NBA History 

 

The school janitor, however, only found two half-bushel peach baskets, and the game was played with these.The soccer ball and the peach basket soon gave way to specialized equipment. For example, in the early days the peach baskets were closed at the bottom, meaning that someone had to climb on a ladder to retrieve the ball down after a made basket. The peach basket was later replaced by a metal rim with a net hanging below, and in 1906 people began opening the netting to let the ball fall through.

The first basketballs were made from panels of leather stitched together with a rubber bladder inside. A cloth lining was added to the leather for support and uniformity. The molded basketball, introduced in about 1942, was a significant advancement for the sport. The molded ball, a factory-made ball that had a constant size and shape, offered better reaction and durability, making play more consistent and the development of individual skills easier. In Naismith's original 13 rules, the ball could be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but it could not be dribbled because players could not move with the ball. Beginning in 1910 a player could dribble the ball, but could not shoot after dribbling. It was not until 1916, following heated debate, that players were allowed to shoot after dribbling.

Throughout basketball's history, no part of the game has been more monitored than the act of fouling an opponent. In basketball's early days, a player's second foul would mean removal from the game until the next field goal was made. If a team committed three consecutive fouls, the opposition would be awarded a field goal. Beginning in 1894 players were given a free throw when fouled. Beginning in 1908 players who committed five fouls were disqualified from the game. Based on the severity of the foul, the rules were soon amended so that players were awarded either two shots or one shot plus a bonus shot, which was attempted only if the first shot was made. The rules also determined that an offensive player could commit a foul by playing too aggressively.

The first successful national professional league was the American Basketball League (ABL), which lasted from 1925 to 1931. The 1930s were dominated by the New York Renaissance, a team made up of black players only. The Rens, as the team was called, were the best team of the era, winning 88 consecutive games during one stretch. Another all-black team with similar success was the Harlem Globetrotters. The Globetrotters were founded in 1927 as a competitive team, but through the years they became known for their basketball acrobatics and humorous routines.

In the late 1970s, the NBA experienced difficulty: the game was perceived as dull, the league's ticket sales decreased, revenue declined, and television ratings were as low as they had ever been. In March 1979, however, two collegiate players, forward Larry Bird of Indiana State University and guard Magic Johnson of Michigan State University, helped revive public interest in basketball. The two players, the stars of their teams, faced each other in the 1979 NCAA championship game, won by Michigan State. Both players went on to have distinguished NBA careers. In the 1980s Bird helped revitalize the Boston Celtics franchise, leading the team to three NBA titles (1981, 1984, 1986). Johnson did the same in Los Angeles, guiding the Lakers to five NBA championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988). The interest in the professional game carried over to collegiate basketball as well, as the NCAA tournament became more popular than ever.

Recent Developments
In the 1990s interest in basketball continued to grow. One of the most important figures in this growth was guard Michael Jordan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player ever. Jordan's exceptional basketball skills and flair for entertainment helped keep basketball in the forefront of American culture as he led the Chicago Bulls to five NBA championships (1991-1993, 1996, 1997). Other great players of the 1990s include Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, and Shaquille O'Neal.

Beginning in the late 1980s, it became increasingly common for the best collegiate players to leave college before graduating, as they chose to enter the NBA draft hoping to play professionally for large sums of money. The NBA, while affording young players this opportunity, has tried not to promote this practice. In 1995 the league enacted a limit on the amount of money a rookie could earn, called a rookie salary cap, hoping to discourage players from forgoing their education. In contrast with other major sports leagues, such as Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Hockey League, the NBA experienced few labor-related problems with players in the early 1990s, reaching labor agreements without player strikes and team lockouts (a negotiation tactic whereby teams refuse to sanction play) delaying seasonal play.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the major professional basketball league in the world, with teams from the United States and Canada. With the addition of the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies prior to the 1995-1996 season, the NBA expanded to 29 teams competing in two conferences, the Eastern and Western, in four separate divisions. For a list of teams and their respective conferences and divisions, see the accompanying table. Each team conducts a training camp in October to determine its 12-player roster. Training camp allows each team to evaluate players, especially rookies (first-year players), to assess the team's strengths and weaknesses, and to prepare players for the upcoming season through a series of on-court drills and practice of offensive and defensive strategy. After a series of exhibition games, the NBA begins its 82-game regular season in the first week of November.

In the second week of February, the NBA interrupts its season to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star game, featuring the game's best players as selected by the general balloting of fans throughout the United States and Canada. After the NBA season concludes in the third week in April, a total of 16 teams qualify for the playoffs (8 teams from each conference). In each conference the two division winners are guaranteed a playoff spot. The remaining playoff spots in each conference are awarded on the basis of win-loss records to the six next-best teams, regardless of division. The playoffs start with the teams with better records playing the teams with worse records in a best-of-five series, in which the winner is the first team to win three games. In subsequent rounds best-of-seven series are played, with the first team to earn four victories winning the round. The playoffs continue in this elimination scheme until a conference champion is crowned. The champions from the Eastern and Western conferences then meet in a best-of-seven series to determine the NBA champion.

Every June the league conducts its amateur draft, in which each team obtains the rights to the professional services of the best collegiate and international players. Any player whose high school class has graduated and who is at least 17 years old qualifies for the NBA draft if that player renounces intercollegiate eligibility, which lasts four seasons, by mid-May. Generally, however, players attend at least one year of college before turning professional. To determine the draft order the NBA uses a draft lottery, introduced in 1985. Those teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs the previous season are eligible for the lottery. The lottery determines the first three teams to select in the draft. The remaining teams, including those that qualified for the playoffs the preceding season, draft according to their win-loss record of the previous season, so that teams with poorer records draft higher than those with better records. The NBA draft consists of only two rounds, with a total of 58 players chosen. Those players not selected in the draft can be invited to try out for a team and are sometimes signed to playing contracts as free agents.

Dream Team
At the 1992 games in Barcelona, no single nation dominated competition, with athletes from many countries winning events. The best-known athletes before and after the games competed on the United States national basketball team, which was known as the Dream Team and was composed of such players from the NBA as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. The team completely dominated its competition on its way to the gold medal.