From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
National Basketball Association (
NBA) is the pre-eminent men's professional
basketball league in
North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the
United States and one in
Canada. It is an active member of
USA Basketball (USAB),
[1] 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, which include
Major League Baseball (MLB), the
National Football League (NFL), and the
National Hockey League (NHL).
The league was founded in
New York City on
June 6,
1946 as the
Basketball Association of America (BAA).
[2] The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in 1949 after merging with 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.
History
1940s
The Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by the 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, which the NBA now regards as the first game played in the league's history.
[3] 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.
1950s
On August 3, 1949, the BAA agreed to merge with the NBL, creating the new
National Basketball Association.
[4] The new league had seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities,
[4] 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
Knicks,
Celtics,
Warriors,
Lakers,
Royals/Kings,
Pistons,
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 (in 1955); the
Royals from
Rochester to
Cincinnati (in 1957); and the
Pistons from
Fort Wayne 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. This year witnessed the addition of
African American players by several teams, including
Chuck Cooper with the
Boston Celtics,
Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton with the
New York 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.
[5] To encourage shooting and discourage stalling, the league introduced the 24-second
shot clock in 1954.
[6] 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.
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 great individual rivalries in the history of American team sports.
1960s
The 1960s were dominated by the
Boston Celtics. Led by Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, the Celtics won every championship in the NBA from the 1958–1959 season through 1965–1966. The streak is the longest in NBA history at eight in a row. They did not repeat in 1966–1967 but regained the title in the 1967–1968 season and repeated in 1968–1969. The domination totaled nine of the 10 championship banners of the 1960s.
[7]
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. The Chicago Packers (now
Washington Wizards) became the ninth NBA team in 1961. From 1966 to 1968, the league expanded from nine teams to fourteen, introducing the
Chicago Bulls,
Seattle SuperSonics (now
Oklahoma City Thunder),
San Diego Rockets (who relocated 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. 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.
[8]
1970s
The
American Basketball Association also succeeded in signing a number of major stars, including
Julius Erving of the
Virginia Squires, in part because it allowed teams to sign college undergraduates. The NBA expanded rapidly during this period, one purpose being to tie up the most viable cities. 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.
[9] 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 New Jersey Nets). Some of the biggest stars of this era were
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
Rick Barry,
Dave Cowens,
Julius Erving,
Walt Frazier,
Artis Gilmore,
George Gervin,
Dan Issel, and
Pete Maravich.
The end of the decade, however, saw declining TV ratings, low attendance and drug-related issues that threatened to derail the NBA.
1980s
Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics Larry Bird in Game Two of the 1985 NBA Finals at Boston Garden
. 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, initiating a period of significant growth in fan interest in the NBA throughout the country and the world. In 1984 they played against each other for the first time in the NBA Finals. Johnson went on to lead the Lakers to five titles, and Bird went on to lead the Celtics to three. Also in the early '80s, the NBA added one more expansion franchise, the
Dallas Mavericks, bringing the total to 23 teams. Later on, Larry Bird won the first three three-point shooting contests.
Current league commissioner
David Stern took office on April 1, 1984, and oversaw the expansion and growth of the NBA to a global commodity.
1990s
Jordan going in for a dunk
Michael Jordan entered the league in 1984 with the
Chicago Bulls, providing an even more popular star to support growing interest in the league. This resulted in more cities demanding teams of their own. In 1988 and 1989, four cities got their wishes as the Charlotte Hornets (now the
New Orleans Hornets),
Miami Heat,
Orlando Magic, and
Minnesota Timberwolves made their NBA debuts. In the first year of the 1990s, the
Detroit Pistons would win the second of their back-to-back "Bad Boys" titles, led by Chuck Daly as coach and Isiah Thomas as floor general.
Jordan and
Scottie Pippen would lead the Bulls to six championships in eight years during the 1990s.
Hakeem Olajuwon won back-to-back titles with the
Houston Rockets in '94 and '95.
The
1992 Olympic basketball
Dream Team, the first to use current NBA stars, featured Michael Jordan as the anchor, along with
Larry Bird,
Magic Johnson,
David Robinson,
Patrick Ewing,
Scottie Pippen,
Clyde Drexler,
Karl Malone,
John Stockton,
Chris Mullin,
Charles Barkley, and
Christian Laettner.
In 1995, the NBA expanded to Canada with the addition of the
Vancouver Grizzlies and the
Toronto Raptors. In 2001, the Vancouver Grizzlies were relocated to
Memphis, which left the Raptors as the only Canadian team in the NBA.
In 1996, the NBA created a women's league, the
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
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 (61% of a normal season), and the All-Star Game was cancelled. The
San Antonio Spurs won the championship on June 25 by beating the
New York Knicks, the first and to this date, the only 8th seed to ever make the NBA Finals.
2000s
Since the break-up of the
Chicago Bulls in the summer of 1998, the
Western Conference has dominated, with the
Los Angeles Lakers and
San Antonio Spurs combining to win the title in nine of twelve years. One or the other has won the Western Conference title every year except in 2006 (when the
Dallas Mavericks won the conference title).
Tim Duncan and
David Robinson won the 1999 championship with the
San Antonio Spurs, and
Shaquille O'Neal and
Kobe Bryant started the 2000s off with the three consecutive championships with the
Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs reclaimed the title in 2003 against the
Nets.
In 2004, the Lakers returned to the Finals, only to fall in five games to the
Detroit Pistons. The following off-season, O'Neal was traded to the
Miami Heat, and the
Charlotte Bobcats were established as the league's 30th team. The Spurs won their third championship in 2005.
The 2006 Finals featured two cities making their first Finals appearances. The Miami Heat led by their star shooting guard,
Dwyane Wade, and Shaquille O'Neal won the series over the
Dallas Mavericks in six games after losing games 1 and 2.
The Lakers/Spurs dominance continued in 2007 with a four-game sweep by the
San Antonio Spurs over the
Cleveland Cavaliers, who were led by
LeBron James. The 2008 Finals saw a rematch of the league's
highest profile rivalry, the
Boston Celtics and the
Los Angeles Lakers, with the Celtics prevailing, thanks to their big three of
Paul Pierce,
Ray Allen, and
Kevin Garnett.
However, in 2009, the Lakers with
Kobe Bryant returned to the Finals, this time defeating the
Dwight Howard-led
Orlando Magic for their 15th title.
[10] Kobe Bryant won his first
NBA Finals MVP award in his 13th season after leading the Lakers to their first NBA championship since the departure of
Shaquille O'Neal.
[11]
2010s
The
2010 NBA All-Star Game was held at
Cowboys Stadium in front of the largest crowd ever, 108,713.
[12] The 2010 playoffs began on April 17, 2010. The eight Eastern Conference teams that made it to the playoffs were the
Boston Celtics,
Orlando Magic,
Cleveland Cavaliers,
Atlanta Hawks,
Chicago Bulls,
Miami Heat,
Milwaukee Bucks, and
Charlotte Bobcats.
[13] The qualifying Western Conference teams were the
Los Angeles Lakers,
Phoenix Suns,
Utah Jazz,
San Antonio Spurs,
Oklahoma City Thunder,
Portland Trail Blazers,
Denver Nuggets, and the
Dallas Mavericks.
[13] The
Cleveland Cavaliers finished the season with the best record in both the east and the entire NBA, but were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Conference Semi-Finals. The
Los Angeles Lakers finished with the best record in the west. The Lakers beat the Suns in 6 games, advancing to the NBA Finals for the 31st time. The Boston Celtics also advanced to the NBA Finals, defeating the Orlando Magic in 6 games. The Celtics and the Lakers renewed their rivalry from
2008 when they met again in the NBA Finals for the 12th time. The Lakers won the title in the
7th game, 83–79.
[14] Kobe Bryant won his second Finals MVP award.
[14]
International influence
Following pioneers like
Draลพen Petroviฤ (
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. Below is a short list of notable foreign players, either currently or formerly active in the league:
- Toni Kukoฤ, Croatia – 3-time NBA Champion with Chicago Bulls (1996, 1997, 1998), named in 2008 as one of the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors
- Vlade Divac, Serbia – 2-time Olympic silver medalist, 2001 NBA All-Star, 2 time World Champion, 3-time European Champion, 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors
- Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuania – 1984, 1985, 1988, 1995, 1999 European Player of the Year, 1985, 1997 Mr. Europa Player of the Year, Olympic gold medalist in 1988 with the Soviet Union and bronze medalist in 1992 and 1996 with Lithuania, 1996 NBA All-Rookie First Team, 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors
- Dirk Nowitzki, Germany – MVP of the 2002 World Championships and Eurobasket 2005, 2002–2006 Euroscar winner, 2005 Mr. Europa and FIBA Europe Player of the Year, and 2007 NBA MVP (entered the NBA in 1998)
- Hedo Tรผrkoฤlu, Turkey – 2008 Most Improved Player Award winner, member of the all-tournament team in the 2010 FIBA World Championship (entered the NBA in 2000)
- Pau Gasol, Spain – 2-time NBA Champion with Los Angeles Lakers (2009 & 2010), Three time NBA All-Star, 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year, 2004 and 2009 Mr. Europa, 2006 World Championships MVP, 2008 and 2009 Euroscar and FIBA Europe Player of the Year, EuroBasket 2009 MVP (entered the NBA in 2001)
- Andrei Kirilenko, Russia – EuroBasket 2007 MVP, 2007 FIBA Europe Player of the Year (drafted in 1999, entered the NBA in 2001)
- Tony Parker, France – 3-time NBA Champion with San Antonio Spurs, 2007 NBA Finals MVP and 2007 Euroscar winner (entered the NBA in 2001)
- Manu Ginรณbili, Argentina – 3-time NBA Champion with San Antonio Spurs, 2008 Sixth Man Award winner, 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors (drafted in 1999, entered the NBA in 2002)
- Yao Ming, China – First pick in the 2002 NBA Draft and 7-time NBA All-Star (entered the NBA in 2002)
- Leandro Barbosa, Brazil – 2007 Sixth Man Award winner (entered the NBA in 2003)
- Andrea Bargnani, Italy – First pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors (entered the NBA in 2006)
- Omri Casspi, Israel – Israel national basketball team, Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C., and European star who was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft.
On some occasions, young players, most but not all from the English-speaking world, have attended U.S. colleges before playing in the NBA. Notable examples are
- Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon (top draft pick in 1984, 2-time champion, 12-time All-Star, 1994 MVP, 1994 and 1995 Finals MVP, 1994 and 1995 Defensive Player of the Year, first and only player to receive the MVP Award, Defensive Player of the Year Award, and Finals MVP award in the same season, and Hall of Famer)
- Congolese Dikembe Mutombo (Four time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, selected fourth overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1991 NBA Draft and 8-time NBA All-Star)
- Dutchman Rik Smits (1988 second overall pick, 1998 NBA All-Star, played 12 years for the Indiana Pacers)
- German Detlef Schrempf (Sixth Man Award winner in 1991 and 1992)
- Canadian Steve Nash (2005 and 2006 MVP)
- Australians Luc Longley (3-times champion with the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls in 1990s) and Andrew Bogut, (top draft pick in 2005).
- Sudanese-born Englishman Luol Deng (2007 winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award)
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
2009–10 season season opened with a record of 83 international players on the opening night rosters, tying the record set in the
2006–07 season.
[15]
Other developments
In 2001, an affiliated
minor league, the
National Basketball Development League, now called the NBA Development League (or D-League) was created.
[16] Before the league was started, there were strong rumors that the NBA would purchase the
CBA, and call it its developmental league, as the
Continental Basketball Association was its "minor league" affiliate for years. 20% of NBA players spent time in this league and over 143 players have been called up to play in the NBA.
[citation needed]
In 2004, two years after the Hornets relocation to
New Orleans, the NBA returned to North Carolina as the
Charlotte Bobcats were formed.
In 2005, the Hornets relocated to
Oklahoma City for two seasons. This was required due to damage caused by
Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, the Hornets returned to New Orleans.
On June 28, 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 ball in 60 seasons.
[17] 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.
[18] The
Players' Association had filed a suit in behalf of the players against the NBA over the new ball.
[19] As of 2006, the NBA team jerseys are manufactured by
Adidas, which purchased the previous supplier,
Reebok.
On July 19, 2007, the
FBI investigated 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.
[20] On August 15, 2007, Donaghy pleaded guilty to two federal charges related to the investigation. However, he could face additional charges if it is determined that he deliberately miscalled individual games. Donaghy in 2008 claimed that certain refs were friendly with the players and "company men" for the NBA. Donaghy alleged that refs influenced the outcome of certain playoff and final games in 2002 and 2005. NBA commissioner
David Stern denied the allegations and said Donaghy was a convicted felon and a "singing, cooperating witness".
[21] Donaghy served 15 months in prison and was released in November, 2009.
[22] According to an independent study by Ronald Beech of Game 6 of the NBA
2002 Western Conference Finals between the
Los Angeles Lakers and the
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 refs toward certain players, Beech claimed, "there does seem to be issues with different standards and allowances for different players."
[23]
In June 2008, it was announced that the
Seattle SuperSonics would be rendered inactive and the franchise itself would relocate to
Oklahoma City. The
Oklahoma City Thunder began playing in the 2008–2009 season. This marks the third NBA franchise to relocate in the past decade.
On October 11, 2008, the
Phoenix Suns and the
Denver Nuggets played the first outdoor game in the modern era of the NBA at the
Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
[24]
On September 1, 2009, the contract between the NBA and its referees expired. On October 1, 2009, the first preseason games were played and replacement referees from the
WNBA and
NBA Development League were used. The last time replacement referees were used was beginning of the 1995–96 season.
[25] The NBA and the regular referees reached a deal on October 23, 2009.
[26]
Teams
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 and one is located in Canada. The
Boston Celtics have won the most championships with 17
NBA Finals wins. The second most successful franchise is the
Los Angeles Lakers, who have 16 overall championships (11 in Los Angeles, 5 in Minneapolis). Following the Lakers are the
Chicago Bulls with six championships, all of them over an 8-year span during the 1990s, and the
San Antonio Spurs with four championships, all since 1999.
The current league organization divides thirty teams into two conferences of three divisions with five teams each. The current divisional alignment was introduced in the
2004–05 season.