The process of contraction saw the league's smaller-city franchises move to larger cities. In 1950, the NBA consolidated to eleven franchises, a process that continued until 1954–55, when the league reached its smallest size of eight franchises: the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Warriors, Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals, Fort Wayne Pistons, Milwaukee Hawks, and Syracuse Nationals, all of which remain in the league today, although the latter six all did eventually relocate. The new league had seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities, as well as large arenas and smaller gymnasiums and armories. It now reckons the arrival of the NBL teams as an expansion, not a merger, and does not recognize NBL records and statistics. To this day, the NBA claims the BAA's history as its own. In deference to the merger and to avoid possible legal complications, the league name was changed to the present National Basketball Association, even though the merged league retained the BAA's governing body, including Maurice Podoloff as president. On August 3, 1949, the remaining NBL teams–Syracuse, Anderson, Tri-Cities, Sheboygan, Denver, and Waterloo–merged into the BAA. Prior to the 1948–49 season, however, NBL teams from Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Rochester jumped to the BAA, which established the BAA as the league of choice for collegians looking to turn professional. 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. 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. Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues, including the American Basketball League (ABL) and the NBL, the BAA was the first league to attempt to play primarily in large arenas in major cities. The first basket was made by Ossie Schectman of the Knickerbockers. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, in a game the NBA now refers to as the first game played in NBA history. The Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. Main article: Basketball Association of America History Creation and BAA–NBL merger (1946–1956) The reigning league champions are the Denver Nuggets, who defeated the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are tied for the most NBA championships with 17 each. In North America, the NBA is the third wealthiest professional sport league after the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) by revenue, and among the top four in the world. The league's several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices in Midtown Manhattan, while its NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey. The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. As of 2020, NBA players are the world's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player. The league's playoff tournament extends into June. The NBA's regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. In 1976, the NBA and the American Basketball Association (ABA) merged, adding four franchises to the NBA. It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with the competing National Basketball League (NBL). The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional basketball league in the world. 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).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |