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How was the National Basketball Association Created?

The National Basketball Association or NBA as its most commonly referred, is one of the most popular and profitable sports leagues worldwide. The NBA is the premier professional basketball league in the world, with millions of viewers tuning in to get a glimpse of the action on a nightly basis.

How was the National Basketball Association created? The NBA originally began as the Basketball Association of America, or BAA . Its inception began in 1946, playing under that name for three years until the end of 1949. Following the 1949 season, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League or NBL, forming the league we know today under the NBA umbrella.

As currently a household name across the globe, the creation and ascendance of the NBA is both fascinating and historically significant when dissecting some of the most influential leagues that have impacted the overall status of sport.  

The origins of the NBA

The BAA begun life with 11 teams in 1946, but with a lack of resources, the league lost four of those teams before the commencement of the next season. Despite the departure of the four franchises, the BAA was experiencing a high-level of success compared to its counterpart NBL, and managed to lure four of the premier organizations over to the BAA in 1948. 

When the two leagues merged in 1949, that brought the total number of teams to 17, but with such a sudden surge in franchises, the inevitable loss of teams followed. In a short six-year span, the league had dropped all the way down to just eight teams, as the financial implications of the merger forced some organizations to depart.

The inception of the NBA unearthed financial issues that many involved in the league weren’t anticipating, especially for the NBL teams that joined the merger from small markets cities. At this time, it’s important to note that Frank Zollner, the owner of the Fort Wayne Pistons, kept the league financially viable during this period. 

The league continued with eight franchises from 1955 to 1961, when the then Chicago Packers entered the association. The Packers are now known as the Washington Wizards, and although they joined the league before the Chicago Bulls in 1966, the Bulls are formally recognized in NBA history as the first expansion team due to them partaking in the expansion draft.

As the league continued to stabilize and grow financially, the NBA went through an expansion explosion from 1966 to 2004, adding 21 teams to the association during that time.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing however, as during the 1960s when the league was steadily adding teams, a rival league emerged called the American Basketball Association or ABA as it was known. Looking back, the ABA was successful in its own right, showcasing stars such as Julius Erving and lasting from 1967 to 1976 before merging with the NBA.

Due to the league trying to establish itself and the consistent growth spurts that were occurring, the balance of power was usually lopsided in the early days of the NBA from a competitive standpoint. As such, historians label these the “teams of the era”.

The early days of the NBA saw the Minneapolis Lakers dominating the competition behind league star George Mikan. From 1948 to 1954, the Lakers won five NBA championships under his excellence.

Proceeding the Lakers success, it was the Boston Celtics turn as the powerhouse in the league. The Celtics won an astonishing 11 championships in 13 seasons between 1957 and 1969, led by hall of famer Bill Russell – who still holds the records for the most titles in league history.

The Evolution of the NBA

The Lakers and Celtics then went on to share the spoils during the 1980s, dominating the competition and winning eight out of the 10 championships on offer in that span. The two storied franchises were headlined by their superstars Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who’s rivalry grew the very fabric of basketball and saved the league in most historian’s eyes.

As the Bird and Magic rivalry dominated the decade, interest about the NBA in America grew, and this led to the first major TV deals being signed amidst yet another expansion. As a result, the revenue the NBA was generating was at an all-time high, and the future of the association looked fruitful moving forward.

As Magic and Bird were approaching the end of their prime, the emergence of dynamic scorer Michael Jordan took the game to new heights. The 1990s was truly the age of Jordan, so much so that a case can be made he was bigger than the league itself at the pinnacle of his powers.

The Chicago Bulls captured six NBA titles during Jordan’s tenure, taking the game global and exposing the NBA to international markets. The post Jordan era saw an influx of international players, increasing the talent pool of the league, and welcoming players such as Dirk Nowitzki who went on to become icons on a worldwide scale.

As the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons squeezed in back-to-back championships just before Jordan’s time and during his first retirement, the past two decades since 2000 have seen the most well rounded competitive balance in league history.

NBA Teams which have won the NBA

The Lakers, Pistons and Celtics have all won again during this period, but the league has also seen the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors crowned champions. As you can see, the improved competitive balance has seen smaller markets finally become realistic title contenders, and that has since remained in recent years.

Now, we may be on the verge of history repeating itself as the Los Angeles Lakers reigned supreme last campaign for their first title since 2010. Their championship run tied the Celtics for the most championships in league history at 17, and the purple and gold will now look to re-write the record books as title favorites for the foreseeable future.