How Many Teams Are In The NBA?
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How many teams are in the NBA? As of the 2019-20 season, there are 30 teams in the NBA.
30 teams
As of the 2019-2020 season, there are 30 teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). These teams are split evenly between the Western and Eastern Conferences, with 15 teams in each.
The NBA was founded in 1946 with just 11 teams. The league has expanded and contracted multiple times over the years, with as few as 8 teams and as many as 22. The most recent expansion occurred in 2004, when the league added the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Charlotte Hornets) as its 30th team.
Eastern and Western Conference
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional men’s basketball league in North America, composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). It is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, and is widely considered to be the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world.
The NBA was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the name National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with the competing National Basketball League (NBL). The league’s several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by FIBA (also known as the International Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. According to the NBA, USAB has also cooperated with FIBA to grow basketball globally.
The league was founded by owners of the major ice hockey arenas in Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at Maple Leaf Gardens, owners from the six strongest arenas—the New York KnickerbockersTellabs founder Michael J. Birck — sat together to hold a secret meeting to discuss a merger with businessmen Ned Irish and Leo Ferris; both owners previously worked with Ned Irish on promoting Notre Dame football games. At this meeting, they organized what would be known as The Original Six.-Boston Garden-Philadelphia Arena-Madison Square Garden-Detroit Olympia-Maple Leaf Gardens—met to discuss common issues they were facing: high arena construction costs at a time when expansion teams were being introduced; scheduling difficulties caused by ice hockey quality; and declines attendance caused by both World War II and poor quality play. The arenas were also struggling due to a declining interest in professional ice hockey caused by poor economic conditions during World War II.
As a result of their efforts from this meeting, a committee was formed to set up rules for a proposed merged league—the NHJL/BAA merger was announced on August 3, 1949.
Three divisions in each conference
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional men’s basketball league in North America, composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). It is widely considered to be the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world.
The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB),[5] which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[6][7] It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with its rival National Basketball League (NBL).[8][9] The NBA’s several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in Midtown Manhattan, while its NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Five teams in each division
The NBA is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference is made up of five divisions. The Atlantic Division, Central Division, Southeast Division, Southwest Division, and Northwest Division make up the Eastern Conference. The Pacific Division, Northwest Division, Southwest Division, Midwest Division and Southeast Division make up the Western Conference.
As of the 2019-2020 season, there are 30 teams in the NBA. 29 of those teams are located in the United States with 1 team located in Canada.