The national basketball association nba is a professional mens basketball league, consisting of 30 teams in north america29 in the united states and one in canada. Heres the story behind the nicknames of all 30 nba teams. The blueprint for how the league could finish the 201920 season. Every time you scored, the other team is given possession of the ball. Every june fans line up waiting to see who their favorite nba team will select in the draft. Torontos nba franchise unveils the team name and colours. The national basketball association nba is a mens professional basketball league in north. Up to that point in olympic history, basketball had been played by amateurs, primarily college players many of whom would go on to play in the nba. Each team normally has 1 pick in the first round, and 1 pick in the second round based on their record and maybe a little luck in the draft lottery.
List of defunct national basketball association teams wikipedia. List of relocated national basketball association teams. The bobcats soon announced they would rename themselves the hornets beginning with the 201415 nba season, and the name change became official on may 20, 2014. The original bullets were the last defunct team to leave the nba, having left during the 195455 season, and are the only defunct team to have won an nba championship.
The baa started out with 11 teams in 1946 but lost four of them before the start of the next season. Red was a walking history book when it came to pro basketball. At the time of the change to hornets, the team also said that it had reached a deal with the nba and the pelicans to split the pelicans history and records between the two teams. Of course, jerry colangelo, thengeneral manager of the new franchise, went on to select suns out of the 28,000 responses received in the name the team contest. But were only interested in the nba portion of history, which means were left. By marc lawrence after a dismal 17 start, the atlanta falcons are one team nobody in the nfl wants to play at the moment. Atlanta hawks, tricities blackhawks 194951 milwaukee hawks. Orlando magic 1989present originally an aba team in dallas, they changed their name and moved to their current location before joining the nba in the 1976 merger. Ask any elite basketball player, and they will tell you that nicknames arent just given away in nba theyre earned. Charlotte hornets nba simple english wikipedia, the free. The name change came along with the purchase of the team by its new owner, tom benson. Through the 1950s, though, the number of teams dwindled, along with fan support, and by. The nba began life as the basketball association of america in 1946 and played under that monkier for 3 years before, in 1949, merging with the national basketball league and changing names to the nba.
Phil jackson, michael jordan, scottie pippen, dennis rodman, steve kerr. Includes changes that may have happened before the team joined the nba. The national basketball association nba is a mens professional basketball league in north america, composed of 30 teams 29 in the united states and 1 in canada. According to michael leo donovans book on team nicknames, yankees to. Aug 01, 2019 on this day in 1976, the national basketball association nba merges with its rival, the american basketball association aba, and takes on the abas four. Each team normally has 1 pick in the first round, and 1 pick in the second round based on their record and maybe a. In 1997, the late abe pollin, then owner of the washington bullets, changed his teams name to the washington wizards. College basketball and the lure of the nba britannica. Most stunning team changes in nba history fox sports. He remained the only non white player in league history prior to the first. Kareem abduljabbar lew alcindor, 511971 the day after the bucks won their lone nba title, religious reasons islam. Hope perseveres to eventually declare a 201920 nba champion. It is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the united states and canada, and is widely considered to be the premier mens professional basketball league in the world.
Beginning play as an expansion team in 1989, this team was the first professional basketball team in their citys history. In 1994, the nets were reportedly considering changing their nickname to the swamp. Probably the most outstanding team in nba history was the boston celtics, which, led by centre bill russell, won 11 of titles from 195657 to 196869. The team was nicknamed the blackhawks, who, like chicagos hockey team, were named after the sauk indian chief black hawk. Jun 01, 2018 nba commissioner adam silver says there have been no discussions about changing the rules for rookie of the year, as debate continues over 2016 no.
Every member of 30,000point club its an exclusive club. The nba registe r is a comprehensive listing of current players and coaches in the nba along with. May 19, 2018 all 30 nba team name origins explained. The nba was founded in new york city on june 6, 1946, as the basketball association of america baa. Zone defenses are allowed teams are permitted to carry 12 players. After winning six championships in eight seasons, the chicago bulls dynastic run came to an end in the summer of 1998. Every day, well send you an email to your inbox with scores, todays schedule, top performers, new debuts and interesting facts and tidbits. When philadelphia was awarded a charter nba franchise in 1946, the owners decided to name the team after an old philadelphia basketball team, the warriors, who played as members of the american basketball league in 1925.
But as part of the team s rebuilding process, olajuwon was traded to the toronto raptors in 2001 where he played the final season of his career. The nbas 50 greatest players were unveiled for the nbas golden anniversary season in 1996. Score nba gear, jerseys, apparel, memorabilia, dvds, clothing and other nba products for all 30 teams. The national basketball association nba is a professional mens basketball league. Ranking every nba franchise on historical success bleacher. Getty images the nba has gone through countless changes over the past 66 years. Team ambassador drake has helped inspire alternate versions of raptors merchandise, which heavily favor black and gold. Trying to put together a list of every player who changed their name while they were an active player. The boston celtics and new york knickerbockers are. Regular ol nba melo, on the other hand, has to make due with still being one. The new nba was made up of 17 teams that represented both small towns and large cities across the country. The boston celtics and new york knickerbockers are two nba teams that started and still play in the same nba city and have the same team name. He remained the only nonwhite player in league history prior to the first. Chase center, the newest arena in the nba, opened in 2019.
When the team moved to milwaukee in 1951, the nickname was shortened to. The history of basketball dates back more than a hundred years to 1891, springfield, massachusetts, usa. Im justin fraction, and today we present the 10 worst logo changes in sports. Shop for men, women and kids basketball gear and merchandise at store. And a big shoutout to dahminator209 for suggesting this video. Jul 31, 2019 the new nba was made up of 17 teams that represented both small towns and large cities across the country. The format im using is changed name prechange name, date of change, reason if given. This personalized basketball book retraces the history of any nba team you select through the perspective of the new york times.
The topranking teams at the end of each season engage in a playoff to determine the nba champion, which claims the title of world champion. Also special thanks to the dozens of nba history books that weve read. James naismith born november 6th, 1861 died november 28th, 1939 was a physical educator in the school for christian. Jan 11, 2018 im justin fraction, and today we present the 10 worst logo changes in sports. The raptors move to red over purple as their primary color for one of the more drastic changes in nba uniform history, but it seems to be workingtoronto won the 2019 nba title in their new duds. History of the game of basketball including the nba and the ncaa. According to an ncaa survey, however, more than threefourths of division i mens basketball players believe that it is somewhat likely that they will play professionally. Until the conclusion of the 2012 season, the team was named the new orleans hornets. It adopted the name national basketball association at the start of the. Ranking 25 best nba stars to change teams in their primes, from. List of national basketball association arenas wikipedia. The new orleans pelicans are a professional basketball team in the national basketball association.
The origin stories of every nba teams name bleacher report. The team became the san francisco warriors after they relocated to the west coast in 1962, and changed its name to the golden state warriorssymbolizing a team belonging to all of california, the golden state upon settling into a new home in oakland in 1971. Bog wrote a very detailed history of the name change, and called into question the. Do you know where these nba legends earned the nicknames that stuck with them throughout their careers. Nba reporter doug smith writing book about toronto raptors as. The team s current location is given as the hint, even if the team has moved cities since changing the name. If we lean the other way and use players who were the only ones to have their particular names in nba history, that team would be almost unbeatable lebron, kawhi. The untold story of what fuels michael jordans legendary fire. A better question might be is this even something that can be answered. This is the inside tale of michael jordans deep family history, back to wilmington, north carolina, down a tiny stretch of rural. The first pro basketball league, the national basketball league, formed in. When the team changed names to the current one in 2014, it absorbed the. Golden state warriors roster, team stats, streak information, home vs.
A chronology of the teams in the nba boston celtics. The name basket ball came from a student who first learned the game. Team officials wanted a name that reflected the western heritage of texas, so a contest was held and the name spurs was chosen. Can you identify the nba team if we give you the nicknames of. Veteran nba reporter doug smith is writing a book about the history of the. First issue of the christian philanthropist mailed.
According to michael leo donovans book on team nicknames, yankees to fighting irish. Basketball history, changes and important milestones including players, teams, ncaa and the nba. It adopted the name national basketball association at the start of the 194950 season. Feb 10, 20 the origin stories of every nba team s name 0 of 31 the announcement that the new orleans hornets would be changing their name to the pelicans shocked the nba world a few weeks ago. Texts that are about rules or rulechanges are in green. It changed its name to the national basketball association on august 3, 1949, after merging with the competing. There are a few still scattered about who have an overly generic name, a silly. Thousands of college basketball players are eligible for the nba draft annually, but just 60 players have their name called.