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Basketball Association of America

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Basketball Association of America
SportBasketball
FoundedJune 6, 1946; 78 years ago (1946-06-06)
CeasedAugust 3, 1949; 75 years ago (1949-08-03) (merged with NBL)
No. of teams16
CountriesUnited States and Canada
Last
champion(s)		Minneapolis Lakers
Related
competitions		National Basketball Association

The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1]

The Philadelphia Warriors won the inaugural BAA championship in 1947, followed by the Baltimore Bullets and the Minneapolis Lakers in 1948 and 1949, respectively. Six teams from the BAA remain in operation in the NBA as of the 2023–24 season, three that co-founded the league in 1946 (Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia Warriors) and three that joined it from the NBL in 1948 (Fort Wayne Pistons, Minneapolis Lakers, and Rochester Royals). The inaugural BAA season began with 11 teams, of which four dropped out before the second season. One ABL team joined to provide 8 teams for 1947–48 and four NBL teams joined to provide 12 for 1948–49. The records and statistics of the BAA and NBL prior to the merger in 1949 are considered in official NBA history only if a player, coach or team participated in the newly formed NBA after 1949 for one or more seasons.[2][3]

The NBA generally claims the BAA's history as its own. For example, at NBA History online its table of one-line "NBA Season Recaps" begins 1946–47 without comment.[4] It celebrated "NBA at 50" in 1996, with the announcement of its 50 Greatest Players among other things.[5]

History

[edit]
An exterior view of a building. The building has a sign that says "Maple Leaf Gardens" on the front.
Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto hosted the first BAA game.

When the BAA was founded, there were two established professional leagues in the United States: the American Basketball League (ABL) in the East, founded 1925, and the National Basketball League (NBL) in Midwestern industrial cities, founded 1937. However, most of the ABL and NBL teams played in small arenas, and in some cases even ballrooms or high school gymnasiums. Walter Brown, owner of the Boston Garden, believed that major ice hockey arenas, which sat empty on many nights, could be put to profitable use hosting basketball games when there were no ice hockey games to be played.[6] To put this theory into practice, the BAA was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946. The remaining founding members were represented by the Madison Square Garden sports promoter Ned Irish, Philadelphia Arena sports promoter Peter Tyrell, the Uline Arena owner Mike Uline, both Chicago Stadium and St.Louis Arena owner Arthur Wirtz, the Detroit Olympia owner James D. Norris, the Cleveland Arena sports promoter Albert Sutphin, the Maple Leaf Gardens managing Director Frank Selke, Duquesne Gardens entertainment executive John Harris, and Rhode Island Auditorium owner Louis Pieri. The already-serving president of the American Hockey League (AHL) Maurice Podoloff was appointed president of the BAA, becoming the first person to simultaneously lead two professional leagues[7]—Joseph Carr had been president of the ABL from 1925 to 1928 while also overseeing the National Football League (NFL), but the NFL and ABL seasons did not overlap.[8]

The owners of the BAA, while experienced businessmen, had little experience owning basketball teams.[9] The league started with 11 teams, which played a 60-game regular season. This was followed by the playoffs and the final series to determine the league winner.[7]

Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues, including the American Basketball League (ABL) and the NBL, the BAA was the first league that attempted to play primarily in large arenas in major cities, such as Madison Square Garden and Boston Garden.[10] At its inception, the quality of play in the BAA was not significantly better than in competing leagues, or among leading independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters. For instance, both the 1948 and 1949 titles were won by teams that had played in other leagues during the previous year, the Baltimore Bullets in 1948 and the Minneapolis Lakers in 1949.[11][12]

1946–47 season

[edit]
Further information: 1946–47 BAA season, 1947 BAA Playoffs, and 1947 BAA Finals

The league started with 11 teams, which were divided into two divisions, the Eastern Division and the Western Division. Each team played 60 or 61 regular season games. The best three teams from each division advanced to the playoffs. The two division winners received first-round byes and qualified directly to the semifinals, while the two second-place teams and two third-place teams competed in the best-of-3 quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals. The final series was also played in a best-of-7 format.

On November 1, 1946, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers, which the NBA now regards as the league's first official game.[13] In the opening game of the BAA, Ossie Schectman scored the opening basket for the Knickerbockers.[14] The Eastern Division winner, the Washington Capitols, who had the best record with 49 wins, were defeated in the best-of-7 semifinal by the Western Division winner, the Chicago Stags. The Stags advanced to the finals along with the Philadelphia Warriors who defeated the New York Knickerbockers in the other semifinal. The Warriors won the inaugural BAA championship by winning the series 4–1.[10][15][16]

The first year had many problems. In arenas shared with hockey teams, some arena owners simply put a wooden basketball floor over the ice. This caused some games to be cancelled due to puddles on the floor. In addition, some owners would not heat their buildings, leading fans to bring blankets to the games and players to wear gloves. Attendance averaged just 3,000 per game. Teams with large leads would stall by having players dribble the ball for long periods. The owners discussed trying a 60-minute game and even doing "innings" where each team would have the ball for a certain period of time.[17] In addition, the teams in the league were financially weak.[18] However, the BAA still had fans eager to see former college stars play.[19]

From the beginning, the league aspired to be a major league. The league also differed from its rival, the NBL: the BAA played a 48-minute game instead of a 40-minute game, and allowed players to play until they committed six fouls as opposed to five. The league formation did not alarm team owners in the NBL until some NBL players switched to the BAA.[20]

1947–48 season

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Further information: 1947 BAA draft, 1947–48 BAA season, 1948 BAA Playoffs, and 1948 BAA Finals

Before the season started, the Cleveland Rebels, Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen and Toronto Huskies folded, leaving the BAA with only seven teams. The Baltimore Bullets joined the league from the ABL, and were assigned to the Western Division along with the Washington Capitols to even the divisions. Prior to the start of the season, the league held its inaugural college draft on July 1, 1947.[21] Each team played 48 regular season games. The Eastern Division was won by the Philadelphia Warriors, the West by the St. Louis Bombers.[11]

The 1948 Playoffs followed the same format as the previous year. The Eastern Division winner, the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the Western Division winner, St. Louis Bombers. In the finals, the Warriors were defeated by the Bullets 4–2.[11][22][23]

1948–49 season

[edit]
Further information: 1948 BAA draft, 1948–49 BAA season, 1949 BAA Playoffs, and 1949 BAA Finals

Prior to the start of the season, four teams from the NBL, the Fort Wayne Pistons, Indianapolis Jets, Minneapolis Lakers and the Rochester Royals, joined the BAA. This caused a surge in talent as players such as George Mikan were now playing in the BAA.[12] With twelve teams, the league was realigned into two six-team divisions. Each team played 60 regular season games. The Eastern Division was won by the Washington Capitols who had 38 wins, while the Western Division was dominated by the two new teams, the Royals and the Lakers who had 45 and 44 wins respectively.[24]

The 1949 Playoffs were expanded to include eight teams. The four best teams from each division contested in divisional semifinals and divisional finals to find each division winners. The two division winners then advanced to the finals. The divisional semifinals and finals were played in a best-of-3 format while the final series were played in the best-of-7 format. The Lakers defeated the Royals to become the inaugural Western Division winner. In the other divisional final, the Capitols defeated the New York Knicks to become the inaugural Eastern Division winner. The Lakers then won the finals by defeating the Capitols 4–2.[12][24][25]

Merger with NBL, formation of the NBA

[edit]
Main article: National Basketball Association

On August 3, 1949, the BAA agreed to merge with the NBL, creating the National Basketball Association (NBA). Six remaining NBL teams joined with the ten BAA teams; the Indianapolis Jets and the Providence Steamrollers folded prior to the merger. The Indianapolis Olympians, a planned expansion team for the NBL, also joined the newly formed league. In total, the new league had 17 teams located in a mix of large and small cities, as well as large arenas, smaller gymnasiums, and armories.[7][26] Prior to the merge, the league held the 1949 college draft on March 21, which was the last event held under the name BAA.[21]

The NBA later adopted the BAA's history and statistics as its own but did not do the same for NBL records and statistics.[4][5][27]

League championships

[edit]
Main article: List of BAA champions

The series was initially known as the BAA Finals prior to the 1949–50 season when the Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to create the NBA.

Teams

[edit]
^ Denotes a franchise that is currently active, present day NBA
Team City Years
active 		Seasons
played 		Win–loss
record 		Win pct. Playoff
seasons 		Champion
seasons 		Ref.
BAA Buffalo Buffalo, New York Never Played 0 0–0 N/A 0 0 [28]
BAA Indianapolis Indianapolis, Indiana Never Played 0 0–0 N/A 0 0 [28]
Baltimore Bullets[a] Baltimore, Maryland 1947–49 2 57–51 .528 2 1 [29]
Boston Celtics^ Boston, Massachusetts 1946–49 3 67–101 .399 1 0 [30]
Chicago Stags Chicago, Illinois 1946–49 3 105–64 .621 3 0 [31]
Cleveland Rebels Cleveland, Ohio 1946–47 1 30–30 .500 1 0 [32]
Detroit Falcons Detroit, Michigan 1946–47 1 20–40 .333 0 0 [33]
Fort Wayne Pistons^[b] Fort Wayne, Indiana 1948–49 1 22–38 .367 0 0 [34]
Indianapolis Jets[g]  Indianapolis, Indiana 1948–49 1 18–42 .300 0 0 [35]
Minneapolis Lakers^[c] Minneapolis, Minnesota 1948–49 1 44–16 .733 1 1 [36]
New York Knickerbockers^  New York City, New York 1946–49 3 91–77 .542 3 0 [37]
Philadelphia Warriors^[d] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1946–49 3 90–78 .536 3 1 [38]
Pittsburgh Ironmen Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1946–47 1 15–45 .250 0 0 [39]
Providence Steamrollers Providence, Rhode Island 1946–49 3 46–122 .274 0 0 [40]
Rochester Royals^[e] Rochester, New York 1948–49 1 45–15 .750 1 0 [41]
St. Louis Bombers St. Louis, Missouri 1946–49 3 96–73 .568 3 0 [42]
Toronto Huskies Toronto, Ontario 1946–47 1 22–38 .367 0 0 [43]
Washington Capitols[f] Washington, D.C. 1946–49 3 115–53 .685 3 0 [44]
  • a Not affiliated with the present-day Washington Wizards, which were known as the Baltimore Bullets from 1963 to 1973, Baltimore moved from the NBL to the BAA in 1947.
  • b Known as the Detroit Pistons since 1957, Fort Wayne moved from the NBL to the BAA in 1948.
  • c Known as the Los Angeles Lakers since 1960, Minneapolis moved from the NBL to the BAA in 1948.
  • d Known as the Golden State Warriors since 1971, Philadelphia relocated to San Francisco in 1962.
  • e Known as the Sacramento Kings since 1985, Rochester moved from the NBL to the BAA in 1948 (and relocated three times).
  • f Not affiliated with National Hockey League Washington Capitals
  • g Indianapolis moved from the NBL to the BAA in 1948, along with three other teams that remain in operation.

Annual standings

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1946–47

[edit]
Eastern Division[10]
Team W L Pct. GB
Washington Capitols 49 11 .817 –
Philadelphia Warriors 35 25 .583 14
New York Knicks 33 27 .550 16
Providence Steamrollers 28 32 .467 21
Boston Celtics 22 38 .367 27
Toronto Huskies 22 38 .367 27
Western Division[10]
Team W L Pct. GB
Chicago Stags 39 22 .639 –
St. Louis Bombers 38 23 .623 1
Cleveland Rebels 30 30 .500 8½
Detroit Falcons 20 40 .333 18½
Pittsburgh Ironmen 15 45 .250 23½

1947–48

[edit]
Eastern Division[11]
Team W L Pct. GB
Philadelphia Warriors 27 21 .563 –
New York Knicks 26 22 .542 1
Boston Celtics 20 28 .417 7
Providence Steamrollers 6 42 .125 21
Western Division[11]
Team W L Pct. GB
St. Louis Bombers 29 19 .604 –
Baltimore Bullets 28 20 .583 1
Chicago Stags 28 20 .583 1
Washington Capitols 28 20 .583 1

1948–49

[edit]
Eastern Division[12]
Team W L Pct. GB
Washington Capitols 38 22 .633 –
New York Knicks 32 28 .533 6
Baltimore Bullets 29 31 .483 9
Philadelphia Warriors 28 32 .467 10
Boston Celtics 25 35 .417 13
Providence Steamrollers 12 48 .200 26
Western Division[12]
Team W L Pct. GB
Rochester Royals 45 15 .750 –
Minneapolis Lakers 44 16 .733 1
Chicago Stags 38 22 .633 7
St. Louis Bombers 29 31 .483 16
Fort Wayne Pistons 22 38 .367 23
Indianapolis Jets 18 42 .300 27

Awards

[edit]
Main article: All-NBA Team

The All-BAA Team was an annual BAA honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every season. The All-BAA Team was composed of two five-man lineups—a first and second team, comprising a total of 10 roster spots. The players were selected without regard to position.[45]

* Denotes a Hall of Fame player
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been selected
All-BAA Team[45]
Season First team Second team
Players Teams Players Teams
1946–47 Joe Fulks* Philadelphia Warriors Ernie Calverley Providence Steamrollers
Bob Feerick Washington Capitols Frank Baumholtz Cleveland Rebels
Stan Miasek Detroit Falcons Johnny Logan St. Louis Bombers
Bones McKinney Washington Capitols Chick Halbert Chicago Stags
Max Zaslofsky Chicago Stags Fred Scolari Washington Capitols
1947–48 Joe Fulks* (2) Philadelphia Warriors Johnny Logan (2) St. Louis Bombers
Max Zaslofsky (2) Chicago Stags Carl Braun New York Knicks
Ed Sadowski Boston Celtics Stan Miasek (2) Chicago Stags
Howie Dallmar Philadelphia Warriors Fred Scolari (2) Washington Capitols
Bob Feerick (2) Washington Capitols Buddy Jeannette* Baltimore Bullets
1948–49 George Mikan* Minneapolis Lakers Arnie Risen* Rochester Royals
Joe Fulks* (3) Philadelphia Warriors Bob Feerick (3) Washington Capitols
Bob Davies* Rochester Royals Bones McKinney Washington Capitols
Max Zaslofsky (3) Chicago Stags Ken Sailors Providence Steamrollers
Jim Pollard* Minneapolis Lakers Johnny Logan (3) St. Louis Bombers

References

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  1. ^ "AUG 03: Sports: 1949: NBA is born" Archived March 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. This Day in History. History.com. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  2. ^ "Basketball Association of America League Minutes 1946–1949" Archived April 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. The Association for Professional Basketball Research. APBR.org. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  3. ^ 2012–13 Official National Basketball Association Register Archived March 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. NBA.com.
  4. ^ a b "NBA Season Recaps" Archived July 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. NBA History (nba.com/history). July 1, 2014. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  5. ^ a b "NBA at 50 celebrates legends of league" Archived May 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Announced October 29, 1996. NBA History (nba.com/history). August 26, 2011. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  6. ^ Schumacher, Michael (2007). Mr. Basketball: George Mikan. University of Minnesota Press. pp. 71–72. ISBN 978-0-8166-5675-2. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c Berger, Phil. "First Season". AmericanHeritage.com. American Heritage Publishing. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  8. ^ "Joe Carr" (PDF). www.profootballresearchers.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2010.
  9. ^ Riess, Steven A. (1998). Sports and the American Jew. Syracuse: Syracuse University press. ISBN 978-0-8156-2754-8. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  10. ^ a b c d "Fulks' Warriors Star in League's First Season". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c d e "New Team in Baltimore Grabs Crown". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  12. ^ a b c d e "The Mikan Era Arrives". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  13. ^ "History of Basketball in Canada". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 8, 2002. Archived from the original on April 19, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  14. ^ Goldaper, Sam. "The First Game". NBA. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  15. ^ "1946–47 BAA Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  16. ^ "Warriors Win Inaugural Finals". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on December 1, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  17. ^ Pluto, Terry (1992). Tale Tales: The Glory Days of the NBA. Simon & Schuster, Inc. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-8032-8766-2. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  18. ^ Gould, Todd (1989). Winning is the Only Thing in Sports. Jonh Hopkins University press. ISBN 978-0-253-21199-6. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  19. ^ Guide to Essential Knowledge. New York. 2007. ISBN 978-0-312-37659-8. Retrieved February 26, 2010. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. ^ Gould, Todd (1998). Pioneers of the Hardwood: Indiana and the Birth of Professional Basketball. Indiana University Press. p. 136. Retrieved February 27, 2010. Basketball Association of America.
  21. ^ a b "1947–1948 BAA Drafts, 1949–1951 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Archived from the original on July 4, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
  22. ^ "1947–48 BAA Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  23. ^ "Baltimore Bursts Into Big Leagues". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on December 1, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  24. ^ a b "1948–49 BAA Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  25. ^ "Mikan, Lakers Begin Championship Run". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on December 1, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  26. ^ "Powerful Lakers Repeat". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  27. ^ Curtis Harris (January 21, 2022). "How the NBA's 75th anniversary sweeps away its early history". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Bradley, Robert. "BAA League Minutes". APBR. Archived from the original on April 22, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  29. ^ "Baltimore Bullets Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  30. ^ "Boston Celtics Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  31. ^ "Chicago Stags Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  32. ^ "Cleveland Rebels Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  33. ^ "Detroit Falcons Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  34. ^ "Detroit Pistons Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  35. ^ "Indianapolis Jets Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  36. ^ "Los Angeles Lakers Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  37. ^ "New York Knickerbockers Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  38. ^ "Golden State Warriors Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  39. ^ "Pittsburgh Ironmen Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  40. ^ "Providence Steamrollers Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
  41. ^ "Sacramento Kings Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
  42. ^ "St. Louis Bombers Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  43. ^ "Toronto Huskies Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  44. ^ "Washington Capitols Franchise Index". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  45. ^ a b "All-NBA Teams". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
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