A brief history of the NBA

We Americans have been avid fans of sports ever since the inception of this great country that we call our home. So much so that numerous types of games have been popularized here, a few examples of this are Baseball, Ice Hockey, and American Football. These are the games that the United States has made popular and now the rest of the world is catching up to them.

One such game is Basketball, many don’t know about this but this game was invented in our country, Springfield Massachusetts to be precise. A Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith invented Basketball during his tenure at Springfield College as an alternative sport to football that was quite an injury-prone sport. Back in the day to improper protection gear, football became even more deadly and professional athletes had a significantly lower lifespan due to game-related injuries.

Another reason was to keep athletes indoors in winter to protect them from cold. Nevertheless, Basketball gained swift momentum at the beginning of the twentieth century first in the US and then gradually spread to the rest of the world. By 1946 the NBA we all know and love today was established and now it has grown into a multibillion-dollar enterprise, not only that but it is also an integral part of the American culture now.

This popularity has increased so much that for the NBA 2021-2022 there were an average of 1.6 million viewers that watched the last season on TV channels and streaming services combined. If you are also an avid fan like us then there are plenty of online platforms like the NBA’s own website or Hulu on which you can stream these games live, but for that, a good and stable internet service is required, and in that regards we recommend you to go with Mediacom.

The History of the NBA

We have already discussed that NBA was established in 1946 as NBL (National Basketball League). Back then there was also BBA the Basket Ball Association of America and the two leagues rivaled for both players and titles. In 1949 the BBA was faring well against NBL, but still, there was a merger of both which formed the current NBA (National Basketball Association).

The first official season of the newly merged NBA commenced in 1949-1950. There were only 11 teams that participated in that season. These 11 original teams consisted of our very own Boston Celtics along with Cleveland Rebels, Chicago Stags, Detroit Falcons, New York Knickerbockers, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Philadelphia Warriors, Providence Steamrollers, St Louis Bombers, Toronto Huskies and Washington Capitols. But it wasn’t going too well for the NBA as only after six years the number of teams dropped down to just 8 and these 8 teams continued playing until 1961.

The Dawn of Modern NBA

From 1966 till 2004 was the era of constant expansion for not only the NBA but the entire game of Basketball in itself. This process of the NBA’s expansion attracted a huge crowd of avid fans. These growing numbers of viewers brought in revenue, sponsors, and corporates to any sport as well. These investors are keen on advertising their products through sports and spend millions if not billions to achieve the same.

The 90s basketball era screams only one name, and that name is Michael Jordan. Jordan is probably the most notable figure in Basketball’s history. Anything with his face or name printed on it would sell like hotcakes, whether they were souvenirs, jerseys, or any other merchandise, and his signature still has the potential to go on auctions for millions of dollars, that’s the kind of influence he had on the game. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Jordan joined the NBA with the team Chicago Bulls but he became bigger than the league itself. And most of those avid fans of the NBA are here just because Michael Jordan introduced them to this league.

Post Jordan Era

The post-Jordan Era saw an influx of international players joining the league. The 2000s especially was the time of NBA’s glory. It was the time that the NBA truly became an international league with the likes of Dirk Nowitzki joining the Dallas Mavericks. The 2000s also saw the rising of many local stars as well like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. They became stars of the NBA but were not able to replicate the magic of the Jordan era.

Conclusion

NBA has had a significant role in making basketball a household game globally. Thanks to NBA, a game that originated as a college sport is now played in almost every corner of the world. NBA had a major part to play in the uprising that Basketball was looking for and it would not be wrong to say that teams like the Boston Celtics and players like Shaq, Kobe, and Jordan played a major part in taking NBA to the center stage.