Ayrton Oneill
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America, composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA was formed in 1949 through the merger of two rival organisations, the National Basketball League (founded in 1937) and the Basketball Association of America (founded in 1946). The NBA played its first game on 1 November 1946 and has since grown to become the premier professional basketball league in the world.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of creation | 3 August 1949 |
| Founding organisations | Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) |
| Founding organisations' founding dates | BAA: 6 June 1946; NBL: 1937 |
| First game | 1 November 1946 |
| Number of teams in the first season | 11 |
| Teams from the first season that are still playing | Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks |
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What You'll Learn
The NBA was created in 1949 by the merger of the BAA and NBL
The NBA, or the National Basketball Association, was created in 1949 by the merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL). The BAA was established in 1946, and the NBL was established in 1937.
The BAA and the NBL had been in competition with each other for fans and players, with the BAA luring several teams away from the NBL prior to the 1948–49 season. The NBL responded by outbidding the BAA for the services of several players, including rookie Dolph Schayes and five stars from the University of Kentucky. However, several teams in the NBL were facing financial difficulties, and so, on August 3, 1949, the two leagues agreed to merge to create the NBA.
The new league adopted the BAA's history and statistics as its own but did not do the same for the NBL's records and statistics. The NBA considers its founding date to be June 6, 1946, which was the founding date of the BAA. The NBA was made up of 17 teams that represented both small towns and large cities across the country.
The NBA played its first game on November 1, 1946, when it was still called the Basketball Association of America. The NBA struggled to survive in those early years, with many teams folding. However, the league persevered and eventually thrived, becoming the most innovative league in sports and helping to drive the growth of basketball around the globe.
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The NBA's first game was played in 1946
The NBA, or the National Basketball Association, played its first game on November 1, 1946. Back then, it was known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The BAA was established by Boston Garden owner Walter Brown, who realised that vacant ice hockey arenas could be used to host basketball games.
The first game was played between the New York Knickerbockers and the Toronto Huskies, with the former winning 68-66. The game was played in Toronto, at the Maple Leaf Gardens, and was attended by 7,090 fans. The Knickerbockers were led by guard Leo Gottlieb, who scored 14 points in the game.
At this time, the NBA had 11 teams in its first season, three of which are still playing—the Boston Celtics, the Golden State Warriors (then based in Philadelphia), and the New York Knicks. The NBA did not have any African-American players until its fifth season (1950-51). The games in the early years of the NBA had too many fouls and too few points, and many teams folded. Rule changes in the 1950s cut down on rough play.
On August 3, 1949, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to create the National Basketball Association. The NBA later adopted the BAA's history and considers its founding on June 6, 1946, as its own.
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The NBA expanded to Canada in 1995
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America, comprising 30 teams, 29 of which are in the United States and 1 in Canada. The NBA was created on 3 August 1949, with the merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL).
The Raptors were formed and owned by a group headed by Toronto businessman John Bitove, with Brendan Malone hired as the franchise's first head coach. The Raptors used their first pick to select three-time NBA champion B.J. Armstrong from the Chicago Bulls. The Grizzlies and Raptors were the 28th and 29th franchises, respectively, and played their first games on 3 November 1995. The Grizzlies won their first game 92-80 over the Portland Trailblazers, while the Raptors defeated the New Jersey Nets 94-79.
The Grizzlies moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 2001 after experiencing financial difficulties and poor play throughout their six seasons in Vancouver. The franchise is now known as the Memphis Grizzlies. The Raptors remain the only Canadian team in the NBA, with a core of talented young players and a newly appointed General Manager in Masai Ujiri.
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The NBA created a women's league in 1996
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America that was created on August 3, 1949, with the merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL). The NBA played its first game on November 1, 1946, under the name Basketball Association of America, changing to the NBA in 1949.
In 1996, the NBA created a women's league, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The creation of the WNBA was officially approved by the NBA Board of Governors on April 24, 1996, and announced at a press conference with Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, and Sheryl Swoopes in attendance. The WNBA was not the first women's professional basketball league in the United States, but it is the only league to receive the full backing of the NBA.
The WNBA began with eight teams: four in the Eastern Conference and four in the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference teams were the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, and New York Liberty. The Western Conference teams were the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and Utah Starzz. The WNBA's first season began on June 21, 1997, with a game between the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks in Los Angeles. The Liberty defeated the Sparks 67-57 in front of a crowd of 14,284 attendees, with the game televised nationally in the United States.
The WNBA has since expanded, with 13 teams currently in the league and plans to expand to 15 teams in 2026. The league's regular season runs from May to September, with each team playing 44 games. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs, which culminate in the WNBA Finals in October. The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan and is considered the premier professional women's basketball league in the world.
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The NBA and ABA merged in 1976
The National Basketball Association (NBA) was created on August 3, 1949, through the merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL).
In 1967, the NBA faced a new threat with the formation of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The NBA and ABA engaged in a bidding war, with the NBA signing the era's most important college star, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor). The ABA responded by signing the NBA's leading scorer, Rick Barry, along with four veteran referees.
The two leagues first began discussing a merger as early as 1969, with serious talks commencing in 1970. However, an antitrust lawsuit filed by the NBA Players Association, led by Robertson, prevented the merger from taking place. The Robertson suit was finally settled on February 3, 1976, clearing the way for the merger.
On June 17, 1976, the NBA announced a merger with its rival, the ABA, absorbing four ABA teams: the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York (later Brooklyn) Nets, and San Antonio Spurs. Three ABA teams were dismantled, and their players were incorporated into the NBA through a dispersal draft. The owners of the Kentucky Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis received multi-million-dollar payouts, and the remaining two teams folded.
The ABA contributed significantly to the modern NBA, introducing elements such as the 3-point shot, the slam dunk contest, and the Spencer Haywood Hardship Rule, which later became the framework for the NBA's draft eligibility system.
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Frequently asked questions
The NBA, or National Basketball Association, was formed in 1949 from the merger of the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America.
The NBA was first called the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and was established in 1946.
The NBA got its current name in 1949, when the BAA merged with the NBL to create the National Basketball Association.
The NBA started with 11 teams, three of which are still playing: the Boston Celtics, the Golden State Warriors, and the New York Knicks.
The NBA first expanded into Canada in 1995 with the addition of the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors.
