The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the world's top men's professional basketball league. It has 30 teams: twenty-nine in the United States and one in Canada.
The NBA was founded on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). Initially designed to promote basketball in larger cities, it merged with its rival organization, the National Basketball League (NBL), in 1949, adopting its current name.
Early challenges included competing with college basketball, which was huge, and securing a fanbase. However, by the 1960s and 1970s, players like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had become stars, drawing attention to the NBA.
Further progress came in the 1980s with the rivalry between Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers. This period also saw the rise of Michael Jordan, whose impact transcended basketball. New talents like LeBron James and Steph Curry emerged as the league expanded internationally in the 1990s and 2000s.
The NBA operates as a centrally governed entity, with a hierarchical structure that centralizes most of its decision-making while retaining franchise autonomy. The league is overseen by a Commissioner, who is the chief executive officer. Together with the NBA's governing body, the Board of Governors, the Commissioner is responsible for key decisions, including league policies, financial matters, and disciplinary actions.
The NBA consists of 30 franchises, divided into two conferences: the Eastern and Western. Each of its conferences is further divided into three divisions. Each franchise operates as a separate business entity, but they work collaboratively under the umbrella of the NBA to ensure competitive balance, financial viability, and shared market initiatives.
Revenue-sharing agreements and salary caps play a significant role in maintaining team parity. The NBA Players Association (NBPA) represents the interests of players, negotiating collective bargaining agreements that determine salaries, benefits, and working conditions.
The NBA's Eastern Conference includes the Atlantic, Central, and Southeast divisions. The Atlantic division comprises the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors. Teams in the Central division include the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and Milwaukee Bucks. The Southeast division is made up of the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Washington Wizards.
The Western Conference is divided into Northwest, Pacific, and Southwest divisions. The Northwest division is comprised of the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz. The Pacific Division is made up of the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings. The Southwest division has the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Pelicans, and San Antonio Spurs.
The NBA regular season typically runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. The schedule is carefully designed to balance matchups within and across conferences so that each team competes against a variety of opponents. Teams vie for playoff positioning, with performance in the regular season determining the process of ranking teams (seeding) and. home-court advantage.
The regular season also serves as a platform for individual players to showcase their skills with awards like Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Rookie of the Year, recognizing excellent performances. The NBA All-Star Game brings together the league's top talents for a weekend of exhibition games and festivities.
The NBA playoffs, held from April to June, feature the top eight teams from each conference. The playoffs are divided into rounds: Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Conference finals, which culminate in the NBA Finals. Teams compete in best-of-seven series, with the winner of each series advancing to the next round.
The ultimate prize, the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, is awarded to the team that emerges victorious in the NBA Finals.
Conference, division, and team websites, as well as any other online resources specific to the National Basketball Association, are appropriate to this part of our web guide.
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Recommended Resources
Beginning as the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), the company currently operates under the acronym ESPN. Its coverage of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is reflected here, including game videos, scores, schedules, standings, statistics, trade deadlines, and focus on either of the NBA's individual teams. Other resources include odds and futures, where to watch, NBA drafts, and the ability to create or join an ESPN+ League or a Public League for fantasy basketball.
https://www.espn.com/nba/
National Basketball Association
The NBA's official website features the NBA rulebook, NBA officials, points of emphasis, the NBA replay archive, the NBA fan code of conduct, and NBA career opportunities. NBA initiatives are described, along with NBA communications and transactions, its Global Stores, NYC Store, NBA Auctions, and NBA Photostore. Game ticket information, schedules, and featured streaming content are available, along with statistics, teams, players, fantasy basketball, and NBA betting data.
https://www.nba.com/
Interested viewers can explore career opportunities with the National Basketball Association (NBA) on their official careers page. It offers information about job openings, early career programs, and the NBA's commitment to diversity and inclusion. Viewers can search by job title and location. Additionally, a job search feature allows people to find an appropriate job by uploading and using information from their resume or by answering a series of questions.
https://careers.nba.com/
The NBA Play Archive is a feature of the official NBA website that allows fans to access a collection of interactive NBA games. With an NBA ID, a viewer can explore games based on type or difficulty level, such as easy, medium, hard, or expert. These games include trivia, challenges, and other fun activities to test one's knowledge and skills regarding the National Basketball Association. Included are such games as "Fitness Trivia," "Guess the Knicks," "Full Court Guess," and "Player Path."
https://play.nba.com/
NBA Stuffer is an online platform that provides in-depth NBA statistics and basketball analytics. It offers a wide range of data, including advanced team statistics, player statistics, power ranking, and even referee statistics. Viewers can explore metrics like offensive and defensive efficiency, as well as other factors. Other features include a blog that discusses NBA stats, players, and history, trending stats, and an introductory guide to NBA stats and analytics.
https://www.nbastuffer.com/
Top stories from the National Basketball Association are featured here in video format on the NBC website. Also available as a mobile application, regular users will be presented with stories believed to appeal to them, based on past usage. At the same time, anyone can click into stories from either of the thirty NBA teams, which is presented in video format. Viewers can also opt to search via a keyword. Another section, titled "Moments," also presents brief videos.
https://stories.nba.com/
SI is an American sports magazine that was first published in 1954. Currently owned by Authentic Brands Group (ABG), its coverage of the National Basketball Association (NBA) features game scores, schedules, standings, and specific coverage for each of the NBA's thirty franchise teams. Other resources include statistics, injury reports, transactions, and futures. SI-sponsored podcasts are highlighted, and tickets to NBA games may be purchased through SI Tickets.
https://www.si.com/nba
