The National Basketball Association, also known as NBA, is a North American basketball league. It is the most popular basketball league of this time. It was founded in New York City in 1949, as the two of the most popular basketball leagues, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL), merged into one league.
Teams
During its origin, in 1946, there were only 11 teams in the NBA. After adjustments throughout the years, there are now 30 teams in total which play the league. Among the 30 teams, there are 29 American teams and 1 Canadian team. These 30 teams are divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each panel has 3 Divisions, and each Division has five teams in it.
Regular Season
After the summer break, in September, training camps are arranged for the players. During the training camp, coaches examine the player’s physical strengths and weaknesses and prepare for the upcoming matches. After going through several training processes, players are chosen to play in the regular season. There are a set of rules for the regular season. Each team gets to play a total of 82 games, 41 home and 41 away. Throughout five seasons, each team gets to play 80 matches against other teams of their Division, 180 games against the rest of the groups of their conference, and 150 games against teams of the other forum.
Playoffs
At the end of the regular season, the eight best teams are selected to face each other for the championship title by winning the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. The playoff round is arranged following the pattern of other sports tournaments, in several bands, where each of the eight teams has to face the others to be qualified to the next round. One winner from each conference reaches the final round, where they face each other in the NBA Finals. The winner of the finals is awarded the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. The players and other members of the winning team who had a significant contribution to the team, including the coaches, are awarded a championship ring—the player with the best performance reviews the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have the highest record of winning 17 NBA Finals each.
International Platforms
The National Basketball Association has a record of participating in international club basketball competitions. Between 1987 to 1999, NBA champions participated in the McDonald’s Championship, where they faced the continental champion of the FIBA and the winning team was always from the NBA.
Conclusion
The NBA has become one of the most favorite basketball leagues for most people in America and throughout the world. The NBA has raised players who later came to be known as one of the best sportsmen in the world. Among all the basketball leagues, the NBA has the most viewers. NBA players are also the most paid players among any sports, on average.
