Does Missouri Have An NBA Team?
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No, Missouri does not have an NBA team. The last NBA team in Missouri, the Kansas City Kings, moved to Sacramento in 1985.
The NBA in Missouri
The NBA is no stranger to Missouri. In fact, the state is home to two NBA teams: the Kansas City Chiefs and the St. Louis Blues. Missouri also has a rich history of basketball, with the state’s college teams being some of the best in the country. So, does Missouri have an NBA team? The answer is no.
The Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member team of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expansion franchise in 1969, and has participated in four World Series, winning in 1985 and 2015, and losing in 1980 and 2014.
The St. Louis Hawks
The St. Louis Hawks were a professional basketball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The Hawks were founded in 1946 as the Buffalo Bisons, a member of the National Basketball League. In 1951, the team moved to Milwaukee, where they changed their name to the Hawks. In 1955, the Hawks joined the NBA as part of the NBA’s merger with the NBL. After 13 seasons in Milwaukee, the team moved to St. Louis in 1968 and became known as the St. Louis Hawks until 1986, when they were renamed the Atlanta Hawks after a brief stay in Georgia.
The Hawks played their home games at The Arena in St. Louis from 1929 to 1968 and at Kiel Auditorium from 1968 to 1994. The team was owned by Bill Hillman from 1951 to 1955 and Ben Kerner from 1955 to 1968.
The NBA Today
Though Missouri currently doesn’t have an NBA team, the state has a long and complicated history with the league. In the early 1900s, the NBA was known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The BAA was …
The Los Angeles Lakers
One of the most storied franchises in NBA history, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to rebuild after a couple of down seasons. The Lakers have 16 NBA championships, the second most in league history, and 31 conference titles. The team has featured some of the greatest players in NBA history, including Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
The Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the league’s original eight teams, the team play their home games at TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Boston Bruins. The Celtics are one of the most successful teams in NBA history; they have won the most championships of any franchise with 17 NBA titles, including 8 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament championships.
Missouri and the NBA
The NBA, or National Basketball Association, is a professional basketball league in North America. Missouri is a state located in the Midwestern United States. So, does Missouri have an NBA team?
The Missouri Mavericks
The Missouri Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They play in the NBA Development League (D-League), which is the minor league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Mavericks are owned by the same ownership group as the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and the two teams share resources and facilities. The Mavericks began play in the 2009–10 season.
The Missouri Maverickstrace their roots back to an ABA team known as the Kansas City Steers that were founded in 1967. The Steers were one of only two ABA teams ever based in Kansas City (the other being the Kansas City Kings). When the ABA merged with the NBA in 1976, most of the ABA teams were disbanded, but four were absorbed by the NBA: The San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets and Denver Nuggets. Of these four teams, only the Nuggets had a direct connection to Kansas City – they were previously known as the Denver Larks, who played in Kansas City from 1967 to 1968 before moving to Denver.
The Springfield Armor
The Springfield Armor were a professional basketball team in the NBA Development League (DNBA). They played in Springfield, Missouri, at the JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University. The Armor began play in the 2009–10 season and ceased operations after the 2012–13 season.
In August 2009, it was announced that the New Jersey Nets had purchased an NBA D-League expansion team for Springfield, Missouri. The team would play its home games at the JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University, beginning with the 2009–10 season. Nets assistant general manager Jeff Peterson was named president and general manager of the Armor. In November 2009, Bob MacKinnon was named head coach of the Armor.
Conclusion
It seems that Missouri will not be getting an NBA team anytime soon. The state simply doesn’t have the population to support a team, and there isn’t enough interest from investors to make it happen. Missourians will just have to continue to root for the Kansas City Chiefs and the St. Louis Cardinals.
