How NBA Was Born – A Brief History Of The #1 Basketball League

By: Olena

Posted: March 8, 2024

Updated: March 8, 2024

The National Basketball Association is the most popular league worldwide
Despite its enormous influence and viewership, few people know how NBA was born

We all know that the National Basketball Association is the most popular basketball league worldwide. Despite its enormous influence and viewership, few people know how NBA was born. Meanwhile, its history dates back to the early 20th century and might be interesting to fans.

How NBA was Born: Successor of the Basketball Association of America

The NBA began in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA), formed by a group of ice hockey arena owners looking to capitalize on the growing popularity of basketball. The BAA started with 11 teams in cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago. Although there had been previous attempts at creating a basketball league by NBL and ABL (American Basketball League), it was not until BAA popularized basketball by playing at major sports arenas in big cities.

A Shift in Basketball Hierarchy

By 1948, BAA started to look more attractive for big American teams, and those began to switch from NBL and ABL to BAA. The Baltimore Bullets, finalists in the 1948 ABL, transitioned to the BAA and claimed the league's championship in 1948. Similarly, the Minneapolis Lakers, champions of the 1948 NBL, secured the 1949 BAA title. Before the 1948–49 season, NBL teams from Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Rochester switched to the BAA, solidifying its status as the preferred league for college players seeking to go pro. The remaining National Basketball League teams, which included Syracuse, Anderson, Tri-Cities, Sheboygan, Denver, and Waterloo, combined with the Basketball Association of America (BAA) to form the National Basketball Association we all know and bet on at online sportsbooks in the US.

Turning into the National Basketball Association

1949 was the year when the league got its current name, and this is how the NBA was born. This name change was made to avoid legal issues and acknowledge the merger. Despite keeping the BAA's leadership intact, with Maurice Podoloff serving as president, the NBA incorporates the history of the BAA as its own. Presently, the NBA considers the inclusion of the NBL teams as an expansion rather than a merger and does not acknowledge NBL records and statistics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_epkRuIkJEA The National Basketball Association initially comprised seventeen franchises spread across various urban settings, ranging from major metropolises to smaller towns. These teams played in a mix of large arenas and smaller venues like gymnasiums and armories. From 1950 onwards, the NBA underwent a consolidation process, gradually reducing its number of franchises to eleven by 1954–55, ultimately reaching a minimum of eight. The remaining franchises included the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Warriors, Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals, Fort Wayne Pistons, Milwaukee Hawks, and Syracuse Nationals, all of which are still active today. However, the latter six have relocated over time. This contraction phase involved smaller city teams moving to larger urban centers. For instance, the Hawks relocated from the Tri-Cities to Milwaukee in 1951 before settling in St. Louis in 1955. Similarly, the Rochester Royals moved from Rochester, New York, to Cincinnati in 1957, and the Pistons shifted from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Detroit in the same year.

NBA today

Since the 1950s, the NBA has grown in popularity, expanded its reach globally, and become a significant part of popular culture. Its players like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant became household names, while the number of viewers and punters at online gambling sites in the US has been increasing year by year. In the ongoing 2023-24 season, the NBA is led by the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Oklahoma City Thunder, who are expected to fight for this year's championship in the playoffs and finals. You can support any of these teams to win at Everygame.