National Basketball Association
North American professional men's basketball league / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men's 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]
Upcoming season or competition: 2024–25 NBA season | |
Sport | Basketball |
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Founded | June 6, 1946; 78 years ago (1946-06-06) (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) | Boston Celtics (18th title) |
Most titles | Boston Celtics (18 titles) |
TV partner(s) |
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Official website | NBA.com |
The NBA was created on August 3, 1949, with the merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL). The league later adopted the BAA's history and considers its founding on June 6, 1946, as its own.[4][1][5] 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.[6][7][8]
The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB),[9] 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. The NBA is the third-wealthiest professional sports league in the world by revenue after the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB).[10]
The Boston Celtics have the most NBA championships with 18 and are currently the reigning league champions, having defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals.