Back NBA ADY National Basketball Association AN إن بي أي Arabic National Basketball Association AST Milli Basketbol Assosiasiyası Azerbaijani NBA BAT-SMG National Basketball Association BCL Нацыянальная баскетбольная асацыяцыя Byelorussian Нацыянальная баскетбольная асацыяцыя BE-X-OLD Национална баскетболна асоциация Bulgarian
Upcoming season or competition: 2025–26 NBA season | |
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| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 6, 1946 (as BAA), New York City, 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 City, New York, U.S.[2] |
| Most recent champion(s) | Oklahoma City Thunder (2nd title) |
| Most titles | Boston Celtics (18 titles) |
| Broadcaster(s) |
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| Streaming partner(s) | |
| Official website | www |
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA 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] The league is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
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.
The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB),[6] which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) as the governing body for basketball in the United States. The NBA is the second-wealthiest professional sports league in the world by revenue after the National Football League (NFL).[7] As of 2020[update], NBA players are the world's highest paid athletes by average annual salary per player.[8][9][10]
The Boston Celtics have the most NBA championships with 18. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the reigning league champions, having defeated the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals for their first title since their move to the city in 2008, and the second ever, having won in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics.
- ^ a b "This Date in the NBA: June". National Basketball Association. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
June 6, 1946–The National Basketball Association was founded at the Commodore Hotel in New York. Maurice Podoloff was the league's first president, a title later changed to commissioner.
- ^ "NBA Directories" (PDF). National Basketball Association. October 17, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
- ^ Rathborn, Jack (November 18, 2020). "NBA Draft 2020: What time does it start in the UK, who has the No 1 pick and how can I watch it?". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
The 2020 NBA Draft is here after days of juicy gossip surrounding trades as the world's greatest basketball league dominates the headlines during its offseason.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
wp-2022-01-02was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "This Date in the NBA: August". National Basketball Association. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Members of USA Basketball". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Teitelbaum, Justin (October 24, 2024). "The Most Valuable NBA Teams 2024". Forbes. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "The World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2020". Forbes.
- ^ "REVEALED: The world's best paid teams, Man City close in on Barca and Real Madrid". SportingIntelligence.com. May 1, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
- ^ Gaines, Cork. "The NBA is the highest-paying sports league in the world". Business Insider. Retrieved May 20, 2015.