Global InformationNational Basketball Association information
Current season, competition or edition: 2023–24 NBA season | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 6, 1946 (as BAA), New York, New York, U.S.[1] |
| First season | 1946–47 |
| Commissioner | Adam Silver |
| No. of teams | 30 |
| Countries | United States (29 teams) Canada (1 team) |
| Headquarters | 645 Fifth Avenue New York, New York, U.S.[2] |
| Most recent champion(s) | Denver Nuggets (1st title) |
| Most titles | Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers (17 each) |
| TV partner(s) |
|
| Official website | NBA.com |
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). 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.[3]
The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[1] It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with the competing National Basketball League (NBL).[4] In 1976, the NBA and the American Basketball Association (ABA) merged, adding four franchises to the NBA. The NBA's regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. The league's playoff tournament extends into June, culminating with the NBA Finals championship series. As of 2020[update], NBA players are the world's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player.[5][6][7]
The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB),[8] which is recognized by the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. 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. 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.[9]
The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are tied for the most NBA championships with 17 each. The reigning league champions are the Denver Nuggets, who defeated the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals.
- ^ a b "This Date in the NBA: June". National Basketball Association. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
June 6, 1946–The National Basketball Association was founded at the Commodore Hotel in New York. Maurice Podoloff was the league's first president, a title later changed to commissioner.
- ^ "NBA Directories" (PDF). National Basketball Association. October 17, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
- ^ Rathborn, Jack (November 18, 2020). "NBA Draft 2020: What time does it start in the UK, who has the No 1 pick and how can I watch it?". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
The 2020 NBA Draft is here after days of juicy gossip surrounding trades as the world's greatest basketball league dominates the headlines during its offseason.
- ^ "This Date in the NBA: August". National Basketball Association. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "The World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2020". Forbes.
- ^ "REVEALED: The world's best paid teams, Man City close in on Barca and Real Madrid". SportingIntelligence.com. May 1, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
- ^ Gaines, Cork. "The NBA is the highest-paying sports league in the world". Business Insider. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- ^ "Members of USA Basketball". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Mathewson, TJ (March 7, 2019). "TV is biggest driver in global sport league revenue". GlobalSportMatters.com. Retrieved December 25, 2020.