National Basketball Association

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

National Basketball Association

Upcoming season or competition:

 2022–23 NBA season

Sport Basketball

Founded June 6, 1946; 76 years ago

(as BAA),
New York City, New York, U.S.[1]

Inaugural season 1946–47

Commissioner Adam Silver

No. of teams 30

Countries United States (29 teams)

Canada (1 team)

Headquarters 645 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY, 10022

U.S.[2]
 Most recent Golden State Warriors

champion(s) (7th title)

Most titles Boston Celtics

Los Angeles Lakers

(17 each)

United States:
TV partner(s)
ABC/ESPN

TNT

NBA TV

Canada:

TSN/TSN2

Sportsnet/Sportsnet One

NBA TV Canada

International:

Broadcasters

Official website nba.com

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in

North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1
in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States
and Canada. It is the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. [3]
The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball
Association of America (BAA).[1] It changed its name to the National Basketball
Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with the competing National Basketball
League (NBL).[4] In 1976, the NBA and the American Basketball
Association (ABA) merged, adding four franchises to the NBA. The NBA's regular
season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. The
league's playoff tournament extends into June. As of 2020, NBA players are the
world's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player. [5][6][7]
The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB),[8] which is recognized by
the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for
basketball in the United States. The league's several international as well as
individual team offices are directed out of its head offices in Midtown Manhattan,
while its NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located
in Secaucus, New Jersey. In North America, the NBA is the third
wealthiest professional sport league after the National Football League (NFL)
and Major League Baseball (MLB) by revenue, and among the top four in the world.[9]
The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are tied with the most NBA
championships at 17 each. The Golden State Warriors are the defending league
champions, as they defeated the Boston Celtics 4–2 in the 2022 NBA Finals.
 Contents

 1History
o 1.1Creation and BAA–NBL merger (1946–1956)
o 1.2Celtics' dominance, league expansion and competition (1956–1979)
o 1.3Surging popularity (1979–1998)
o 1.4Lakers' and Spurs' dynasties (1998–2014)
o 1.5Recent years (2014–present)
o 1.6International influence
o 1.7Other developments
 2Teams
 3Regular season
 4Playoffs
 5Championships
 6Media coverage
 7International competitions
 8Ticket prices and viewership demographics
o 8.1Viewership demographics
 9Controversies and criticism
 10Notable people
o 10.1Presidents and commissioners
o 10.2Players
o 10.3Foreign players
 10.3.1International influence
o 10.4Coaches
 11NBA Cares
 12See also
 13References
 14Further reading
 15External links

History
Creation and BAA–NBL merger (1946–1956)
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 refers to as the first game played in NBA history. [10] The first basket was
made by Ossie Schectman of the Knickerbockers. 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. Prior to the 1948–49 season,
however, NBL teams from Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Rochester
jumped to the BAA, which established the BAA as the league of choice for collegians
looking to turn professional.[11]
On August 3, 1949, the remaining NBL teams–Syracuse, Anderson, Tri-Cities,
Sheboygan, Denver, and Waterloo–merged into the BAA. In deference to the merger
and to avoid possible legal complications, the league name was changed to the
present National Basketball Association, even though the merged league retained
the BAA's governing body, including Maurice Podoloff as president.[11] To this day, the
NBA claims the BAA's history as its own. It now reckons the arrival of the NBL teams
as an expansion, not a merger, and does not recognize NBL records and statistics. [12]
The new league had seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities,
[13]
 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: the New York Knicks, Boston
Celtics, Philadelphia Warriors, Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals, Fort Wayne
Pistons, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and Syracuse Nationals, all of which remain in the
league today, although the latter six all did eventually relocate. The process of
contraction saw the league's smaller-city franchises move to larger cities. The Hawks
shifted from the Tri-Cities to Milwaukee in 1951, and then to St. Louis in 1955. The
Rochester Royals moved from Rochester, New York, to Cincinnati in 1957 and the
Pistons moved from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Detroit in 1957.
Japanese-American Wataru Misaka broke the NBA color barrier in the 1947–48
season when he played for the New York Knicks. He remained the only non-white
player in league history prior to the first African-American, Harold Hunter, signing with
the Washington Capitols in 1950.[14][15] Hunter was cut from the team during training
camp,[14][16] 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.[17] To encourage shooting and
discourage stalling, the league introduced the 24-second shot clock in 1954.[18] 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 (1956–
1979)
In 1957, rookie center Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics, which already featured
guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, and went on to lead the franchise 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 rivalries in the history of American team
sports.
Bill Russell defending against Wilt Chamberlain in 1966.

The 1960s were dominated by the Celtics. Led by Russell, Cousy, and Auerbach,
Boston won eight straight championships in the NBA from 1959 to 1966. This
championship streak is the longest in NBA history. They did not win the title in 1966–
67, but regained it in the 1967–68 season and repeated in 1969. The domination
totaled nine of the ten championship banners of the 1960s. [19]
Through this period, the NBA continued to evolve with the shift of the Minneapolis
Lakers to Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco, the Syracuse
Nationals to Philadelphia to become the Philadelphia 76ers, and the St. Louis
Hawks moving to Atlanta, as well as the addition of its first expansion franchises. The
Chicago Packers (now Washington Wizards) became the ninth NBA team in 1961.
From 1966 to 1968, the league expanded from 9 to 14 teams, introducing
the Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder), San Diego
Rockets (who moved to Houston four years later), Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix
Suns.
In 1967, the league faced a new external threat with the formation of the American
Basketball Association (ABA). The leagues engaged in a bidding war. The NBA
landed the most important college star of the era, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known
as Lew Alcindor). 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.[20]
In 1969, Alan Siegel, who oversaw the design of Jerry Dior's Major League Baseball
logo a year prior, created the modern NBA logo inspired by the MLB's. It incorporates
the silhouette of Jerry West, based on a photo by Wen Roberts. The NBA would not
confirm that a particular player was used because, according to Siegel, "They want to
institutionalize it rather than individualize it. It's become such a ubiquitous, classic
symbol and focal point of their identity and their licensing program that they don't
necessarily want to identify it with one player." The iconic logo debuted in 1971 (with
a small change to the typeface on the NBA wordmark in 2017) and would remain a
fixture of the NBA brand.[21][22]
The ABA succeeded in signing a number of major stars in the 1970s, including Julius
Erving of the Virginia Squires, in part because it allowed teams to sign college
undergraduates. The NBA expanded rapidly during this period. From 1966 to 1974,
the NBA grew from nine franchises to 18. In 1970, the Portland Trail
Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers) all
made their debuts expanding the league to 17. [23] The New Orleans Jazz (now
in Utah) came aboard in 1974 bringing the total to 18. 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
franchises added were the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers,
and New York Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets). Some of the biggest stars of this era
were Abdul-Jabbar, Barry, Dave Cowens, Erving, Elvin Hayes, Walt Frazier, Moses
Malone, Artis Gilmore, George Gervin, Dan Issel, and Pete Maravich. The end of the
decade, however, saw declining TV ratings, low attendance and drug-related player
issues – both perceived and real – that threatened to derail the league.
Surging popularity (1979–1998)
The league added the ABA's three-point field goal beginning in 1979.[24] That same
year, rookies Larry Bird and Magic Johnson joined the Boston Celtics and Los
Angeles Lakers respectively, initiating a period of significant growth in fan interest in
the NBA.[25] The two had faced each other in the 1979 NCAA Division I Basketball
Championship Game, and they later played against each other in three NBA Finals
(1984, 1985, and 1987).[25] In the 10 seasons of the 1980s, Johnson led the Lakers to
five titles[26] while Bird led the Celtics to three titles.[27] Also in the early 1980s, the NBA
added one more expansion franchise, the Dallas Mavericks,[28] bringing the total to 23
teams. Later on, Larry Bird won the first three three-point shooting contests. [29] On
February 1, 1984 David Stern became commissioner of the NBA.[30] Stern has been
recognized as playing a major role in the growth of the league during his career. [31][32]

Michael Jordan goes to the basket for a slam dunk in 1987.

Michael Jordan entered the league in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls, spurring more
interest in the league.[33] In 1988 and 1989, four cities got their wishes as the Charlotte
Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves made their NBA
debuts, bringing the total to 27 teams.[34] The Detroit Pistons won the back-to-back
NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990, led by coach Chuck Daly and guard Isiah
Thomas.[35] Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to two three-peats in eight years
during the 1991–1998 seasons.[36][37] Hakeem Olajuwon won back-to-back titles with
the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995.[38]
The 1992 Olympic basketball Dream Team, the first to use current NBA stars,
featured Michael Jordan as the anchor, along with Bird, Johnson, David
Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, John
Stockton, Chris Mullin, Charles Barkley, and star NCAA amateur Christian Laettner.
[39]
 The team was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, while 11
of the 12 players (along with three out of four coaches) have been inducted as
individuals in their own right.[40] In 1995, the NBA expanded to Canada with the
addition of the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors.[41][42] In 1996, the NBA
created a women's league, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[43]
Lakers' and Spurs' dynasties (1998–2014)
In 1998, the NBA owners began a lockout that suspended all league business until a
new labor agreement could be reached, which led to the season being shortened in
half.[44][45] The San Antonio Spurs won the championship at the end of the 1998–99
season, becoming the first former ABA team to win the NBA championship. [46]
After the breakup of the Chicago Bulls championship roster in the summer of 1998,
the Western Conference has dominated. The Los Angeles Lakers of coach Phil
Jackson and the San Antonio Spurs of Gregg Popovich combined to make 13 Finals
in 16 seasons, with 10 titles. Tim Duncan and David Robinson won the 1999
championship with the Spurs, and Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant started the
2000s with three consecutive championships for the Lakers. The Spurs reclaimed the
title in 2003 against the Nets. In 2004, the Lakers returned to the Finals, only to lose
in five games to the Detroit Pistons.
The league's image was marred by a violent incident between players and fans in a
November 2004 game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons. In response,
players were suspended for a total of 146 games with $11 million total lost in salary,
and the league tightened security and limited the sale of alcohol.
On May 19, 2005, Commissioner Stern testified before the U.S. House of
Representatives' Committee on Government Reform about the NBA's actions to
combat the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. The NBA
started its drug-testing program in 1983 and substantially improved it in 1999. In the
1999–2000 season, all players were randomly tested during training camp, and all
rookies were additionally tested three more times during the regular season. Of the
nearly 4,200 tests for steroids and performance-enhancing drugs conducted over six
seasons, only three players were confirmed positive for NBA's drug program, all were
immediately suspended, and as of the time of the testimony, none were playing with
the NBA.[47]
After the Spurs won the championship again in 2005, the 2006 Finals featured two
franchises making their inaugural Finals appearances. The Miami Heat, led by their
star shooting guard, Dwyane Wade, and Shaquille O'Neal, who had been traded from
the Lakers during summer 2004, won the series over the Dallas Mavericks. The
Lakers/Spurs dominance continued in 2007 with a four-game sweep by the Spurs
over the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. The 2008 Finals saw a rematch of
the league's highest profile rivalry, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, with
the Celtics winning, for their 17th championship. The Lakers won back-to-back
championships in 2009 and 2010, against the Orlando Magic and the Celtics.[48]
[49]
 The 2010 NBA All-Star Game was held at Cowboys Stadium in front of the largest
crowd ever, 108,713.[50]
A referee lockout began on September 1, 2009, when the contract between the NBA
and its referees expired. The first preseason games were played on October 1, 2009,
and replacement referees from the WNBA and NBA Development League were
used, the first time replacement referees had been used since the beginning of the
1995–96 season. The NBA and the regular referees reached a deal on October 23,
2009.[51][52]
At the start of the 2010–11 season, free agents LeBron James and Chris
Bosh signed with the Miami Heat, joining Dwyane Wade to form the "Big Three". The
Heat dominated the league, reaching the Finals for four straight years. In 2011, they
faced a re-match with the Dallas Mavericks but lost to the Dirk Nowitzki-led team.
They won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 against the Oklahoma City
Thunder and the Spurs, and lost a re-match to the Spurs in the 2014 Finals.
The 2011–12 season began with another lockout, the league's fourth.[53] After the first
few weeks of the season were canceled, the players and owners ratified a new
collective bargaining agreement on December 8, 2011, setting up a shortened 66-
game season.[54] On February 1, 2014, commissioner David Stern retired after 30
years in the position, and was succeeded by his deputy, Adam Silver.
Recent years (2014–present)

Kobe Bryant defending LeBron James in a February 2016 game between the Los Angeles Lakers and
the Cleveland Cavaliers

After four seasons with the Miami Heat, LeBron James returned to the Cleveland

Cavaliers for the 2014–15 season. He led the team to their second Finals
appearance with the help of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. The Golden State
Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in six games, led by the "Splash Brothers" Stephen
Curry and Klay Thompson. The Cavaliers and the Warriors faced each other in the
Finals a record four consecutive times. In the 2015–16 season, the Warriors finished
the season 73–9, the best season record in NBA history.[55] However, the Cavaliers
overcame a 3–1 deficit in the Finals to win their first championship that season.[56] In
the 2016–17 season, the Warriors benefited from the recruitment of free agent Kevin
Durant. The Warriors won the 2017 and 2018 Finals against the Cavaliers.
After the departure of James in free agency in 2018, the Cavaliers' streak of playoff
and Finals appearances ended. The Warriors returned for a fifth consecutive Finals
appearance in 2019 but lost to the Toronto Raptors, who won their first championship
after acquiring Kawhi Leonard in a trade.[57]
The 2019–20 season was suspended indefinitely on March 11, 2020, due to
the COVID-19 pandemic, after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the
coronavirus.[58][59] On June 4, 2020, the NBA Board of Governors voted to resume the
season in a 22-team format with 8 seeding games per team and a regular playoffs
format, with all games played in a "bubble" in Walt Disney World without any fans
present.[60][61][62]
This era also saw the continuous near year-over-year decline in NBA viewership.
Between 2012 and 2019, the league lost 40 to 45 percent of its viewership. While
some of it can be attributed to "cable-cutting", other professional leagues, like the
NFL and MLB have retained stable viewership demographics. The opening game of
the 2020 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat brought in only
7.41 million viewers to ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That is reportedly
the lowest viewership seen for the Finals since at least 1994, when total viewers
began to be regularly recorded and is a 45 percent decline from game one between
the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors, which had 13.51 million viewers a
year earlier. Some attribute this decline to the political stances the league and its
players are taking, while others consider load management, the uneven talent
distribution between the conferences and the cord-cutting of younger viewers as the
main reason for the decline.[63][64][65][66][67]
International influence
Further information: List of foreign NBA players
Following pioneers like Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Dražen Petrović (Croatia) who
joined the NBA in the late 1980s, an increasing number of international players have
moved directly from playing elsewhere in the world to starring in the NBA. Since
2006, the NBA has faced EuroLeague teams in exhibition matches in the NBA
Europe Live Tour, and since 2009, in the EuroLeague American Tour. The 2013–14
season opened with a record 92 international players on the opening night rosters,
representing 39 countries and comprising over 20% of the league. [68] The beginning of
the 2017–18 season saw a record 108 international players representing 42
countries marking 4 consecutive years of at least 100 international players and each
team having at least one international player.[69] In 2018, the Phoenix Suns hired
Serbian coach Igor Kokoškov as their new head coach, replacing Canadian interim
coach Jay Triano, making Kokoškov the first European coach to become a head
coach for a team in the NBA.
Other developments
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keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non-
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In 2001, an affiliated minor league, the National Basketball Development League,

now called the NBA G League, was created.[70]
Two years after the Hornets' move to New Orleans, the NBA returned to North
Carolina, as the Charlotte Bobcats were formed as an expansion team in 2004.
The Hornets temporarily moved to Oklahoma City in 2005 for two seasons because
of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. The team returned to New Orleans in 2007.
A new official game ball was introduced on June 28, 2006, for the 2006–07 season,
marking the first change to the ball in over 35 years and only the second ball in 60
seasons.[71] 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.
Commissioner Stern announced on December 11, 2006, that beginning January 1,
2007, the NBA would return to the traditional leather basketball in use prior to the
2006–07 season. The change was influenced by frequent player complaints and
confirmed hand injuries (cuts) caused by the microfiber ball. [72] The Players'
Association had filed a suit on behalf of the players against the NBA over the new
ball.[73] As of the 2017–18 season, the NBA team jerseys are manufactured by Nike,
replacing the previous supplier, Adidas. All teams will wear jerseys with the Nike logo
except the Charlotte Hornets, whose jerseys will instead have the Jumpman logo
associated with longtime Nike endorser Michael Jordan, who owns the Hornets.[74]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began an investigation on July 19, 2007,
over allegations that veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on basketball games he
officiated over the past two seasons and that he made calls affecting the point
spread in those games.[75] On August 15, 2007, Donaghy pleaded guilty to two federal
charges related to the investigation. Donaghy claimed in 2008 that certain referees
were friendly with players and "company men" for the NBA, and he alleged that
referees influenced the outcome of certain playoff and finals games in 2002 and
2005. NBA commissioner David Stern denied the allegations and said Donaghy was
a convicted felon and a "singing, cooperating witness". [76] Donaghy served 15 months
in prison and was released in November 2009.[77] According to an independent study
by Ronald Beech of Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the
Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings, although the refs increased the Lakers'
chances of winning through foul calls during the game, there was no collusion to fix
the game. On alleged "star treatment" during Game 6 by the referees toward certain
players, Beech claimed, "there does seem to be issues with different standards and
allowances for different players."[78]
The NBA Board of Governors approved the request of the Seattle
SuperSonics to move to Oklahoma City on April 18, 2008.[79] The team, however,
could not move until it had settled a lawsuit filed by the city of Seattle, which was
intended to keep the SuperSonics in Seattle for the remaining two seasons of the
team's lease at KeyArena. Following a court case, the city of Seattle settled with
the ownership group of the SuperSonics on July 2, 2008, allowing the team to move
to Oklahoma City immediately in exchange for terminating the final two seasons of
the team's lease at KeyArena.[80] The Oklahoma City Thunder began playing in the
2008–09 season.
The first outdoor game in the modern era of the league was played at the Indian
Wells Tennis Garden on October 11, 2008, between the Phoenix Suns and
the Denver Nuggets.[81]
The first official NBA league games on European ground took place in 2011. In two
matchups, the New Jersey Nets faced the Toronto Raptors at the O2 Arena in
London in front of over 20,000 fans.
After the 2012–13 season, the New Orleans Hornets were renamed the Pelicans.
[82]
 During the 2013–14 season, Stern retired as commissioner after 30 years, and
deputy commissioner Adam Silver ascended to the position of commissioner. During
that season's playoffs, the Bobcats officially reclaimed the Hornets name, and by
agreement with the league and the Pelicans, also received sole ownership of all
history, records, and statistics from the Pelicans' time in Charlotte. As a result, the
Hornets are now officially considered to have been founded in 1988, suspended
operations in 2002, and resumed in 2004 as the Bobcats, while the Pelicans are
officially treated as a 2002 expansion team.[83] (This is somewhat similar to the
relationship between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens in the NFL.)
Donald Sterling, who was then-owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, received a lifetime
ban from the NBA on April 29, 2014, after racist remarks he made became public.
Sterling was also fined US$2.5 million, the maximum allowed under the NBA
Constitution.[84]
Becky Hammon was hired by the San Antonio Spurs on August 5, 2014, as an
assistant coach, becoming the second female coach in NBA history but the first full-
time coach.[85][86] This also makes her the first full-time female coach in any of the four
major professional sports in North America.[86]
The NBA announced on April 15, 2016, that it would allow all 30 of its teams to sell
corporate sponsor advertisement patches on official game uniforms, beginning with
the 2017–18 season. The sponsorship advertisement patches would appear on the
left front of jerseys, opposite Nike's logo, marking the first time a manufacturer's logo
would appear on NBA jerseys, and would measure approximately 2.5 by 2.5 inches.
The NBA would become the first major North American professional sports league to
allow corporate sponsorship logos on official team uniforms, and the last to have a
uniform manufacturer logo appear on its team uniforms. [87] The first team to announce
a jersey sponsorship was the Philadelphia 76ers, who agreed to a deal
with StubHub.[88]
On July 6, 2017, the NBA unveiled an updated rendition of its logo; it was largely
identical to the previous design, except with revised typography and a "richer" color
scheme. The league began to phase in the updated logo across its properties during
the 2017 NBA Summer League.[89]
The NBA also officially released new Nike uniforms for all 30 teams beginning with
the 2017–18 season. The league eliminated "home" and "away" uniform
designations. Instead, each team would have four or six uniforms: the "Association"
edition, which is the team's white uniform, the "Icon" edition, which is the team's color
uniform, and the "Statement" and "City" uniforms, which most teams use as an
alternate uniform.[90] In 2018, the NBA also released the "Earned" uniform. [91]

Teams
See also: List of defunct National Basketball Association teams, List of relocated
National Basketball Association teams, Timeline of the National Basketball
Association, and Expansion of the National Basketball Association
 Raptors
Celtics
Knicks
Nets
76ers
Bulls
Cavaliers
Pistons
Pacers
Bucks
Hawks
Hornets
Heat
Magic
Wizards
Mavericks
Rockets
Grizzlies
Pelicans
Spurs
Nuggets
Timberwolves
Trail Blazers
Thunder
Jazz
Warriors
Kings
Suns
Clippers
Lakers

Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap 

Download coordinates as: KML

The NBA originated in 1946 with 11 teams, and through a sequence of team
expansions, reductions and relocations currently consists of 30 teams. The United
States is home to 29 teams; another is in Canada.
The current league organization divides 30 teams into two conferences of three
divisions with five teams each. The current divisional alignment was introduced in
the 2004–05 season. Reflecting the population distribution of the United States and
Canada as a whole, most teams are in the eastern half of the country: 13 teams are
in the Eastern Time Zone, nine in the Central, three in the Mountain, and five in
the Pacific.

Founde
Division Team Location Arena Capacity Coordinates Joined
d

Eastern Conference

Boston, 42.366303°N
Boston Celtics TD Garden 19,156 1946
Massachusetts 71.062228°W

Brooklyn Nets Barclays Center 17,732 40.68265°N 1967* 1976

73.974689°W
New York City,
New York
New York Madison Square 40.750556°N
Atlantic 19,812 1946
Knicks Garden 73.993611°W

Philadelphia Philadelphia, Wells Fargo 39.901111°N

20,478 1946* 1949
76ers Pennsylvania Center 75.171944°W

Toronto Scotiabank 43.643333°N

Toronto, Ontario 19,800 1995
Raptors Arena 79.379167°W

Central 41.880556°N
Chicago Bulls Chicago, Illinois United Center 20,917 1966
87.674167°W

Rocket
Cleveland 41.496389°N
Cleveland, Ohio Mortgage 19,432 1970
Cavaliers 81.688056°W
FieldHouse

Detroit Pistons Detroit, Little Caesars 20,332 42.696944°N 1941* 1948

Michigan Arena 83.245556°W
 Indianapolis, Gainbridge 39.763889°N
Indiana Pacers 17,923 1967 1976
Indiana Fieldhouse 86.155556°W

Milwaukee Milwaukee, 43.043611°N

Fiserv Forum 17,341 1968
Bucks Wisconsin 87.916944°W

State Farm 33.757222°N

Atlanta Hawks Atlanta, Georgia 16,600 1946* 1949
Arena 84.396389°W

Charlotte Charlotte, North Spectrum 35.225°N

19,077 1988*
Hornets Carolina Center 80.839167°W

Southeast Miami Heat Miami, Florida FTX Arena 19,600 25.781389°N 1988
80.188056°W

Orlando Magic Orlando, Florida Amway Center 18,846 28.539167°N 1989

81.383611°W

Washington Washington, Capital One 38.898056°N

20,356 1961*
Wizards D.C. Arena 77.020833°W

Western Conference

Northwest Denver, 39.748611°N

Denver Nuggets Ball Arena 19,520 1967 1976
Colorado 105.0075°W

Minnesota Minneapolis, 44.979444°N

Target Center 18,798 1989
Timberwolves Minnesota 93.276111°W

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, 35.463333°N

Paycom Center 18,203 1967*
Thunder Oklahoma 97.515°W

Portland Trail Portland, Moda Center 19,393 45.531667°N 1970

Blazers Oregon 122.666667°W
 Salt Lake City, 40.768333°N
Utah Jazz Vivint Arena 18,306 1974*
Utah 111.901111°W

Golden State San Francisco, 37.768056°N

Chase Center 18,064 1946*
Warriors California 122.3875°W

Los Angeles 34.043056°N 1970*

Clippers 118.267222°W
Los Angeles, Crypto.com
19,079
California Arena
Los Angeles 34.043056°N
Pacific 1947* 1948
Lakers 118.267222°W

Phoenix, 33.445833°N
Phoenix Suns Footprint Center 16,645 1968
Arizona 112.071389°W

Sacramento Sacramento, 38.649167°N

Golden 1 Center 17,608 1923* 1948
Kings California 121.518056°W

Dallas American 32.790556°N

Dallas, Texas 19,200 1980
Mavericks Airlines Center 96.810278°W

Houston 29.750833°N
Houston, Texas Toyota Center 18,055 1967*
Rockets 95.362222°W

Memphis Memphis, 35.138333°N

Southwest FedExForum 18,119 1995*
Grizzlies Tennessee 90.050556°W

New Orleans New Orleans, Smoothie King 29.948889°N

16,867 2002*
Pelicans Louisiana Center 90.081944°W

San Antonio San Antonio, 29.426944°N

AT&T Center 18,418 1967* 1976
Spurs Texas 98.4375°W

Notes

1. An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.
 2. The  Fort Wayne Pistons,  Minneapolis Lakers  and  Rochester Royals all joined the NBA (BAA) in
1948 from the  NBL.
3. The  Syracuse Nationals  and  Tri-Cities Blackhawks joined the NBA in 1949 as part of the BAA-
NBL absorption.
4. The Indiana Pacers,  New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, and Denver Nuggets all joined the NBA
in 1976 as part of the ABA–NBA merger.
5. The  Charlotte Hornets  are regarded as a continuation of the original Charlotte franchise, which
suspended operations in 2002 and rejoined the league in 2004. They were known as the Bobcats
from 2004 to 2014. The New Orleans Pelicans are regarded as being established as an expansion
team in 2002, originally known as the New Orleans Hornets until 2013.

Regular season
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Following the summer break, teams begin training camps in late September. Training
camps allow the coaching staff to evaluate players (especially 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. Teams have the ability to assign players with less
than two years of experience to the NBA G League. After training camp, a series of
preseason exhibition games are held. Preseason matches are sometimes held in
non-NBA cities, both in the United States and overseas. The NBA regular season
begins in the last week of October.
During the regular season, each team plays 82 games, 41 each home and away. A
team faces opponents in its own division four times a year (16 games). Each team
plays six of the teams from the other two divisions in its conference four times (24
games), and the remaining four teams three times (12 games). Finally, each team
plays all the teams in the other conference twice apiece (30 games). This
asymmetrical structure means the strength of schedule will vary between teams (but
not as significantly as the NFL or MLB). Over five seasons, each team will have
played 80 games against their division (20 games against each opponent, 10 at
home, 10 on the road), 180 games against the rest of their conference (18 games
against each opponent, 9 at home, 9 on the road), and 150 games against the other
conference (10 games against each team, 5 at home, 5 on the road).
The NBA is also the only league that regularly schedules games on Christmas Day.
[92]
 The league has been playing games regularly on the holiday since 1947,[93] though
the first Christmas Day games were not televised until 1983–84.[94] Games played on
this day have featured some of the best teams and players. [92][93][94] Christmas is also
notable for NBA on television, as the holiday is when the first NBA games air on
network television each season.[93][94] Games played on this day have been some of
the highest-rated games during a particular season.
In February, the regular season pauses to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star Game.
Fans vote throughout the United States, Canada, and on the Internet, and the top
vote-getters in each conference are named captains. Fan votes determine the rest of
the allstar starters. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. Then, the top
vote-getters in each conference draft their own team from a player pool of allstars.
The top vote-getter in the league earns first pick and so forth. 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 Rising Stars Challenge (originally Rookie
Challenge), where the top rookies and second-year players in the NBA play in a 5-
on-5 basketball game, with the current format pitting U.S. players against those from
the rest of the world; the Skills Challenge, where players compete to finish an
obstacle course consisting of shooting, passing, and dribbling in the fastest time;
the Three Point Contest, where players compete to score the highest number of
three-point field goals in a given time; and the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where
players compete to dunk the ball in the most entertaining way according to the
judges. 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 trade deadline, which is set to fall on the 16th
Thursday of the season (usually in February) at 3pm Eastern Time.[95] 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 day a hectic time for general
managers.
Around the middle 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,
post-season teams. The Sixth Man of the Year Award is given to the best player
coming off the bench (must have more games coming off the bench than actual
games started). The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding
first-year player. The Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the player who is
deemed to have shown the most improvement from the previous season.
The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender.
The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most
positive difference to a team. The Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player
deemed the most valuable for (his team) that season. Additionally, Sporting
News awards an unofficial (but widely recognized) 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 post-season teams are the All-NBA Team, the All-Defensive Team, and the All-
Rookie Team; each consists of five players. There are three All-NBA teams,
consisting of the top players at each position, with first-team status being the 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.[96]

Playoffs
Main article: NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs begin in April after the conclusion of the regular season with the
top eight teams in each conference, regardless of divisional alignment, competing for
the league's championship title, the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Seeds are
awarded in strict order of regular season record (with a tiebreaker system used as
needed).
Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Since the first seed begins the
playoffs playing against 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, having a
higher seed means a team faces a weaker team in the first round. The team in each
series with the better record has home-court advantage, including the First Round.
Before the league changed its playoff determination format for the 2006–07 season,
this meant that, for example, if the team that received the sixth seed had a better
record than the team with the third seed (by virtue of a divisional championship), the
sixth seed would have home-court advantage, even though the other team had 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. For example, in 2006,
the Denver Nuggets won 44 games and captured the Northwest Division and the
third seed. Their opponent was the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers, who won 47
games and finished second in the Pacific Division. Although Denver won its much
weaker division, the Clippers had a home-court advantage and won the series in 5.
The playoffs follow a tournament format. Each team plays an opponent 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. 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 first- and eighth-seeded teams playing the
winner of the series matching the fourth- and fifth-seeded teams, and the winner of
the series matching the second- and seventh-seeded teams playing the winner of the
series matching the third- and sixth-seeded teams. In every round, the best-of-7
series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 home-court 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. From 1985 to 2013, the NBA Finals followed a 2–3–2 pattern, meaning that one
team had home court in games 1, 2, 6, and 7, while the other played at home in
games 3, 4, and 5.[97]
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 winner of
the NBA Finals receives 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 the Bill Russell
NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award to the best performing player of the series.
The league began using its current format, with the top eight teams in each
conference advancing regardless of divisional alignment, in the 2015–16 season.
Previously, the top three seeds went to the division winners. [98]

Championships
Main article: List of NBA champions
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have won the most championships
with each having 17 NBA Finals wins. Followed by Golden State
Warriors and Chicago Bulls with seven and six titles
 L T
W
o o
Teams i Year(s) won Year(s) runner-up
s t
n
s al

Minneapo
1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 196
lis/Los
17 15 32 980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 20 8, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1
Angeles
01, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020 989, 1991, 2004, 2008
Lakers

1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1
Boston
17 5 21 964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 19 1958, 1985, 1987, 2010, 2022
Celtics
76, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008

Philadelp
hia/San
Francisco 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2
7 5 12 1948, 1964, 1967, 2016, 2019
/Golden 022
State
Warriors

Chicago
6 0 6 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 —
Bulls

San
Antonio 5 1 6 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 2013
Spurs

Syracuse
Nationals 1950, 1954, 1977, 1980, 1982, 200
3 6 9 1955, 1967, 1983
/Philadelp 1
hia 76ers

Fort
Wayne/D
3 4 7 1989, 1990, 2004 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005
etroit
Pistons

Miami
3 3 6 2006, 2012, 2013 2011, 2014, 2020
Heat
 L T
W
o o
Teams i Year(s) won Year(s) runner-up
s t
n
s al

New
1951, 1952, 1953, 1972, 1994, 199
York 2 6 8 1970, 1973
9
Knicks

Houston
2 2 4 1994, 1995 1981, 1986
Rockets

Milwauke
2 1 3 1971, 2021 1974
e Bucks

Cleveland
1 4 5 2016 2007, 2015, 2017, 2018
Cavaliers

St.
Louis/Atl
1 3 4 1958 1957, 1960, 1961
anta
Hawks

Baltimore
/
Washingt
on 1 3 4 1978 1971, 1975, 1979
Bullets (n
ow
Washingto
n Wizards)

Seattle
SuperSon
ics/Oklah 1 3 4 1979 1978, 1996, 2012
oma City
Thunder

Portland
Trail 1 2 3 1977 1990, 1992
Blazers
 L T
W
o o
Teams i Year(s) won Year(s) runner-up
s t
n
s al

Dallas
Maverick 1 1 2 2011 2006
s

Baltimore
Bullets
(original)  1 0 1 1948 —
(folded in
1954)

Rochester
Royals (n
ow 1 0 1 1951 —
Sacramento
Kings)

Toronto
1 0 1 2019 —
Raptors

Phoenix
0 3 3 — 1976, 1993, 2021
Suns

Utah
Jazz (form
erly New 0 2 2 — 1997, 1998
Orleans
Jazz)

New
Jersey
Nets (now 0 2 2 — 2002, 2003
Brooklyn
Nets)

Orlando
0 2 2 — 1995, 2009
Magic

Chicago
Stags (fold 0 1 1 — 1947
ed in 1950)
 L T
W
o o
Teams i Year(s) won Year(s) runner-up
s t
n
s al

Washingt
on
Capitols ( 0 1 1 — 1949
folded in
1951)

Indiana
0 1 1 — 2000
Pacers

Current teams that have no NBA Finals appearances:

 Charlotte Hornets (formerly Charlotte Bobcats)

 Denver Nuggets
 Los Angeles Clippers (formerly Buffalo Braves, San Diego Clippers)
 Memphis Grizzlies (formerly Vancouver Grizzlies)
 Minnesota Timberwolves
 New Orleans Pelicans (formerly New Orleans Hornets, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets)

Media coverage
Main article: National Basketball Association on television
See also: List of current National Basketball Association broadcasters
As one of the major sports leagues in North America, the NBA has a long history of
partnerships with television networks in the United States. The NBA signed a contract
with DuMont Television Network in its eighth season, the 1953–54 season, marking
the first year the NBA had a national television broadcaster. Similar to the National
Football League, the lack of television stations led to NBC taking over the rights from
the 1954–55 season until April 7, 1962–NBC's first tenure with the NBA. Currently in
the U.S., the NBA has a contract with ESPN (and ABC) and TNT through the 2024–
25 season. Games that are not broadcast nationally are usually aired over regional
sports networks specific to the area where the teams are located.

International competitions
The National Basketball Association has sporadically participated in international club
competitions. From 1987 to 1999 an NBA team played against championship club
teams from Asia, Europe and South America in the McDonald's Championship. This
tournament was won by the NBA invitee every year it was held. [99]

Ticket prices and viewership demographics

In 2012, a ticket cost from $10 to $3,000 each, depending on the location of the seat
and the success of the teams that were playing. [citation needed]
In 2020, ticket prices for the NBA All Star Game became more expensive than ever
before, averaging around $2,600, and even more on the secondary market. [100]
Viewership demographics
According to Nielsen's survey, in 2013 the NBA had the youngest audience, with 45
percent of its viewers under 35, but the least likely, along with Major League
Baseball, to be watched by women, who make up only 30% of the viewership. As of
2014, 45 percent of its viewers were black, while 40 percent of viewers were white,
making it the only top North American sport that does not have a white majority
audience.[101]
As of 2017, the NBA's popularity further declined among White Americans, who
during the 2016–17 season, made up only 34% of the viewership. At the same time,
the black viewership increased to 47 percent, while Hispanic (of any race) stood at
11% and Asian viewership stood at 8%. According to the same poll, the NBA was
favored more strongly by Democrats than Republicans.[102]
Outside the U.S., the NBA's biggest international market is in China,[103][104] where an
estimated 800 million viewers watched the 2017–18 season.[105] NBA China is worth
approximately $4 billion.