National Basketball Association (NBA) | History & Facts | Britannica (original) (raw)
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National Basketball Association (NBA), professional basketball league formed in the United States in 1949 by the merger of two rival organizations, the National Basketball League (founded 1937) and the Basketball Association of America (founded 1946). In 1976 the NBA absorbed four teams from the American Basketball Association (ABA), which disbanded that year.
(Read James Naismith’s 1929 Britannica essay on his invention of basketball.)
League growth and membership
By the early 1980s the NBA was plagued by money-losing franchises, low attendance, declining television ratings, and limited national appeal. The league soon rebounded under the leadership of David Stern, NBA commissioner from 1984, who helped transform it into an international entertainment company. Aggressive marketing highlighted star players such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and, especially, Michael Jordan. Other innovations included league limits on player salaries, lucrative broadcast rights for network and cable television, and expanded All-Star Game festivities.
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The NBA membership was divided into two conferences, each with three divisions. There were 30 teams, aligned as follows:
The top-ranking teams at the end of each season engage in a playoff to determine the NBA champion, which claims the title of world champion. Probably the most dominant team in NBA history was the Boston Celtics, which, led by centre Bill Russell, won 11 of 13 titles from 1956–57 to 1968–69; however, the league in those years contained only 8 to 14 teams, and team owners widely avoided signing African American players at the time. Other outstanding clubs were the Minneapolis (later Los Angeles) Lakers in the 1950s, the Los Angeles Lakers in the ’80s, and the Chicago Bulls in the ’90s.
NBA championship
Winners of the National Basketball Association championship are provided in the table.
National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship
| season | winner | runner-up | results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–47 | Philadelphia Warriors | Chicago Stags | 4–1 |
| 1947–48 | Baltimore Bullets | Philadelphia Warriors | 4–2 |
| 1948–49 | Minneapolis Lakers | Washington Capitols | 4–2 |
| 1949–50 | Minneapolis Lakers | Syracuse Nationals | 4–2 |
| 1950–51 | Rochester Royals | New York Knickerbockers | 4–3 |
| 1951–52 | Minneapolis Lakers | New York Knickerbockers | 4–3 |
| 1952–53 | Minneapolis Lakers | New York Knickerbockers | 4–1 |
| 1953–54 | Minneapolis Lakers | Syracuse Nationals | 4–3 |
| 1954–55 | Syracuse Nationals | Fort Wayne Pistons | 4–3 |
| 1955–56 | Philadelphia Warriors | Fort Wayne Pistons | 4–1 |
| 1956–57 | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | 4–3 |
| 1957–58 | St. Louis Hawks | Boston Celtics | 4–2 |
| 1958–59 | Boston Celtics | Minneapolis Lakers | 4–0 |
| 1959–60 | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | 4–3 |
| 1960–61 | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | 4–1 |
| 1961–62 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–3 |
| 1962–63 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–2 |
| 1963–64 | Boston Celtics | San Francisco Warriors | 4–1 |
| 1964–65 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–1 |
| 1965–66 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–3 |
| 1966–67 | Philadelphia 76ers | San Francisco Warriors | 4–2 |
| 1967–68 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–2 |
| 1968–69 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–3 |
| 1969–70 | New York Knickerbockers | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–3 |
| 1970–71 | Milwaukee Bucks | Baltimore Bullets | 4–0 |
| 1971–72 | Los Angeles Lakers | New York Knickerbockers | 4–1 |
| 1972–73 | New York Knickerbockers | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–1 |
| 1973–74 | Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | 4–3 |
| 1974–75 | Golden State Warriors | Washington Bullets | 4–0 |
| 1975–76 | Boston Celtics | Phoenix Suns | 4–2 |
| 1976–77 | Portland Trail Blazers | Philadelphia 76ers | 4–2 |
| 1977–78 | Washington Bullets | Seattle SuperSonics | 4–3 |
| 1978–79 | Seattle SuperSonics | Washington Bullets | 4–1 |
| 1979–80 | Los Angeles Lakers | Philadelphia 76ers | 4–2 |
| 1980–81 | Boston Celtics | Houston Rockets | 4–2 |
| 1981–82 | Los Angeles Lakers | Philadelphia 76ers | 4–2 |
| 1982–83 | Philadelphia 76ers | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–0 |
| 1983–84 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–3 |
| 1984–85 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | 4–2 |
| 1985–86 | Boston Celtics | Houston Rockets | 4–2 |
| 1986–87 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | 4–2 |
| 1987–88 | Los Angeles Lakers | Detroit Pistons | 4–3 |
| 1988–89 | Detroit Pistons | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–0 |
| 1989–90 | Detroit Pistons | Portland Trail Blazers | 4–1 |
| 1990–91 | Chicago Bulls | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–1 |
| 1991–92 | Chicago Bulls | Portland Trail Blazers | 4–2 |
| 1992–93 | Chicago Bulls | Phoenix Suns | 4–2 |
| 1993–94 | Houston Rockets | New York Knickerbockers | 4–3 |
| 1994–95 | Houston Rockets | Orlando Magic | 4–0 |
| 1995–96 | Chicago Bulls | Seattle SuperSonics | 4–2 |
| 1996–97 | Chicago Bulls | Utah Jazz | 4–2 |
| 1997–98 | Chicago Bulls | Utah Jazz | 4–2 |
| 1998–99 | San Antonio Spurs | New York Knickerbockers | 4–1 |
| 1999–2000 | Los Angeles Lakers | Indiana Pacers | 4–2 |
| 2000–01 | Los Angeles Lakers | Philadelphia 76ers | 4–1 |
| 2001–02 | Los Angeles Lakers | New Jersey Nets | 4–0 |
| 2002–03 | San Antonio Spurs | New Jersey Nets | 4–2 |
| 2003–04 | Detroit Pistons | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–1 |
| 2004–05 | San Antonio Spurs | Detroit Pistons | 4–3 |
| 2005–06 | Miami Heat | Dallas Mavericks | 4–2 |
| 2006–07 | San Antonio Spurs | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4–0 |
| 2007–08 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–2 |
| 2008–09 | Los Angeles Lakers | Orlando Magic | 4–1 |
| 2009–10 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | 4–3 |
| 2010–11 | Dallas Mavericks | Miami Heat | 4–2 |
| 2011–12 | Miami Heat | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4–1 |
| 2012–13 | Miami Heat | San Antonio Spurs | 4–3 |
| 2013–14 | San Antonio Spurs | Miami Heat | 4–1 |
| 2014–15 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4–2 |
| 2015–16 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | 4–3 |
| 2016–17 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4–1 |
| 2017–18 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4–0 |
| 2018–19 | Toronto Raptors | Golden State Warriors | 4–2 |
| 2019–20 | Los Angeles Lakers | Miami Heat | 4–2 |
| 2020–21 | Milwaukee Bucks | Phoenix Suns | 4–2 |
| 2021–22 | Golden State Warriors | Boston Celtics | 4–2 |
| 2022–23 | Denver Nuggets | Miami Heat | 4–1 |
| 2023–24 | Boston Celtics | Dallas Mavericks | 4–1 |
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.