NBA Timeline & Winner NBA Championship 2023?

NBA’s popularity continues to grow each year and now more people are playing basketball than ever before. Constant scoring and constant action makes NBA the most exiting and most followed sports league in the world.

Basketball Initiation – December 4, 1891 . The Place where it all rolled out was in YMCA Training School in Spring Field, Massachusetts. Here Dr. James Naismith accepted a job of an Instructor. He was a Canadian-American and a sports coach, best known as inventor of the game of basketball. The main idea behind initiation of this sports was that it was to be indoors and requiring a small space.

January 1, 1892 – Women Basketball initiation. Senda Berenson Abbot a Gymnastics Instructor adapts James Naismith basketball rules for woman and introduces the game at Smith College. The first inter-institutional contest between the university of California and Miss Head’s School.

1892 – Original Basketball rules released. Dr. James Naismith created 13 different rules so that each team could have an equal opportunity to win. The first time people new about these rules was in Springfield College newspaper “The Triangle”

1894 – A Soccer Ball was used for the first two years. In 1894 the first basketball was marketed. It was laced measured close to 32 inches ( 81 cm ) OR about 4 inches (10cm) larger than the soccer ball, in circumference.

January 18, 1896 – First College Basketball game was played between University of IOWA and University of Chicago for an experimental game. Final score, Chicago 15 IOWA 12. A bit different from the hundred point scores of today. In the same year the first known professional basketball game was played between Trenton YMCA and Brooklyn YMCA . Each player got $15 except Fred Cooper who got $16 and became the first highest paid player. Trenton defeated Brooklyn 15 – 1 to win the first ever professional basketball game.

January 1, 1907 , the amateur all black Olympian Athletic League was formed in New York City consisting of the Smart Set Athletic Club , St Christopher Club, Marathon Athletic Club, Alpha Physical Culture Club and The Jersey City Colored YMCA . The first Intercity basketball game between two black teams was played in 1907

June 18, 1932 – World basketball was growing and a real international organization was formed. To co-ordinate tournaments and teams. That day Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland founded the International Basketball Federation, more commonly known by French acronym FIBA ( Federation International de Basketball).

August 7, 1936 – basketball became an official sports and the United States Teams easily dominated the competition. The games were played outdoors on a converted tennis court and the 1936 championship game was played during rainstorm with 1000 standing fans.

1937 – National Basketball League ( NBL ) was established.

February 28, 1940 first basketball game was televised. It was televised from the Madison Square Garden. Fordham VS The University of Pittsburg. It was over NBC’s experimental station in New York , WZXBS. The game in which Pittsburg defeated Fordham 50 -37 .

February 7, 1945 – Herman Sayger , a high school basketball coach in the Midwest , came up with the idea of a three point shot in a scoring system that rewarded the distance of the shot taken from . The three point line as well as other rule changes were tested in a game between Columbia and Fordham.

November 1, 1946 – The BBA begins play as the New York Knickers Buckers take on The Toronto Huskers in Toronto, Any fan taller than 6’ 8” go in free to watch the game.

1948 – The basketball size changed by 1948-49, when lace less molded ball was made official, the size had been set at 30 inches ( 76cm )

August 3, 1949 – The NBL (national basketball league) joins the BAA (basketball association of America) . 6 teams from the NBL join BBA resulting in total 17 teams forming the National Basketball Association (NBA), and named Maurice Podoloff as President.

1954 – Minneapolis Lakers first team to win 3 consecutive championship.

December 8, 1961 – It was in this season the 7 foot , ½ inch Wilt Chamberlain the great player of this time grabbed hold of the game and the record book. Playing for the Philadelphia Warriors, Chamberlain scored 78 points and pulled down 43 rebounds on this date against Los Angeles Lakers.

1964 – Boston Celtics the Team with most NBA championship titles under their name till date ( 17 titles in all ) , showing their dominance the game during the 60’s . During 1964-65 season Boston Celtics showed their dominance of the game by winning 62 games and losing only 18 .

1968 – Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame opens in Springfield Massachusetts.

October 12, 1979 – The NBA’s first 3 point shot was made by Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics in a game against the Houston Rockets at Boston Garden.

December 13, 1983 – The Detroit Pistons defeat The Denver Nuggets 186 – 184 in the Highest Scoring Game in NBA history.

1984 – The greatest Player of all times , Michael Jordan gave a Gold Medal Performance at the 1984 Olympics. Prospered in the Pro-Game with the fabulous first season , earning the Rookee of the Year, five time NBA MVP( most valuable Player ), six time NBA champion ; six time NBA Finals MVP , ten times all NBA first team. Nine time NBA all defensive first team , defensive player of the year , 14 time NBA all star , three time NBA all star MVP , 50^th Anniversary all time team , ten scoring titles, An NBA record and seven consecutive matching Chamberlain.

July 25 , 1988 – Atlanta Hawks first to play in Soviet Union they defeated Soviet Union 85 – 84.

October 12, 1989 , Professional Basketball player go International .

March 24 , 1993 – Michael Williams of Minnesota makes an NBA record of 97 free throw in a row.

April 24 , 1996 – NBA starts a Women’s Nation Basketball Association ( WNBA ).

October 31 , 1997 , First Woman Referee Violet becomes the first woman to referee a major sporting event. She is soon joined by D Kanter.

June 26 , 2002 – Yao Ming becomes the first drafted person not from the US . The Houston Rockets Draft Yao Ming yo be first @1 overall pick to never play College Ball in the US . Tao the biggest import ever seen in the NBA.

July 8, 2010 – LeBron James chose to sign with the from his stint with Cleveland Cavaliers.

2016 – The Golden State Warriors who had won the Title the previous season posted the best regular season record in NBA history with a total record of 73 win and 9 losses.

2017 – NBA is always trying and working out new ways for worldwide audience to see their product. In 2017 NBA Finals, each game was watched by 20 – 24 million people.

In 2019 season LeBron James , first time did not make it to the NBA Finals since 2010. After playing for the title regularly for eight years LeBron could not take his new team , The Los Angeles Lakers to the Finals. The same year was also the first time a team from outside USA won NBA Title, when Toronto Raptor being the underdog upset The Golden State Warriors in six games.

10 Single Season NBA Records