When Did the Modern NBA Start?

The modern NBA started around the time of the 1980s. This is when the league began to really take off in popularity, with players like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird leading the way. The game has changed a lot since then, but the NBA is still going strong.

The Early Years

The NBA has been around for over 70 years, but the game has changed a lot since it started. The modern NBA started to take shape in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This was when players started to become bigger, stronger, and more athletic. The game also became more fast-paced and exciting to watch. In this article, we’ll take a look at the early years of the modern NBA.

The First NBA Game

The first NBA game was played on November 1, 1946, between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Huskies at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. The Knicks won the game 68-66. The NBA was created by a group of owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada.

The first season of the NBA consisted of 11 teams, all based in those two regions. The league has since expanded to 30 teams, with 26 in the United States and four in Canada.

The First NBA Season

The first NBA season was in 1946-47, just one year after the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was founded. The nine original teams were: the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Warriors, Toronto Huskies, Chicago Stags, Detroit Falcons, Washington Capitols, Pittsburgh Ironmen, and St. Louis Bombers. Of these original nine teams, only the Knicks and Celtics are still in the NBA today.

The Modern Era

The modern NBA started in 1946 with the merger of the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League. This resulted in the creation of the National Basketball Association, which is the NBA that we know today. The modern NBA is characterized by its fast pace, its physicality, and its emphasis on players being able to shoot from anywhere on the court.

The ABA-NBA Merger

The ABA-NBA merger was the culmination of several years of negotiations between the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), in which the NBA agreed to absorb four of the six remaining ABA teams. The merger was completed on June 7, 1976. Prior to the 1976 season, the NBA had consisted of 17 franchises, while the ABA had 10 active member clubs. The 1976 NBA season began with 22 teams, two more than in any previous year in either league, with both leagues operating separately.

The process of merging was complicated by several issues. One mechanism that both leagues had used to prevent a merger was an antitrust lawsuit that either league could file against the other; in 1975, the NBA filed such a suit against the ABA. The suit was later withdrawn when it became apparent that merging would occur regardless. Additionally, there were lingering concerns about which league would be dominant if a merger occurred; NBA commissioner David Stern has stated that “there were those of us who thought maybe we shouldn’t merge”. Implementation of a merger agreement between the two leagues did not begin until January 9, 1976, nearly seven months after Stern’s initial announcement.

The Three-Point Line

The three-point line was introduced in the NBA for the 1979-80 season, giving shooters an opportunity to score from beyond the arc. The distance of the line varied in the early years before settling at 22 feet in the corners and 23.75 feet along the rest of the perimeter in 1994. Today, it is one of the most important aspects of the game, with players like Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard redefining what is possible from long range.

The Salary Cap

The salary cap is a system used by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to restrict the amount of money that teams can spend on player salaries. The cap was introduced in 1984 as a way to prevent rich teams from dominate the league by signing all the best players. The salary cap is set at a certain amount each year, and teams can only spend up to that amount on player salaries. If a team goes over the salary cap, they are subject to various penalties, such as luxury taxes. The amount of the salary cap varies from year to year, and is based on factors such as league revenue and player costs.

The salary cap has had a profound effect on the NBA. It has made it much harder for rich teams to win championships, as they can no longer outspend their competition. This has led to a more competitive league, with more parity between teams. The salary cap has also allowed small-market teams to compete for championships, by giving them a level playing field when it comes to signing players.