in scoring (100) and rebounding (55). Russell's rivalry with Chamberlain became one of the greatest in the history of American team sports.

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