NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the premier league in world basketball and one of the premier sports organizations in North America.

The league was founded in 1946, on June 6 in the city of New York. In the beginning, the league was called Basketball Association of America (BAA). It consisted of 2 divisions with 11 teams: Bostons Celtics, Clevland Rebels, Chicago Stags, Detroit Falkons, New York Knickerbockers, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Philadelphia Warriors, Providence Steamrollers, St. Louis Bombers, Toronto and Washington Capitols. Eventually in 1949 after 6 more clubs joined the National Basketball League it became known as the NBA. After that 17 teams were divided into 3 divisions. A year later, in 1950 6 teams leave the NBA these are Anderson Packers, Chicago Stags, Denver Nuggets, Sheboygan Redskins, St Louis Domders and Waterloo Hawks. This leaves the NBA with 2 divisions and 11 teams. In 1975, 4 American Basketball Association clubs join the NBA.

Season structure. Today, the NBA includes 30 professional clubs in the United States and Canada. All teams were divided into two conferences - Western and Eastern. Each conference consisted of three divisions. Throughout the season, clubs play 82 games. After the end of the NBA championship, the 8 best teams from each conference enter a series of games in the playoffs. This is a series of knockout games up to four wins. In the final, the winners of the Eastern and Western Conferences meet and determine the NBA champion.

Playoffs. The NBA playoffs are a knockout tournament. During the tournament, teams play each other in a series of matches up to four wins. The team that took a higher place in the championship has an advantage - it plays one more game at home. The first, second, and, if necessary, the fifth and seventh games are held on the court of that team, and the rest are held at the arena of the team that took a lower place in the regular championship

All-Star Game. The NBA All-Star Game is held in February. This game is attended by players who are chosen by fans by voting.

NBA Draft. In June of each year, a draft is held, where teams of the association can replenish their ranks with new players. Any player who has reached the age of 19 can take part in the draft. Since 1985, the association has begun to hold a draft lottery, which determines the order of choosing teams. The lottery determines the clubs that will choose new players in the draft first. First of all, this depends on the results of the clubs in the past season. Teams that took the last places in the championship will be the first to choose players from among the rookies.

Clubs have the right to exchange the right to choose in the draft. They can change positions in the queue, or exchange players.

Awards. In its baggage, the National Basketball Association has 12 awards that are presented to teams and players for their achievements. The highest award in the NBA championship is the Larry O'Brien Cup. In addition to various cups and titles, symbolic teams are selected every year - all-stars, all-defensive team and all-rookie team. The composition of the teams is determined by voting.

Salary cap. The salary cap is a document that takes into account all the nuances: first of all, a limit is determined on the salaries of all categories of players - from rookies to veterans - who have played 10 or more seasons. In 1984, league commissioner David Stern set the maximum team spending on NBA player salaries. So, a rookie's salary cannot be less than $385 thousand per year, and any player on the team cannot claim a salary of more than $11 million per year for the first six years of playing for the team. These restrictions were introduced so that player salaries do not grow in leaps and bounds, but gradually, giving the club owner the opportunity to plan expenses in advance.

The salary cap in the NBA is quite soft. Thus, the salary cap for veterans with ten years of experience cannot be more than $15.3 million. But when a veteran signs a new contract with his club as a free agent, he has the right to increase the contract amount above the limit. This precaution is aimed at maintaining the consistency of the team roster. After all, when a player moves to another team, the salary cap rule automatically applies to him.

The salary cap can be exceeded, and quite significantly. However, for such an excess of expenses, club owners have to pay a special tax to the league budget - a luxury tax, which is 100% of the excess amount. This money is distributed by the league's management among other teams, thus equalizing the financial capabilities of the clubs. A collective agreement has been signed between the trade union and the NBA league, which contains the following clause - the contract can be terminated if salary payments are more than 48.04% of the club's income. This includes revenue from advertising, from the sale of tickets and rights to broadcast games on TV, as well as from the sale of souvenirs, because without all this, the sports business will not generate income.

Famous players. Players, coaches and team officials can be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame if their careers have been successful and unblemished. After the end of their basketball career, a player cannot apply for this nomination for three years. But if the league's management considers the achievements to be significant enough, then the introduction of the Basketball Hall of Fame is possible before the end of the three-year term. Unlike other American Halls of Fame, such as baseball and American football, not only American professional basketball players can get into the Basketball Hall of Fame, but also amateurs and representatives of European basketball. Six teams have also been accepted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 1985, the Basketball Hall of Fame moved to a new building on the east coast of Connecticut, and on September 28, 2002, the Basketball Hall of Fame moved again to a new building. The construction of a grand complex with an area of ​​7,400 m2 cost its creators 45 million US dollars.

New members are accepted into the Basketball Hall of Fame at annual sessions of the league, but there are exceptions. So in 1968 and 2007, no one was accepted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. As of 2008, the Basketball Hall of Fame has 285 honorary members, and three of them, namely John Wooden, Lenny Wilkensey, Bill Sharman, were accepted twice - as players and as coaches.

Notable NBA Players:
• Shaquille Rashoun O'Neal
• Michael Jordan
• Ben Wallace
• John Stockton
• LeBron James
• Scottie Maurice Pippen
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Allen Isale Iverson
• Kevin Durant
• Ron Artest

Official NBA Ball. The National Basketball Association introduced a new official game ball at the beginning of the 2006-2007 season. The new product from Spallding (Cross Traxxion) features a new coating and a new design, which allow players to better feel and grip the ball during the game. This ball is made of artificial materials and is more stable than its leather counterpart. It should be noted that the NBA decided to change the game ball for the first time in 35 years and the second time in the last 60 seasons. In 1970, the four-segment ball was replaced with an eight-segment one. However, on December 11, 2006, the association commissioner David Stern, at the insistence of the majority of players, decided to return to the old leather model of the ball.