National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the world's premier men's basketball league. It has 30 teams; 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. It is an active member of USA Basketball, which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation as the National Governing Body (NGB) for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues.

The league was founded in New York City, on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in the Autumn of 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League (United States). The league's several international and individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower (New York) at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City.

History

1940s: BAA & NBL merge to include 17 teams

The Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by the owners of the major sports arenas in the Northeast and Midwest United States, most notably Madison Square Garden in New York City. Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues, including the American Basketball League (1925-1955) and the National Basketball League (United States), 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 1947 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won its 1948 title, followed by the 1948 National Basketball League champion Minneapolis Lakers who won the 1949 BAA title. On November 1, 1946, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers, which the NBA now regards as the first game played in the league's history.

On August 3, 1949, the BAA agreed to merge with the National Basketball League, expanding the National Basketball Association to seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities, as well as large arenas and smaller gymnasiums. In 1950, the NBA consolidated to eleven franchises, a process that continued until 1954, when the league reached its smallest size of eight franchises, all of which are still in the league: New York Knickerbockers, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Royals/Kings, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and Philadelphia Nationals/76ers.

1950s: diversity, 24-second shot clock introduced

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 with the addition of African American players by several teams including Chuck Cooper with the Boston Celtics, Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton with the New York Knicks, and Earl Lloyd with the Washington Capitols. Today, more than fifty years later, the NBA is made up of players of many different races, with diverse backgrounds and cultures. Over 80% of NBA players today are African American, with many international players joining the league since around 2000.

During this period, the Los Angeles Lakers/Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Finals Championships and established themselves as the league's first sports dynasty.

In order to encourage shooting and discourage stalling, the league introduced the 24-second shot clock in 1954. If a team does not attempt to score a field goal within 24 seconds of obtaining the ball, play is stopped and the ball is given back to its opponent.

In 1956, rookie center Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics, who already featured guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach. Russell went on to lead the club to eleven NBA titles in thirteen seasons. Center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league in 1959 and became the dominant individual star of the 1960s, setting new records in scoring (100) and rebounding (55). Russell's rivalry with Chamberlain became one of the great individual rivalries in the history of team sports.

1960s: ABA forms competing league

Through this period, the NBA continued to strengthen with the shift of the Minneapolis Lakers to Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco, and the Syracuse Nationals to Philadelphia, as well as the addition of its first expansion franchises.

In 1967, the league faced a new external threat with the formation of the American Basketball Association. The leagues engaged in a bidding war for talent. The NBA landed the most important college star of the era, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), who together with Oscar Robertson led the Milwaukee Bucks to a title in his second season, and who later played on five Los Angeles Lakers' championship teams.

However, the NBA's leading scorer, Rick Barry jumped to the ABA, as did four veteran referees–Norm Drucker, Earl Strom, John Vanak, and Joe Gushue.

1970s: agreement with ABA expands league to 22 teams

The ABA also succeeded in signing a number of major stars, including Julius Erving. The NBA expanded rapidly during this period, one purpose being to tie up the most viable cities. Following the 1976 season, the leagues reached a settlement that provided for the addition of four ABA franchises to the NBA, raising the number of franchises in the league at that time to 22.

The league added the ABA's innovative three-point field goal beginning in 1979 to open up the game. That same year, rookies Larry Bird and Magic Johnson joined the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers respectively, continuing a rivalry that began when the two played in the 1979 NCAA Basketball Finals, sparking a period of significant growth in fan interest in the NBA throughout the country and the world. Bird went on to lead the Celtics to three NBA titles, and Johnson went on to lead the Lakers to five.

1980s: 27 teams

Michael Jordan entered the league in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls, providing an even more popular star to support growing interest in the league. By 1989, further expansion had raised the number of teams in the league to 27. During the 1990s, Jordan led Bulls to six titles (1991-1993 and 1996-1998).

1990s: globalization; WNBA created

Globalization also increased in the 1990s. The 1992 Summer Olympics basketball Dream Team, the first to use current NBA stars, featured Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. A growing number of NBA star players also began coming from other countries. Initially, many of these players, such as 1994 NBA Most Valuable Player Award Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria, first played NCAA basketball to enhance their skills. An increasing number, though, have moved directly from playing elsewhere in the world to starring in the NBA, such as 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and 2006 FIBA World Championship MVP Pau Gasol of Spain, first pick in the 2002 NBA Draft Yao Ming of China, 2002 FIBA World Championship and Eurobasket 2005 MVP and NBA 2007 MVP Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, and 2004 Summer Olympics Tournament MVP Manu Ginobili of Argentina. The NBA is now televised in 212 nations in 42 languages. In 1996, the NBA created a women's league, the Women's National Basketball Association, and in 2001 created an affiliated minor league, called the National Basketball Development League. In 1998, the NBA owners began a lockout which lasted 191-days and was settled on January 18 1999. As a result of this lockout the 1998-99 NBA season was reduced from 82 to 50 games, which were all played in early 1999.

2000s: 30 franchises; synthetic ball attempted

Today, the NBA has reached 30 franchises and continues to evolve as one of the premier sports leagues in the world.

On June 29, 2006, a new official game ball was introduced for the 2006-07 season, marking the first change to the ball in over 35 years and only the second in 60 seasons. Manufactured by Spalding, the new ball featured a new design and new synthetic material that Spalding claimed offered a better grip, feel, and consistency than the original ball. However, many players were vocal in their disdain for the new ball, saying that it was too sticky when dry, and too slippery when wet.

On December 11, 2006, Commissioner Stern announced that beginning January 1, 2007, the NBA would return to the traditional leather basketball in use prior to the 2006-2007 season. The change was influenced by frequent player complaints and confirmed hand injuries (cuts) caused by the microfiber ball. The NBA Players Association had filed a suit in behalf of the players against the NBA over the new ball. As of 2006, the NBA team jerseys are manufactured by Adidas, which purchased the previous supplier, Reebok.

The end of the 1990's and this decade thus far have been a stage for utter domination by two teams: the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers sandwiched their three peat in between Spurs' titles in 1999 and 2003. The Spurs have since won in 2005 and again in 2007.

Teams

The National Basketball Association originated in 1946 with 11 teams. Through a sequence of team expansions, reductions, and relocations, the NBA currently consists of 30 teams. The United States is home to 29 teams and one is located in Canada (Toronto Raptors). The Boston Celtics have won the most championships, with 16 NBA Finals wins. The next most successful franchise is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have 14 championships. Following the Lakers are the Chicago Bulls with 6 championships, all of them won over an 8-year span during the 1990s. The San Antonio Spurs, who have won 4 championships since 1999, are the defending champions.

The current league organization divides the teams into two conferences. Each conference has three divisions, and each division has five teams. The current divisional alignment was introduced in the 2004-05 NBA season.

Eastern Conference

Division	Team	City	Colors	Arena	Founded
Atlantic Division	Boston Celtics	Boston, Massachusetts	Green and White	TD Banknorth Garden	1946
	New Jersey Nets	East Rutherford, New Jersey	Midnight Blue, Red, Silver	Continental Airlines Arena	1967*
	New York Knicks	New York, New York	Blue, Black, Orange	Madison Square Garden	1946
	Philadelphia 76ers	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Black, Red, Gold, Blue	Wachovia Center	1939*
	Toronto Raptors	Toronto, Ontario	Purple,Red,Black,Silver,White	Air Canada Centre	1995
Central Division	Chicago Bulls	Chicago, Illinois	Red, Black, White	United Center	1966
	Cleveland Cavaliers	Cleveland, Ohio	Wine, Gold, Navy Blue, White	Quicken Loans Arena	1970
	Detroit Pistons	Auburn Hills, Michigan	Blue, Red, White	The Palace of Auburn Hills	1941*
	Indiana Pacers	Indianapolis, Indiana	Navy Blue, Gold, Gray	Conseco Fieldhouse	1967
	Milwaukee Bucks	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Green, Red, Silver	Bradley Center	1968
Southeast Division	Atlanta Hawks	Atlanta, Georgia	Navy Blue, Red, Silver	Philips Arena	1946*
	Charlotte Bobcats	Charlotte, North Carolina	Orange, Blue, Black, Silver	Charlotte Bobcats Arena	2004
	Miami Heat	Miami, Florida	Black, Red, White, Yellow	AmericanAirlines Arena	1988
	Orlando Magic	Orlando, Florida	White, Blue, Black	Amway Arena	1989
	Washington Wizards	Washington, D.C.	Blue, Black, Bronze	Verizon Center	1961*

Western Conference

Division	Team	City	Colors	Arena	Founded
Southwest Division	Dallas Mavericks	Dallas, Texas	Navy Blue, Royal Blue, Silver, Green	American Airlines Center	1980
	Houston Rockets	Houston, Texas	Red, White, Silver, Black	Toyota Center	1967*
	Memphis Grizzlies	Memphis, Tennessee	Navy Blue, Light Blue, Smoke Blue, Gold	FedExForum	1995*
	New Orleans Hornets	New Orleans, Louisiana	Teal, Purple, Gold	New Orleans Arena	1988*
	San Antonio Spurs	San Antonio, Texas	Black, Silver	AT&T Center	1967*
Northwest Division	Denver Nuggets	Denver, Colorado	Light Blue, Gold, Cobalt Blue	Pepsi Center	1967
	Minnesota Timberwolves	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Forest Green, Black, Tan, Green	Target Center	1989
	Portland Trail Blazers	Portland, Oregon	Black, Red, Silver	Rose Garden Arena	1970
	Seattle SuperSonics	Seattle, Washington	Green, Gold	KeyArena	1967
	Utah Jazz	Salt Lake City, Utah	Navy Blue, Ice Blue, Silver	EnergySolutions Arena	1974*
Pacific Division	Golden State Warriors	Oakland, California	Navy Blue, Orange, Gold	Oracle Arena	1946*
	Los Angeles Clippers	Los Angeles, California	Red, Blue, White	Staples Center	1970*
	Los Angeles Lakers	Los Angeles, California	Purple, Gold, White	Staples Center	1946*
	Phoenix Suns	Phoenix, Arizona	Purple, Orange, Gray	US Airways Center	1968
	Sacramento Kings	Sacramento, California	Purple, Black, Silver, White, Gold	ARCO Arena	1945*

Notes:

• An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.
• The Fort Wayne Pistons, Minneapolis Lakers and Rochester Royals all joined the NBA (BAA) in 1948 from the NBL.
• The Syracuse Nationals and Tri-Cities Blackhawks joined the NBA in 1949 as part of the BAA-NBL merger.
• The Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, and Denver Nuggets all joined the NBA in 1976 as part of the NBA-ABA merger.
• Due to arena damages caused by Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Hornets played most of their 2005-06 home schedule in Oklahoma City. They did the same for the 2006-07 season. The NBA and the Hornets organization have announced that the team will be returning to New Orleans on a full-time basis for the upcoming 2007-08 season. The 2008 All Star game will be held in New Orleans as well.

Regular season

Following the summer break, teams hold training camps in October. Training camps allow the coaching staff to evaluate players, particularly rookies, scout the team's strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the rigorous regular season, and determine the 12-man active roster (and a 3-man inactive list) with which they will begin the regular season. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held. The NBA regular season begins in the first week of November.

In the regular season, each team plays 82 games, which are divided evenly between home and away games. A team faces opponents in its own division four times a year, teams from the other two divisions in its conference either three or four times, and teams in the other conference twice apiece. A team can therefore have a relatively easy or difficult schedule, depending on the division and conference it is located in.

Milwaukee Bucks playing the Charlotte Bobcats.

In February, the regular season is at its halfway point, the time to celebrate the annual National Basketball Association All-Star Game. Fans vote throughout the United States, Canada, and on the internet, and the top vote-getters at each position in each conference are given a starting spot on their conference's All-Star team. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. Then, Eastern conference players face the Western conference players in the All-Star game. The player with the best performance during the game is rewarded with a Game MVP award. Other attractions of the All-Star break include the Rookie Challenge game, which pits the best rookies and the best second-year players against each other; the Skills Challenge, a competition between players to see who could complete an obstacle course comprising shooting, passing and dribbling in the fastest time; the Three Point Contest, a competition between players to see who is the best three-point shooter; and the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, to see which player dunks the ball in the most entertaining way. These other attractions have varying names which include the names of the various sponsors who have paid for naming rights.

Shortly after the All-Star break is the league's trade deadline. After this date, teams are not allowed to exchange players with each other for the remainder of the season, although they may still sign and release players. Major trades are often completed right before the trading deadline, making that period proves a hectic time for general managers.

Around the end of April, the regular season ends. It is during this time that voting begins for individual awards, as well as the selection of the honorary league-wide postseason teams. The NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award is given to the best player coming off the bench (not starting for his team). The NBA Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding first-year player. The NBA Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the player who is deemed to have shown the most improvement from the previous season. The NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. The NBA Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team. The NBA Most Valuable Player Award is given to a player deemed the most valuable for (his team) that season. Additionally, The Sporting News awards an unofficial (but widely recognized) NBA Executive of the Year Award to the general manager who is adjudged to have performed the best job for the benefit of his franchise.

The honorary teams at season end are the All-NBA Teams, the All-Defensive Teams, and the All-Rookie Teams; each consists of five players. There are three All-NBA teams, consisting of the top players at each position, with first-team status being most desirable. There are two All-Defensive teams, consisting of the top defenders at each position. There are also two All-Rookie teams, consisting of the top first-year players regardless of position.

Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs begin in late April, with eight teams in each conference qualifying for the playoffs. The three division winners, along with the team with the next best record from the conference are given the top four seeds. The next four teams in terms of record are given the lower four seeds.

Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Since the first seed plays the eighth seed, the second seed plays the seventh seed, the third seed plays the sixth seed, and the fourth seed plays the fifth seed in the playoffs, having a higher seed generally means you will be facing a weaker team. The team, in each series, with the better record has home court advantage, including the First Round. This means that, for example, if the team who receives the 6 (six) seed has a better record than the team with the 3 (three) seed (by virtue of a divisional championship), the 6 seed would have home court advantage, even though the other team has a higher seed. Therefore, the team with the best regular season record in the league is guaranteed home court advantage in every series it plays.

The playoffs follow a tournament format. Each team plays a rival in a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four games advancing into the next round, while the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. In the next round, the successful team plays against another advancing team of the same conference. Thus, all but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Since the NBA does not re-seed teams, the playoff bracket in each conference uses a traditional design, with the winner of the series matching the 1st and 8th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 4th and 5th seeded teams, and the winner of the series matching the 2nd and 7th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 3rd and 6th seeded teams. In every round except the NBA Finals, the best of seven series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3, 4, and 6. For the final round (NBA Finals), the series follows a 2-3-2 pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 6, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3-5.

The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the NBA Finals, and is held annually in June. The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor — including coaches and the general manager — on the winning team receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards an NBA Finals MVP Award, which nearly always goes to a member of the winning team, though not by rule.

On August 2, 2006, the NBA announced the new playoff format. The new format takes the three division winners and the second-place team with the best record and rank them 1-4 by record. The other 4 slots are filled by best record. Naturally, the playoffs are the most exciting portion of the grueling NBA season and are a must-watch for all NBA fans and casual sports fans.

Championship leaders

Team	Championships	Winning years
Boston Celtics	16	1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986
Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers	14	1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002
Chicago Bulls	6	1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
San Antonio Spurs	4	1999, 2003, 2005, 2007
Philadelphia/Golden State Warriors	3	1947, 1956, 1975
Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers	3	1955, 1967, 1983
Detroit Pistons	3	1989, 1990, 2004
New York Knicks	2	1970, 1973
Houston Rockets	2	1994, 1995
Baltimore Bullets (original)	1	1948
Rochester Royals/Sacramento Kings	1	1951
St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks	1	1958
Milwaukee Bucks	1	1971
Portland Trail Blazers	1	1977
Washington Bullets/Wizards	1	1978
Seattle SuperSonics	1	1979
Miami Heat	1	2006

Presidents and commissioners

• Maurice Podoloff, President from 1946 to 1963
• Walter Kennedy (NBA)|Walter Kennedy, President from 1963 to 1967 and Commissioner from 1967 to 1975
• Larry O'Brien, Commissioner from 1975 to 1984
• David Stern, Commissioner since 1984

Awards

• NBA Most Valuable Player Award
• NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
• NBA Rookie of the Year Award
• NBA Most Improved Player Award
• NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
• NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award
• NBA Coach of the Year Award
• All-NBA Team
• NBA All-Defensive Team
• J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Connie Kirchberg, Hoop lore : a history of the National Basketball Association, Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, 2007, ISBN: 9780786426737 078642673X
• Bill Bradley, Values of the Game, New York, New York: Artisan (A Division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc.),1998 ISBN 1-57965-116-X
• Dave Ominsky and P.J. Harari,Basketball Made Simple, A Spectator's Guide, 1998,1994 First Base Sports, Inc., Los Angeles, California,ISBN 1-884309-07-0
• National Basketball Association Home Retrieved July 08, 2007

External links

• NBA.com Official PC/Mac Site
• NBA.mobi Official Mobile Site
• National Basketball Players Association
• NBRA NBA Referees
• Internationalistreview.com Article by the Internationalist Review on race issues in the NBA
• The 2007 NBA League Schedule The 2007 NBA League Schedule

1. REDIRECT Template:Break

National Basketball Association (2007-08)
Western Conference			Eastern Conference
Northwest	Pacific	Southwest	Atlantic	Central	Southeast
Denver Nuggets	Golden State Warriors	Dallas Mavericks	Boston Celtics	Chicago Bulls	Atlanta Hawks
Minnesota Timberwolves	Los Angeles Clippers	Houston Rockets	New Jersey Nets	Cleveland Cavaliers	Charlotte Bobcats
Portland Trail Blazers	Los Angeles Lakers	Memphis Grizzlies	New York Knicks	Detroit Pistons	Miami Heat
Seattle SuperSonics	Phoenix Suns	New Orleans Hornets	Philadelphia 76ers	Indiana Pacers	Orlando Magic
Utah Jazz	Sacramento Kings	San Antonio Spurs	Toronto Raptors	Milwaukee Bucks	Washington Wizards
Miscellaneous
Annual events: Playoffs - Finals - All-Star Game - All-Star Weekend - Rookie Challenge - Three-point Shootout - Skills Challenge - Shooting Stars Competition - Slam Dunk Contest - Draft
Other: Current team rosters - Midwest Division - Dress code - Salary Cap - Arenas - D-League - WNBA - WNBA Finals - Europe Live Tour - Larry O'Brien Trophy - Finals MVP - 50 Greatest Players

International basketball
FIBA | Olympic Tournament | World Championship (men) - (women) | Teams by Country | Players | Leagues | World Under-21 Championship (men) - (women) | World under 19 Championship (men) - (women)
Africa: FIBA Africa – Africa Championship      Americas: FIBA Americas – Americas Championship      Asia: FIBA Asia – Asian Championship      Europe: FIBA Europe – Eurobasket      Oceania: FIBA Oceania – Oceania Championship
Men's professional basketball leagues
FIBA | National Basketball Association | Other leagues Americas: Liga Sudamericana | Argentina | Brazil | Chile | Mexico | Paraguay | Puerto Rico | Uruguay | Venezuela U.S. developmental leagues: ABA | CBA | D-League | EBA | IBL | PBL | United BL | USBL | Universal BL | WBA Europe: Euroleague | ULEB Cup | Adriatic League | Austria | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Croatia | Cyprus | Finland | France | Germany | Greece | Israel | Italy | Lithuania | Montenegro | Norway | Poland | Portugal | Romania | Russia | Serbia | Slovenia | Spain | Sweden | Turkey | Ukraine | United Kingdom - England - Scotland Asia: Asia Champions Cup | China | Japan | Korea | Philippines | Taiwan Oceania: Australia | New Zealand Africa: Africa Cup for Clubs

Template:CopyrightAlliance

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