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The NBA was created on August 3, 1949, with the merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL). The league later adopted the BAA's history and considers its founding on June 6, 1946, as its own.
- Overview
- League growth and membership
- NBA championship
National Basketball Association (NBA), professional basketball league formed in the United States in 1949 by the merger of two rival organizations, the National Basketball League (founded 1937) and the Basketball Association of America (founded 1946). In 1976 the NBA absorbed four teams from the American Basketball Association (ABA), which disbanded that year.
(Read James Naismith’s 1929 Britannica essay on his invention of basketball.)
Britannica Quiz
Basketball Player Nicknames
By the early 1980s the NBA was plagued by money-losing franchises, low attendance, declining television ratings, and limited national appeal. The league soon rebounded under the leadership of David Stern, NBA commissioner from 1984, who helped transform it into an international entertainment company. Aggressive marketing highlighted star players such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and, especially, Michael Jordan. Other innovations included league limits on player salaries, lucrative broadcast rights for network and cable television, and expanded All-Star Game festivities.
The NBA membership was divided into two conferences, each with three divisions. There were 30 teams, aligned as follows:
Eastern Conference
•Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors
•Central Division: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks
•Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards
Winners of the National Basketball Association championship are provided in the table.
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- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Sep 14, 2023 · The NBA started as the Basketball Association Of America, which absorbed much of the competing National Basketball League after the 1948-49 season.
Nov 16, 2009 · On August 3, 1949, after a damaging three-year battle to win both players and fans, the rival Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL) merge to form the...
- Missy Sullivan
The following is a timeline of the organizational changes in the National Basketball Association (NBA), including contractions, expansions, relocations, and divisional realignment. The league was formed as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946 and took its current name in 1949.
Jun 18, 2024 · The National Basketball Association was founded at the Commodore Hotel in New York. Maurice Podoloff was the league’s first president, a title later changed to commissioner.
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Oct 19, 2021 · FILE - In this Aug 3, 1949, file photo, representatives of the National Basketball League and Basketball Association of America, shake hands after agreeing to a merger of the two circuits into an 18-team organization to be known as the National Basketball Association in New York.
