The History of the NBA 

This semester, thebirdonfire.org bloggers examine History: the PVS history teachers, the complicated history of the speakership, the history of science. Oliver picks one of his favorite topics. He tells us how it all began in the NBA.

By 10th grader Oliver Martinez

The NBA has been around for over 70 years, and it has been filled with memorable moments, changes, and talents. So, I decided to write about that precisely, the history of the NBA. This will be composed of three sections: early NBA days (1940s-early 1970s), middle NBA days (latter 1970s-2000s), and the modern NBA days. There will be three subsections in each: one detailing the most important and interesting moments of this era; another mentioning key changes to the game; and a last one naming the top players of that era and their accomplishments–note, all of these players are either in the Hall of Fame or are in the 75-year Anniversary NBA List. 

Early-NBA Days (1940s – 1970s)

The NBA is the National Basketball Association which was founded in 1949 when two leagues, the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America fused together, which technically makes the NBA 74 years old as of 2023. However, the Basketball Association of America was the bigger league, and the NBA itself considers the founding of that league in 1946 the actual original founding of the NBA. The NBA considers itself to be 77 years old.

Back in 1946, there were 11 teams: the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Stags, Cleveland Rebels, Detroit Falcons, New York Knickerbockers, Philadelphia Warriors, Pittsburgh Ironmen, the St. Louis Bombers, Toronto Huskies, Providence Steamrollers, and the Washington Capitols (NBA.com). From these 11 teams, only three are still here today: the Celtics, the Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors), and the New York Knickerbockers (now the New York Knicks). All the other teams folded due to financial problems.

By 1970, there were 17 established teams which still stand today: the Bucks, Knicks, Bulls, Lakers, Suns, 76ers, Pistons, Celtics, Wizards, Warriors, Rockets, Sonics (now the OKC Thunder), Hawks, Kings, Blazers, Clippers, and Cavaliers. 

The major changes over time were the teams, but also the rules changed: the most notable changes being the introduction of the shot clock in 1954 (nytimes), and then, ”in 1951, the free throw lane was widened from six feet to twelve feet” (limaohio). In 1969, the current NBA logo was designed; it was the iconic Jerry West in the logo.

From the 40s to the 70s, the most notable players were Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West.  

Some of their accomplishments were noteworthy. Bob Cousy was the leader in assists in the NBA for eight years; he played in 13 All-Star games in a row, and, to top it off, he won six rings (championships) with the Celtics, including a five-peat (five in a row) from 1959-1964. Bill Russell won a staggering ELEVEN rings, making him the player with the most championship rings ever. To put that into perspective, he, as one player, has more rings than all franchises in the NBA except for the Lakers (17) and the Celtics (17). Lastly, Wilt Chamberlain won two rings with the 76ers and the Lakers. He also holds the record for most points ever scored in one single game, dropping an astonishing amount of 100 points in a game against the New York Knicks while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1962; also, he’s the only player to ever drop a quintuple double–over ten steals, ten blocks, assists, rebounds, and points (sportskeeda.com). He’s also widely considered one of the greatest players to play the game of basketball. Oscar Robertson teamed up with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to get the Bucks their first chip ever, and he is considered one of the  top centers of all time. And, Jerry West is the face of the NBA (literally) as he has been the logo for over 50 years now. He won a ring later in 1972 and made the All-Star roster fourteen times and all-NBA ten times.

Middle-NBA days (1970  – 2000s)

The NBA in the late 70s had a somewhat bad image as some games weren’t even televised, and there was evidence of drug abuse. Actually, according to apnews-NBA drug abuse, “up to 75% of NBA players used cocaine and one in ten smoked, or freebased, the drug.” Thankfully, NBA Commissioner David Stern helped get rid of this problem; according to basketballnetwork-David Stern, “He put up free counseling, rehab, and treatment centers for players dealing with addiction. The programs didn’t click at first, so Stern resorted to implementing a strict policy that would ban players if they were caught under the influence of illegal substances.” This all led to the use of drugs being eradicated in the NBA.

Someone worth mentioning was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem was basically LeBron James and Kobe Bryant before there was LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Kareem went on to play until 1989; in these years, he became the top scorer of the NBA, won six rings with the Bucks and the Lakers, won multiple MVPs, Finals MVPs, nineteen-time NBA All Star, fifteen time All-NBA, eleven-time all defensive. Kareem was a brutal point scorer and created the famous “skyhook.” 

According to the NBA, some of the best moments of the 70s include The Lakers going undefeated for 33 games in a row, Jerry West hitting a three pointer from 60 feet away to win the game, Suns and Celtics going into a triple overtime in the finals. 

The best moments of the 80s were Kareem becoming the top scorer in the NBA–a record that lasted from 1984 to 2023 (nba.com). Michael Jordan dropped 63 points on the Celtics, causing Larry Bird to call him, “God disguised as Michael Jordan” (nba.com). 

The best moments of the 90s include the first “dream team” winning gold for the USA in the Barcelona Olympics, Michael Jordan three-peating… twice, and John Stockton becoming the top assister in NBA history. 

Remarkable rule changes in the 70s to the 2000s  include increase of referees from two to three then back to two some years later then permanently back to three. Timeouts increased from six to seven. And the 3-point line was changed from 23 feet, 9 inches to 22 feet around the basket (marca).

The most notable players of this era are  Karl Malone, Dr. J, John Stockton, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan and his team of superstars, which included Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, three-peated on two different occasions and went 72-10 in a regular season. Karl Malone was very consistent and became one of the top power forwards ever; he was nick-named “the mailman” for his constant delivery. John Stockton, a teammate of Karl Malone, became the player with the most assists and surpassed Magic Johnson. Larry Bird is one of the most iconic shooters of all time, having a funny, unorthodox, jumpshot; he won three rings and is the meaning of what it is to be a Celtic. Magic Johnson is widely considered the best point guard ever, only rivaled by Stephen Curry. Johnson won five rings in his career and won three MVPs, made many All-Star appearances and all-NBA, too. He was an amazing passer, as he averaged 11.2 assists per game and 24 points per game (Quora- Magic Johnson). Julius Erving, better known as Dr. J, won one ring in his career, entered the Hall of Fame, revolutionized the game of basketball as he introduced new fancy ways of dunking the ball; on top of that, he was an 11-time All Star, won an MVP, and, as a bonus, LeBron James said he would put Dr J on his all-time starting five. 

Modern NBA days (2000  – today)

The best moments of this generation include the iconic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, a duo which led the Lakers to a three-peat: something that hadn’t happened since Michael Jordan’s Bulls. After a long career, Michael Jordan finally retired in 2003 from the Washington Wizards. One of the best NBA drafts happened in 2003; that included LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, etc. In modern days, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, which is the closest someone has gotten to beating Wilt’s 100. Derrick Rose became the youngest MVP ever at 22. LeBron finally won a championship in 2012. In 2016, LeBron returned to the Cavaliers and got them their first championship. The Warriors won 73 games in one season, which remains as the unbeaten record to this day. 

The important rule changes included the following:  1) Instant replay was created to help referees; 2) Teams were given nine timeouts, but then it was dropped back down to seven per team. 

The most notable players of the era were Ray Allen, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Dirk Nowitzki, Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade,  Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.

Since there are a lot of notable players in the last 23 years, I will go over them briefly. 

Ray Allen was the number one three-point shooter for a long time until being passed by Steph Curry. Tim Duncan or “The Big Fundamental” won five rings and earned himself that title as his style of play was considered “boring” but fundamental. Kevin Durant with the Warriors was one of the most lethal scorers ever. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player in the NBA currently, has won a ring, and is very consistent. James Harden is a top three-point shooter and created the infamous step back travel where he takes up to four stepbacks before shooting the ball; although he never won a ring, he came very close on many occasions. Dirk Nowitzki is a giant scoring menace; he won one ring and is a Hall of Famer; standing at 7 ‘0”, it was really hard to stop him. Allen Iverson was a great player; he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He came very close to winning a ring though he never did. Kobe Bryant even said he was one of the hardest players to guard. Dwyane Wade had a fulfilling career, winning three rings with the Miami Heat and teaming up with some of the best of all time like Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James. He was also inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2019. Shaquille O’Neal is considered by many to be the most dominant player ever, only rivaled by Wilt Chamberlain. He was huge standing at 7 ‘1 and weighing 330 pounds. Nobody could stop him; he broke an insane amount of 12 backboards in 19 seasons in the NBA. He also won four rings. Chris Paul is one of the best point guards of all time. He has never won a ring, but he is a brilliant player with a great scoring ability and has been able to dominate even though he is one of the smallest players on the court. LeBron James is the best player in NBA history. He has four championships, is the top scorer of all time, and is in the top 10 of a lot of the top categories. He has played with and against some of the best players of all time and has been dominating the league for over 20 years and has remained consistent even though he’s aging. And, Kobe Bryant is probably the most influential player ever as he has had much success as an individual and with the Lakers, too. He has generations of fans all the way from the 90s to even today and from all over the world. 

The NBA has had a lengthy history. Since its founding in 1946 it has encountered ups and downs and hundreds of changes. It has seen amazing talent come and go as the years pass. 

Did I miss anything? If you think so, leave it in the comments.