India is a cricketing nation but there is a craze of basketball too. India is going to witness the first NBA match in the coming week in Mumbai.
NBA has Indian Connection. Sacramento Kings is co-owned by Vivek Ranadive an Indian American Businessman.
Gurusimran ‘Sim’ Bhullar a Canadian professional Basketball player is the first player of Indian origin to play a NBA match when he represented Sacramento Kings in 2015.
What is NBA?
National Basketball Association (NBA) is a pre-eminent men’s professional basketball league in North America, and is widely considered to be premier men’s professional basketball league in the world.
There are currently 30 teams in NBA and the league is divided into two conferences, The Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference has 3 divisions called the Atlantic, Central and Southeast. The Western Conference also has 3 divisions which are Northwest, Pacific and Southwest. Each Division has 5 teams.
NBA Teams
Eastern Conference
- Atlantic
Botson Celtics
New Jersey Nets
New York Nicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors - Central
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks - Southeast
Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Bobcats
Miami Heat
Oriando Magic
Washington Wizards
Western Conference
- Northwest
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Okiahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz - Pacific
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings - Southwest
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies
New Oriens Hornets
San Antonio Spurs
History of NBA
The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with the competing National Basketball League (NBL). The NBA’s regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. Its playoffs extend into June. NBA players are the world’s best paid athletes by average annual salary per player.
NBA has a rich history. The Basketball Association of America was founded by the owners of ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, in a game the NBA now refers to as the first game played in NBA history. The first basket was made by Ossie Schectman of the Knickerbockers.
On August 3, 1949, new NBL (National Basketball League) teams–Syracuse, Anderson, Tri-Cities, Sheboygan, Denver, and Waterloo–merged into the BAA. In deference to the merger and to avoid possible legal complications, the league name was changed to the present National Basketball Association, even though the merged league retained the BAA’s governing body, including Maurice Podoloff as president. To this day, the NBA claims the BAA’s history as its own.
One of the most known faces,
Michael Jordan entered the league in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls, spurring more interest in the league.
Earlier this month, NBA said 3000 students from over 70 schools will be extended invitation for the first ever NBA game in India to be played in Mumbai in October.
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NBA in India
The NBA sides Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers will play 2 pre season on October 4-5 in front of students under Reliance Foundation Jr NBA programme.
The NBA India Games will mark the first games that teams from a North American sports league will play in India.
It would be interesting to see what impact NBA creates on Indian Youth.
