League
League
Around the world basketball is becoming more popular year by year, and the National Basketball Association is very much responsible for this explosion. According to the International Basketball Federation, for the ages of 14-18 across all genders across the world, basketball is now the most popular sport. That stat may be surprising considering soccer's global network, but shows the impact the NBA has had on this younger generation world wide.
That international reach is now being reflected not only in the NBA's audience, but on their rosters as well. In 1997, only 7.6% of players in the league were born outside of the United States. At the beginning of the 2015 season that number had risen to 28.6%. The league is now reaching into a more diverse pot of players than every before, and the quality of play is as high as it has ever been because of this.
Internally, over the past 16 years the NBA Development League has grown into a 22 team "minor" league. With affiliations to a specific franchise, their lies an ability to send younger players back and forth to gain experience, or injured players for rehabilitation purposes. The D-League has plans to expand so that all 30 NBA franchises have their own D-League affiliate.
In 2004, the NBA reached its current number of teams when it expanded to include its 30th franchise. The league is split into two conferences with 15 teams in each the Eastern and Western Conferences. Furthermore, each conference is divided into 3 divisions of 5 teams based on geographic proximity. Each team plays an 82-game schedule from October to April. The eight teams with the best record in each respective conference goes on to play in the playoffs.
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Each of these teams has it's own unique history of ownership, rosters, even uniforms and team branding.
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Use the links below to explore and learn about all 30 teams!
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has considered further expansion, but maintaining league quality keeps cities like Seattle and Las Vegas from obtaining franchises.
History
History
"The NBA began life as the Basketball Association of America in 1946 and played under that moniker for 3 years before, in 1949, merging with the National Basketball League and changing names to the NBA. The BAA started out with 11 teams in 1946 but lose four of them before the start of the next season. Despite the loss of four teams the BAA was having a lot of success against its rival the NBL and was able to entice four of the NBL's premier franchises to join the BAA in 1948.
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When the two leagues merged in 1949 it brought the total number of teams to 16 but the new league would quickly start losing teams. After just six years the number of teams had dropped to just 8. Financial troubles plagued the league from the start and this was especially true for the NBL teams that joined during the merger due to them being in smaller seasons. The owner of the Fort Wayne Pistons, a former NBL team, named Frank Zollner was key in keeping the NBA financially afloat during this time.
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The NBA continued with 8 teams from 1955 until 1961 when the Chicago Packers joined the league. The Packers, now the Washington Wizards, are not considered to be the first expansion team, that distinction goes to the Chicago Bulls because the Bulls, who joined in 1966, had an actual expansion draft. From 1966 until 2004 the league seen an expansion boom with a total of 21 teams joining the league.
The NBA has always been a league that was dominated by what some historians have called "teams of the era". The early decades of the NBA were dominated the Minneapolis Lakers and their star George Mikan. From 1948 until 1954 the Lakers won 5 NBA championships. From 1957 until 1969 the Boston Celtics won 11 championships in 13 seasons and the 1980s was dominated by the Lakers and Celtics who combined to win 8 of the 10 titles during that decade. The 1990s saw the rise of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls; who would capture 6 titles during the decade. The 2000s saw the Lakers again being dominate winning 5 titles during the decade. Only the 1970s and 2010s, as of today, did not see a franchise win at least 4 NBA titles.
In the 1960s as the NBA was going through a growth spurt by adding new teams, a rival spring up to challenge it in the ABA. The ABA would last from 1967 until 1976 when it merged with the NBA.
The 1980s saw the league and the game of basketball grow tremendously and a lot of that had to do with the rivalry of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The two have become the definition of what a rivalry is supposed to be and their teams would dominate the decade. Because of this rivalry a lot of interest grew in the America about the NBA and the first major TV deals started to be signed as well as another wave of expansion.
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The 1990s saw the age of Jordan. No person in team sports perhaps has had such an impact that extended out side of the game. Jordan became the NBA and perhaps even bigger than the league. Had it not been for a two year retirement Jordan may have won 8 maybe 10 NBA titles.
The post Jordan NBA seen an increase in international players joining the NBA. The 2000s were truly an international league as players from every corner of the globe started joining the NBA and many of them, such as Dirk Nowitzki, started to find success in the league.
Now half way through the 2010s there are a lot of possibilities as to what direction the NBA could go. How big of a legacy will LeBron James have? What new locations will the NBA be in during the next 5 years? and what new legends have yet to set foot on an NBA court? Only time will tell."
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George Mikan averaged 31 points per game in the 1950 NBA Playoffs, leading the Minneapolis Lakers to the NBA's first championship.
Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan won five and six championships during their respective careers.
Welcome,
This is an interactive website about the National Basketball Association.
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The NBA was established in 1946, and is now one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America. It is the premier league for basketball and hosts some of the best and unique athletes in the world. This website will help provide a history on the league's deep roots as well as a self guided walk through of every single franchise.
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Use the menu to jump section to section, or scroll freely as you please.
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Enjoy!
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver has considered further expansion, but maintaining league quality keeps cities like Seattle and Las Vegas from obtaining franchises.
