The NBA, which stands for the National Basketball Association, is probably the most popular international basketball league today. Although it is concentrated in North America, its global appeal never fails to get the attention as well as the interest of people from all parts of the world. In order to understand it better, it is good to look back at its colorful history including who invented the NBA.
The Invention of the NBA
Who invented the NBA? According to historical records, the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America were responsible for the invention of the NBA. One of the most important names among the members of those two pioneer basketball organizations was Walter A. Brown. In 1946, he was highly influential in establishing the BAA. Likewise, he is one of the individuals credited for merging the BAA and the National Basketball League, which eventually led to the start of the NBA. Aside from the NBA, he was also credited for establishing the Celtics franchise some time in 1945.
Additional Facts and Other Interesting Information
On June 6, 1946, the BAA was founded in the City of New York. In 1949, the group decided to merge with the rival organization and adopt the National Basketball Association as its new name. Today, the league is comprised of 30 teams, which is subdivided into the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference.
The West is made up of three divisions, namely the Southwest, Pacific and Northwest. Under the Southwest Division are the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks. Meanwhile, the Pacific Division is comprised of the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. The Northwest Division is made up of the Utah Jazz, Portland Trailblazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.
Likewise, the East is also comprised of three divisions, which are the Southeast, Central and Atlantic. The Southeast Division is made up of the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks. The Central Division is comprised of the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls. On the other hand, the teams included in the Atlantic Division are the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets and the Boston Celtics.
The success of the NBA is attributed to the superb leadership of its past and current leaders. From 1946 to 1963, the president was Maurice Podoloff. From 1963 to 1967, Walter Kennedy served as its president. After that term, he was then declared as commissioner from 1967 to 1975. From 1975 to 1984, Larry O’Brien took over as commissioner. After that, David Stern took over and is currently serving as the fourth commissioner of the NBA.