The NBA is one of the longest running leagues in professional sports. As such, it’s gone through many rule-changes and distinct periods since its inception. The organization has a rich history that spans several decades of great players, legendary games, and innovative rules.
That’s why its influence runs so deep. Basketball has become a global game, and that push is due to the NBA. It has great fan interaction, larger-than-life stars, and a brand that has bled over into popular culture in more ways than one.
That combination shows just how far the organization has come, and how it grew from humble beginnings to one of the biggest leagues on Earth.
Origins and Early Years (1946-1956)
The first inklings of the NBA started in 1946 when the Basketball Association of America (BAA) came about to compete with the National Basketball League (NBL).
While both started out as separate entities with different teams and different players, they soon merged in 1949 to form the NBA. That move came just two years after the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers in what many consider the first NBA game of all time.
The merger greatly changed both leagues, reducing competition and leading to a single entity with seventeen franchises. That then dropped down to eleven franchises in 1950, and went all the way to eight teams in 1954. It would take a decade to rise back up.
Breaking the NBA Color Barrier
The early years of the NBA looked different from modern basketball in many ways, but one of the starkest was the players. The professional color barrier didn’t break until 1947 when Asian American point guard Wat Misaka joined the New York Knicks in the BAA.
Just three years later in 1950, three African American players (Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, and Nathaniel Clifton) all paved their own path into the NBA. That ended segregation in the league and allowed new stars to rise in the coming decades.
Consolidation and Expansion (1956-1979)
By 1956 the NBA established itself as a legitimate organization with real staying power. Teams weren’t just bigger and better, they were more competitive. That became especially true in 1957, when the Celtics went out of their way to draft towering center Bill Russell.
The big man dominated the league, even beating other superstars like Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, and led the Celtics to an incredible 11 rings. The team took over the NBA during the late 50’s and early 60’s, which created several big rivalries and showed fans how top-level basketball could be played.
League Expansion and New Teams
As the NBA continued to collect legendary players, its reputation continued to grow. The league expanded its size up to 14 teams in 1968 when they added the Bulls, SuperSonics, Rockets, Bucks, and Suns.
Despite that, it also faced issues from the American Basketball Association (ABA), who threatened to take top level talent. That came to a head when both leagues entered a bidding war to sign college megastar Kareem Adbul-Jabbar.
After the NBA won the war, the ABA responded by signing other big stars throughout the 70’s. Both leagues had strong fanbases, but the NBA would not slow down. It only got bigger throughout the decade, expanding to 18 teams in 1974.
Their biggest move, however, came in 1976 when they merged with the ABA and signed the Spurs, Nuggets, Pacers, and Nets. That consolidation created a new focus and made basketball much simpler. They now had one logo, one brand, and one vision.
Surging Popularity and Bulls’ Dynasty (1979-1998)
The 70’s solidified the NBA as a real sports organization, but towards the end of the decade the league had problems like low TV ratings and dwindling attendance. That changed in 1979, when the Lakers selected Magic Johnson first overall in the draft.
The unique guard, as well as budding Celtics star Larry Bird, took the sports world by storm with their big personalities, incredible skill sets, and amazing play.
The pair faced off against each other many times during the next decade, creating an iconic rivalry and pushing the NBA to even bigger heights. The 80’s were a time of flashy superstars, big highlights, and basketball sitting at the center of popular culture for the first time..
The Jordan Era
Things only got bigger in the 90’s, mainly due to the elevated play of Michael Jordan. The Bulls’ legend took over the league, leading Chicago to six rings in eight years and creating one of the most iconic teams of all time.
That play, mixed with the Jordan shoe, expanded the NBA’s reach all over the world and gave rise to fans everywhere. That included Canada, which got two new franchises during the 1995 season in the form of the Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors.
Lakers’ and Spurs’ Dynasties (1998-2014)
Jordan gave rise to a more popular NBA, but the league took a small hit at the end of the 90’s. The guard announced his retirement in 1998, taking away the NBA’s main draw, and then a player lockout greatly shortened the 1998-99 season.
While fans still watched, the NBA needed new stars. It got that from both the Lakers and Spurs. Kobe Bryant teamed up with Shaquill O’Neal in Los Angeles, while Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli gave rise to a strong, consistent Spurs team to create a brand new rivalry.
That moved the NBA in a new direction, making it bigger than ever before. The 2000’s saw plenty of other stars, including Kevin Durant, Allen Iverson, and LeBron James, that did a great job of bringing in even more fans.
Such popularity also gave rise to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). That organization ran parallel to the NBA, putting women’s basketball into the spotlight as well.
The Slam Dunk Contest got bigger, the NBA saw several controversies like the brawl known as the Malice at the Palace and the referee betting scandal, and LeBron’s “The Decision,” which ushered in a new era of super teams moving into the 2010’s.
Warriors’ Dynasty and Recent Developments (2014-Present)
If the 2000’s were categorized by big stars, the 2010’s were categorized by the three pointer. The longball had always been strong, but it reached new heights after the Warriors drafted Stepehen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The pair, known as the “Splash Brothers,” aren’t just the two best shooters of all time, they gave rise to a Warriors’ dynasty that won four rings. Their historic run, only interrupted in 2016 by LeBron James’ return to the Cavaliers, showed the importance of the three pointer.
The Three Era
Teams began to shoot deeper and deeper shots, which created more exciting teams, higher scoring games, and some of the best highlights to date. That then greatly raised fan engagement and gave the NBA a strong foothold on social media.
Though the league took a brief hit during the COVID-19 pandemic that cut into the 2019-2020 season, they bounced back due to recent superstars. There hasn’t been a true dynasty since the Warriors, but many teams all have a chance at a championship.
International Influence
The NBA has always been American-focused, but the global talent pool continues to swell. As such, more and more international superstars are entering and taking over the league.
That trend first truly started in the 90’s with international superstars like Hakeem Olajuwan and Dikembe Mutombo, and then continued into the 2000’s with players likeTim Duncan, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, and Steve Nash.
The more players from overseas or other countries, the more foreign fans they bring in. That then expands the NBA’s global reach and helps create an even bigger foothold for the sport.
Duncan, Olajuwan, and Nowitzki are two of the most successful foreign-born NBA athletes of all time, winning five, two, and one rings respectively. They also greatly altered the way basketball franchises viewed non-American athletes.
Current Superstars
The above stars gave rise to the recent NBA, which is dominated by foreign players. There are more international superstars than ever before like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jocic, Joel Embiid, and Victor Wembanyama.
While only Antetokounmpo and Jokic have rings currently, there’s no doubt that the others will join them in the coming years.
Other Developments and Innovations
There have been many adaptations in the history of the NBA that work to ncrease revenue and make the game more fun. One such move was the introduction of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) in 2001.
That league, renamed the D-League and then the G-League, works as the NBA’s farm system where top talent plays games so franchises can develop players and see who has what it takes to make it in the big time.
The NBA also made a big move with the introduction of in-game advertising. In 2017, they allowed corporations to sponsor teams and put their logos on jerseys in exchange for extra revenue.
Controversies and Criticisms
The NBA is a huge league with a rich history, but that doesn’t mean it’s free of controversy. There have been several big scandals over the years, with one of the biggest being when the league caught owner Donald Sterling in 2014 making racist comments in an audio recording.
That led to a huge backlash and calls for his firing. The league immediately fired him that year, stating that type of behavior was unacceptable at any level.
Another major scandal hit in 2007, when the FBI arrested referee Tim Donaghy for betting on games he officiated. He eventually pled guilty and served jail time. The NBA distanced themselves from Donaghy, putting in new referee guidelines to lock down on future gambling scandals.
Major Altercations
The other major issue the NBA has come up against is big fights. While altercations happen every now and then, there are two that greatly impacted the league’s reputation.
The first occurred in 1997, when Latrell Sprewell choked head coach P.J. Carlesimo and threatened to kill him. That caused many to say the NBA was becoming too violent. However, the league responded by stating it was an isolated incident.
The other major altercation occurred on November 19th, 2004 when Pacers players Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson went into the stands and attacked fans. That further hurt the NBA’s image, and was a big reason they made their controversial dress code changes in 2005.
Conclusion
The NBA started out as a small league, but made a range of great moves that grew them to one of the largest organizations in the sports world. They expanded each decade, steadily grew their fan base, and got more and more exciting with every season.
Basketball has come a long way, and now has an ever-increasing global presence due to the recent influx of foreign-born players. That, backed up by the NBA’s great cultural influence and strong social media, ensures there’s nowhere to go but up. It will only get bigger from here.
