The History of the NBA

Today the NBA is the major professional basketball league of North America and the league that is most widely known all around the world. The NBA did not always start out like that, especially during its early days. The league began in 1946 in New York City, and was actually known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The NBA did not get its current name until it merged with the National Basketball League in 1949.

The first game played was between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knickerbockers. It was played at Maple Leaf Gardens. This was the first league to compete in major stadiums, but it still had to compete with leagues that were created earlier and teams like the Harlem Globetrotters.

When the leagues combined to form the NBA in 1949 there were actually 17 teams. By 1950 the league was 11 teams and by 1953-54 they only had 8 teams, the lowest amount in league history. All of those original 8 teams are still in the NBA today including the Celtics, Knicks, Warriors, Lakers, Pistons, Hawks, Kings, and the 76ers. 1950 is also considered the year that the NBA integrated allowing African American players. The 50's also produced the 24 second shot clock, 5 championships by the Lakers, Bill Russell joining the Celtics in 1957, and the incredible Wilt Chamberlain joining the league in 1959.

1960's are remembered as the era where the Boston Celtics dominated with Russel, Bob Cousy, and coach Red Auerbach. They won 9 out of 10 championships in the 1960s including the current record of 8 in a row from 58-59 season to the 1965-66 season. Many teams moved locations including Lakers moving from Minnesota to Los Angeles and the league would expand to 14 teams by 1968. A new league also emerged in 1967 called the American Basketball Association (ABA) which would challenge the NBA by signing key players as well.

By 1974 the NBA had expanded to 18 teams to challenge the ABA and to occupy as many big cities as possible. By 1976 the NBA reached an agreement with the ABA to add four of its teams including the Spurs, Nets, Nuggets, and Pacers. The 70's had some of the biggest stars including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Walt Frazier, and Julius Erving. However the end of the 70's saw drug issues, declining TV ratings, and low attendance. The three point line was added in 1979 as well.

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson helped to grow fan interest in the early 1980's. Magic Johnson led the Lakers to 5 titles while Bird led the Celtics to 3 during the 80's and they had an incredible rivalry. Dave Stern took the commissioner's job in 1984 and still has it today.

The 1990's are a great era of basketball which started with the Bad Boy Pistons winning 2 titles and the Michael Jordan Bulls winning 6 titles. 1992 included the gold medal winning Olympic basketball Dream Team, 1995 saw the expansion of two teams to Canada, and 1996 saw the start of the WNBA. 1998 was a bad year for the league where a lockout shortened the season.

The league is still going strong today and has 30 teams. The league is diverse as ever and has seen numerous different teams win the title or play for the title the last 15 years. Fan interest is also continuing to grow.