National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. It has 30 teams, with 29 teams in the United States and 1 team in Canada. It is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the best basketball league in the world. The NBA’s offices are in New York City and Secaucus, New Jersey.

The NBA started on August 3, 1949, when the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) joined together. The league uses the BAA’s founding date of June 6, 1946, as its own start date. In 1976, the NBA also joined with the American Basketball Association (ABA), adding four more teams. The regular season runs from October to April. Each team plays 82 games. This is followed by playoffs that go into June, ending with the NBA Finals.

The NBA is part of USA Basketball (USAB), the group that controls basketball in the United States. The NBA is the second-wealthiest sports league in the world by money made, after the National Football League (NFL). NBA players are the highest-paid sports players in the world on average. The league also started the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 1996 and runs other leagues, like the NBA G League, NBA 2K League, and the Basketball Africa League. The Boston Celtics have won the most NBA championships with 18 titles. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the current champions, after winning the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers.

History

Creation and BAA–NBL merger (1946–1956)

The NBA started as the Basketball Association of America (BAA), founded in 1946 by owners of major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Canada, the Toronto Huskies played the New York Knickerbockers in the first game in NBA history. The first basket was made by Ossie Schectman of the Knickerbockers.

Earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues existed, but the BAA was the first to try playing mainly in large arenas in big cities. During its early years, the BAA’s quality of play wasn’t much better than other leagues or top independent clubs like the Harlem Globetrotters.

Before the 1948–49 season, the BAA attracted several NBL teams—the Fort Wayne Pistons, Indianapolis Kautskys, Minneapolis Lakers, and Rochester Royals—with the chance to play in major venues like Boston Garden and Madison Square Garden. The NBL responded by creating the Indianapolis Olympians while the Kautskys folded. With several teams facing money problems, the BAA and the NBL agreed to merge on August 3, 1949, to create the National Basketball Association.

The new league had 17 franchises in both large and small cities. By 1950, the NBA had 11 franchises, then in 1954–55 it shrank to eight: the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Warriors, Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals, Fort Wayne Pistons, Milwaukee Hawks, and Syracuse Nationals. All these teams are still in the league today, though the last six are now in new cities. During this time, the league’s smaller-city teams moved to larger cities.

Japanese-American Wataru Misaka broke the NBA color barrier in the 1947–48 season when he played for the New York Knicks in the BAA. He was the league’s only non-white player until the first African American, Harold Hunter, signed with the Washington Capitols in 1950. Hunter was cut during training camp, but several other African Americans played 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 won five NBA championships and became the league’s first dynasty, led by center George Mikan, the NBA’s first superstar. In 1954, the league introduced the 24-second shot clock to encourage shooting and stop stalling.

Celtics' dominance, league expansion and competition (1956–1979)

In 1957, rookie center Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics, which already had guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, and went on to lead the team to 11 NBA titles in thirteen seasons. Center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league with the Warriors in 1959 and became a star of the 1960s.

The 1960s were dominated by the Celtics. Led by Russell, Cousy, and Auerbach, Boston won eight straight championships from 1959 to 1966. They didn’t win the title in 1966–67, but won it again in the 1967–68 season and repeated in 1968–69.

Through this period, the NBA continued to grow with the move 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, adding 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 competed for players. The NBA signed the most important college star of the era, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), who became the league’s best player of the 1970s.

In 1969, Alan Siegel, who designed the Major League Baseball logo the previous year, created the modern NBA logo. It features the silhouette of Jerry West, based on a photo by Wen Roberts. The logo debuted in 1971 and remains a key part of the NBA brand.

The ABA signed many major stars in the 1970s, including Julius Erving of the Virginia Squires. 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) expanded the league to 17. The New Orleans Jazz (now in Utah) joined in 1974. After the 1976 season, the leagues settled and added four ABA franchises to the NBA—the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and New York Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets)—bringing the number of NBA teams to 22.

Surging popularity and Bulls' dynasty (1979–1998)

The league added the ABA’s three-point field goal in 1979. That same year, rookies Larry Bird and Magic Johnson joined the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers respectively, helping draw fans to the league. The two had faced each other in the 1979 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game, and later played against each other in three NBA Finals (1984, 1985, and 1987). In the 1980s, Johnson led the Lakers to five titles while Bird led the Celtics to three titles. Also in the early 1980s, the NBA added another expansion franchise, the Dallas Mavericks, bringing the league to 23 teams. Later, Bird won the first three three-point shooting contests. On February 1, 1984, David Stern became commissioner of the NBA; he would lead the league to new heights of popularity and success.

Michael Jordan entered the league in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls, sparking more interest. In 1988 and 1989, the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves made their NBA debuts, bringing the league to 27 teams. The Detroit Pistons won back-to-back NBA championships in 1989 and 1990, led by coach Chuck Daly and guard Isiah Thomas. Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to two three-peats in eight years during the 1991–1998 seasons. Hakeem Olajuwon won back-to-back titles with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995.

The 1992 Olympic basketball Dream Team, the first to use current NBA stars, featured 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.

In 1995, the NBA expanded to Canada with the addition of the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors. In 1996, the NBA created a women’s league, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Lakers' and Spurs' dynasties (1998–2014)

Between 1998 and 2014, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs led their teams to five championships each.

In 1998, the NBA owners began a lockout that paused all league business until a new agreement could be reached, shortening the season to 50 games.

After the Chicago Bulls championship team broke up in the summer of 1998, the Western Conference dominated much of the next two decades. The Los Angeles Lakers, coached by Phil Jackson, and the San Antonio Spurs, coached by Gregg Popovich, combined to reach 13 Finals in 16 seasons, winning 10 titles. The Spurs won the title again in 2003 against the Nets. In 2004, the Lakers returned to the Finals but lost in five games to the Detroit Pistons.

After the Hornets moved to New Orleans in 2002, the NBA returned to North Carolina, as the Charlotte Bobcats were formed as an expansion team in 2004.

The league’s image suffered after a violent incident between players and fans in a November 2004 game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons. In response, players were suspended and the league tightened security.

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.

After the Spurs won the championship again in 2005, the 2006 Finals featured two franchises 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. 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 their 17th championship.

The NBA Board of Governors approved the Seattle SuperSonics’ request to move to Oklahoma City on April 18, 2008. The team couldn’t move until it settled a lawsuit filed by the city of Seattle. 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. The Oklahoma City Thunder began playing in the 2008–09 season.

The Lakers won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, against the Orlando Magic and the Celtics. The 2010 NBA All-Star Game was held at Cowboys Stadium in front of the largest crowd ever: 108,713.

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 NBA and the regular referees reached a deal on October 23, 2009.

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 rematch 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 in a rematch with the Spurs in the 2014 Finals.

The 2011–12 season began with another lockout, the league’s fourth. After the first few weeks of the season were canceled, the players and owners ratified a new agreement on December 8, 2011, setting up a shortened 66-game season.

After the 2012–13 season, the New Orleans Hornets were renamed the Pelicans. By May 2014, the Bobcats 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.

On February 1, 2014, commissioner David Stern retired after 30 years and was succeeded by his deputy, Adam Silver.

Warriors' dynasty (2014–2022)

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. However, the Cavaliers overcame a 3–1 deficit in the Finals to win their first championship that season, ending a 52-year professional sports championship drought for the city of Cleveland. In the 2016–17 season, the Warriors added free agent Kevin Durant and won the 2017 and 2018 Finals against the Cavaliers.

After James left 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.

The 2019–20 season was paused indefinitely on March 11, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. 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” at Walt Disney World without any fans present.

This era also saw a continuous near year-over-year decline in NBA viewership. Between 2012 and 2019, the league lost 40 to 45 percent of its viewership.

During the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals, securing their second NBA championship since 1971, and the Golden State Warriors made their sixth appearance in the finals, defeating the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals, their fourth championship in eight years.

Parity era (2023–present)

2023 saw the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement, which will penalize teams who exceed the luxury tax above certain “apron” thresholds, making it significantly harder for teams to sign multiple superstars to maximum contracts. Seven different champions were crowned in seven years from 2019 to 2025, the longest such stretch in league history, leading numerous outlets to call this the “parity era” in contrast to the dynasties which dominated previous decades.

The 2022–23 season saw the Denver Nuggets, led by center Nikola Jokić, make the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance and defeat the Miami Heat in five games to win their first NBA championship.

The 2023–24 NBA season saw the star-studded Boston Celtics win a championship over the Dallas Mavericks, after five conference finals appearances, and a finals appearance marking their 18th championship, their first since 2008.

The 2025 NBA playoffs featured four teams (Knicks, Pacers, Thunder and Timberwolves) who had championship droughts spanning several decades or who had never won a championship. The Thunder ultimately defeated the Pacers in seven games in the 2025 NBA Finals to win their second title in franchise history and their first in Oklahoma City.

Affiliated leagues

In 1996, the NBA created a women’s league, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2001, an affiliated minor league, the National Basketball Development League, now called the NBA G League, was created. The NBA also operates the NBA 2K League and the Basketball Africa League.

Teams

See also: List of defunct NBA teams, List of relocated NBA teams, Timeline of the National Basketball Association, and Expansion of the NBA

The NBA started in 1946 with 11 teams. Over time, the number of teams changed as new teams joined, some teams left, and others moved. Today, the NBA has 30 teams: 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.

The league is split into two groups of 15 teams each. Each group has three smaller groups with five teams. This way of organizing teams began in the 2004–05 season. Most teams are in the eastern part of the country. There are 13 teams in the Eastern Time Zone, nine in the Central, three in the Mountain, and five in the Pacific.

Regular season

Main article: List of NBA seasons

After a break, NBA teams start training in late September. These training sessions help coaches see how well players, especially new ones, can do and decide who will play in the regular season. Teams can also send some players to the NBA G League for more practice. After training, teams play some practice games before the real season starts in mid-October.

During the regular season, each team plays 82 games, half at home and half away. Teams play some opponents more often than others, so their schedule can be easier or harder.

The NBA has games on Christmas Day, a tradition since 1947. These games often feature the best teams and players and are popular on TV. The league also has games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day every year since 1986.

In February, the season stops for the NBA All-Star Game. Fans vote for their favorite players to be captains and starters. Coaches choose the rest of the players. There are also fun contests like a game for new players, a skills challenge, a three-point shooting contest, and a slam dunk contest.

After the All-Star Game, teams cannot trade players until the season ends, but they can still add or remove players. Near the end of the season in April, awards are given to the best players, coaches, and team leaders.

Playoffs

Main article: NBA playoffs

The NBA playoffs start in April after the regular season and the play-in tournament. The top eight teams from each conference compete for the league’s championship title, the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Teams are ranked based on their regular season records.

Having a higher rank has benefits. The first-ranked team plays the eighth-ranked team, the second plays the seventh, and so on. This means higher-ranked teams usually face weaker opponents in the first round. The team with the better record in each matchup has home-court advantage.

The playoffs use a tournament format where teams compete in best-of-seven series. The first team to win four games moves on to the next round. This continues until one team wins the NBA Finals, which are held in June. The winning team receives the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, and players and key staff get championship rings. The best player in the Finals gets the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.

Championships

Main article: List of NBA champions

Some teams have won the NBA championship many times. The Boston Celtics have won the most, with 18 victories. The Los Angeles Lakers are next with 17 wins. The Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls follow with seven and six championships.

Some current NBA teams have never reached the NBA Finals. These include the Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New Orleans Pelicans.

Media coverage

Main article: NBA on television

See also: List of current NBA broadcasters

The NBA has worked with TV networks in the United States for a long time. It signed its first contract with a national TV broadcaster, the DuMont Television Network, during the 1953–54 season. Later, NBC took over until April 1962. For the 2025–26 season, the NBA made new 11-year deals with networks like ABC and NBC, as well as with ESPN, Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video, to show games across the United States. Games not shown nationally are often broadcast on regional sports networks near where the teams play.

In April 2026, the NBA worked with Reuters to share game highlights and official content worldwide.

Marketing and social responsibility

In 2016, the NBA decided that its teams could put small ads from companies on their jerseys starting in the 2017–18 season. These ads would go on the front of the jerseys, next to the Nike logo. This made the NBA the first big sports league in North America to allow ads on team uniforms.

Also in 2017, the NBA changed its logo slightly, using different colors and letters. That same year, all teams started wearing new uniforms made by Nike, replacing the old uniforms made by Adidas. Teams now have different uniforms for different occasions instead of just “home” and “away” uniforms.

NBA Cares

The NBA has a program called NBA Cares that works on important social issues around the world.

International competitions

Main article: List of games played between NBA and international teams

The NBA has played in some international club competitions. The first was an exhibition game in 1978 in Tel Aviv, Israel, between the Washington Bullets and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv. From 1987 to 1999, NBA teams played against championship club teams from Asia, Europe, and South America in the McDonald's Championship. NBA teams won every time this tournament was held.

The first regular season NBA league games in Europe happened in 2011. In two matchups, the New Jersey Nets played the Toronto Raptors at the O2 Arena in London.

On March 10, 2025, the NBA and Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) announced that in October 2025, the New Orleans Pelicans would play two preseason games at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne as part of the NBA x NBL: Melbourne Series.

Ticket prices and viewership demographics

In 2022, the average cost of a ticket was $77.75. Prices could be as low as $10 or as high as $100,000, depending on the game.

The NBA has many young fans. In 2022, only 30 percent of viewers were women. In 2014, about 45 percent of viewers were black and 40 percent were white. By 2017, the number of white viewers had dropped, while black viewers increased. Other groups included Hispanic and Asian viewers. The NBA was more popular among Democrats than Republicans.

The NBA is also popular outside the U.S., especially in China. NBA China is worth around $4 billion.

Criticisms and controversies

Main article: NBA criticisms and controversies

In 2006, the NBA changed the type of basketball used, but many players did not like it. The NBA went back to the old ball the next year.

There have been problems with people betting on NBA games. In 2007, a referee was found to have bet on games, which caused trouble.

Some teams have been accused of losing games on purpose to get better chances to choose new players. This is called "tanking," and the NBA is trying to stop it.

In 2014, a team owner made hurtful comments and was banned from the NBA.

The NBA has also had questions about its partnerships with other countries. In 2024, the NBA played games in the United Arab Emirates, but some groups had concerns.

Notable people

Further information: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Presidents and commissioners

Further information: Commissioner of the NBA

• Maurice Podoloff, President from 1946 to 1963
• Walter Kennedy, President from 1963 to 1967 and Commissioner from 1967 to 1975
• Larry O'Brien, Commissioner from 1975 to 1984
• David Stern, Commissioner from 1984 to 2014
• Adam Silver, Commissioner from 2014 to present

Players

• NBA 75th Anniversary Team
• Lists of National Basketball Association players

Foreign players

Further information: List of foreign NBA players

Since the late 1980s, players from many countries have joined the NBA. In 2007, a game between the Houston Rockets with Yao Ming and the Milwaukee Bucks with Yi Jianlian was watched by many people in China.

By the 2013–14 season, there were players from 39 countries. The NBA counts players born outside the United States and Washington, D.C. as international, even if they are U.S. citizens.

In the 2023–24 season, some teams had many international players. For seven years, the league's MVP award was given to an international player.

Below is a list of foreign players who have won NBA awards or been recognized for their contributions to basketball:

• Dražen Petrović, Croatia – inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuania – inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Lithuania – inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Vlade Divac, Serbia – inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Toni Kukoč, Croatia – inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Peja Stojaković, Serbia – NBA champion
• Dirk Nowitzki, Germany – NBA champion, 2007 NBA MVP
• Hedo Türkoğlu, Turkey – 2008 Most Improved Player Award winner
• Pau Gasol, Spain – two-time NBA champion
• Andrei Kirilenko, Russia – 2004 NBA All-Star
• Tony Parker, France – four-time NBA champion
• Manu Ginóbili, Argentina – four-time NBA champion
• Yao Ming, China – inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Leandro Barbosa, Brazil – NBA champion
• Andrea Bargnani, Italy – first overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece – NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP
• Nikola Jokić, Serbia – NBA champion, three-time NBA MVP
• Luka Dončić, Slovenia – five-time NBA All-Star

Some young players have attended American colleges before joining the NBA. Examples include:

• Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigeria – two-time NBA champion, 12-time NBA All-Star
• Dikembe Mutombo, Congo – four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year
• Rik Smits, Netherlands – 1998 NBA All-Star
• Detlef Schrempf, Germany – two-time NBA Sixth Man Award winner
• Steve Nash, Canada – two-time NBA MVP
• Andrew Wiggins, Canada – first overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Canada – 2025 NBA scoring leader
• Luc Longley, Australia – three-time NBA champion
• Andrew Bogut, Australia – 2015 NBA champion
• Ben Simmons, Australia – first overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft
• Luol Deng, England – 2007 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner
• Joel Embiid, Cameroon – 2023 NBA MVP
• Pascal Siakam, Cameroon – 2019 NBA champion

Coaches

• List of current NBA head coaches
• List of NBA player-coaches
• List of NBA championship head coaches
• List of foreign NBA coaches
• Top 10 Coaches in NBA History

Female coaches

See also: List of female NBA coaches

Becky Hammon became the second female coach in NBA history when she joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.

Others

• List of NBA team owners
• List of NBA referees