NBA

In June 1946, Boston Garden owner Walter Brown established the Basketball Association of America in New York, using major hockey arenas for basketball on otherwise vacant nights. The BAA combined with the National Basketball League in 1949 to form the National Basketball Association.⁠[1]

Washington Capitols forward Earl Lloyd became the first African American to play in an NBA game. Competing during segregation, he became an important pioneer in the league’s integration.⁠[2]

Syracuse NationalsPhiladelphia 76ersThe Philadelphia 76ers are an NBA team based at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.Open the full entry owner Danny Biasone proposed a 24-second shot clock to speed up play. After its introduction, average team scoring rose from 79.5 points the previous year to 93.1, reducing the incentive to stall.⁠[3]

Four ABA franchises joined the NBA in 1976.⁠[4]

The NBA adopted the three-point line in 1979–80.⁠[5]

Toronto RaptorsToronto RaptorsThe Toronto Raptors are an NBA basketball team based at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.Open the full entry and Vancouver GrizzliesMemphis GrizzliesThe Memphis Grizzlies are an NBA basketball team in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, playing at FedExForum.Open the full entry joined.⁠[6]

A labor dispute led to a lockout beginning July 1, 1998. It lasted 202 days, delaying the 1998–99 season until February 5, 1999 and reducing the regular season from 82 games to 50. The agreement introduced individual salary ceilings based on NBA experience.⁠[7]

The Charlotte BobcatsCharlotte HornetsThe Charlotte Hornets are an NBA basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, playing at Spectrum Center.Open the full entry brought the league to 30 teams.⁠[8]

Another NBA lockout began on July 1.⁠[9]

On December 8, the Board of Governors ratified a new ten-year collective bargaining agreement, enabling training camps and free-agent signings to resume the following day.⁠[10]

The league scheduled a December 25 opening and a 66-game regular season for each team.⁠[11]

Adam SilverAdam SilverAdam Silver is an American sports executive and lawyer who has been commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since February 1, 2014, overseeing a sports and media organization made up of the NBA, the WNBA, the NBA G League, the NBA 2K League and the Basketball Africa League. He joined the NBA in 1992 and was deputy commissioner and chief operating officer before succeeding David Stern as commissioner; as of October 2026, he is also chair of the Duke University Board of Trustees and a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation.Open the full entry succeeded David Stern as NBA commissioner.⁠[12]

Stern’s 30-year tenure saw the league expand globally, add seven franchises and grow its television business. His initiatives included the WNBA, NBA Cares, the Draft Lottery and Basketball Without Borders.⁠[13]

On March 11, the NBA suspended its season after a Utah JazzUtah JazzThe Utah Jazz are an NBA team based at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.Open the full entry player received a preliminary positive COVID-19 test.⁠[14]

The season resumed on July 30 at Walt Disney World in Florida. Twenty-two teams took part in the restart, staying in hotels on the campus and training and playing at ESPN Wide World of Sports facilities.⁠[15]

The NBA–NBPA collective bargaining agreement took effect, setting player employment terms and the rights and obligations of the league, clubs and union. It runs through 2029–30, with either side able to opt out after 2028–29.⁠[16]

The NBA introduced the In-Season Tournament in 2023–24.⁠[17]

The NBA reached media agreements with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon covering 2025–26 through 2035–36. U.S. national coverage is distributed across ABCABCABC (American Broadcasting Company) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It grew out of NBC’s Blue radio network, took its name after becoming independent in 1943, developed into a national television network after merging with United Paramount Theatres in 1953, was acquired by Capital Cities in 1985, and has been owned by The Walt Disney Company since 1996. With CBS and NBC it is one of the three traditional U.S. broadcast networks, and it is one of the five networks that rotate in the White House television pool.Open the full entry/ESPN, NBCNBCNBC (National Broadcasting Company) is an American national commercial broadcast television network. It was founded by RCA in 1926, began as a radio network and later developed television. With ABC and CBS it is one of the three traditional U.S. broadcast networks; it passed to General Electric with RCA in 1986, merged with Universal to form NBCUniversal in 2004, has been controlled by Comcast since 2011, and is one of the five networks that rotate in the White House television pool.Open the full entry/Peacock and Prime Video. ABC retains exclusive U.S. Finals coverage, while Prime Video carries all Play-In Tournament games.⁠[18]

The Board of Governors authorized formal exploration of expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle, appointing PJT Partners to assess markets, prospective ownership groups, arenas and economic implications. The decision began an evaluation process rather than awarding new franchises.⁠[19]

The season is scheduled to begin on October 20, 2026, with the regular season ending April 11, 2027. Each team is scheduled for 82 regular-season games, with two opponents and dates determined by NBA Cup Group Play results.⁠[20]

The league has Eastern and Western Conferences.⁠[21]

Teams finishing seventh through tenth in each conference enter the Play-In Tournament for that conference’s seventh and eighth playoff seeds.⁠[20]

Regulation games have four 12-minute periods; overtime periods last five minutes. A free throw scores one point; a field goal on or inside the arc scores two, and a legal shot from outside scores three.⁠[22]

NBA: Official website: https://www.nba.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[113]

NBA: X: https://x.com/NBA (opens in a new window).⁠[114]

NBA: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nba/ (opens in a new window).⁠[115]

NBA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nba (opens in a new window).⁠[116]

NBA: YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/@NBA (opens in a new window).⁠[117]