The NBA isn’t just a league-it’s the biggest basketball league in the world. If you’ve ever watched a game, seen a highlight, or heard someone talk about LeBron James or Stephen Curry, you’ve been watching the NBA. But what exactly is it called? The full name is the National Basketball Association. That’s it. No tricks, no hidden acronyms. It’s right there in the name.
Where Did the NBA Come From?
The NBA didn’t start as the NBA. It began in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). Back then, there were only 11 teams, mostly in big cities like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. The league was trying to compete with another group called the National Basketball League (NBL), which had been around since the 1930s and had teams in smaller towns.
In 1949, the BAA merged with the NBL and became the National Basketball Association. That’s when the modern NBA was born. The first official NBA season started in 1949-50 with 17 teams. Some of those original teams still exist today-like the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks.
How Big Is the NBA Today?
Today, the NBA has 30 teams. 29 are in the United States, and one is in Canada-the Toronto Raptors. The league is split into two conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference has three divisions, making six divisions total.
Each team plays 82 regular-season games. That’s a lot of basketball. By the time the playoffs start in April, only 16 teams make it in-eight from each conference. The winner of the playoffs gets the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. It’s not called the NBA Championship trophy, even though everyone says it that way. The real name matters to fans who know the history.
What Makes the NBA Different From Other Leagues?
There are basketball leagues all over the world-EuroLeague in Europe, the Chinese Basketball Association, the Australian NBL. But none of them match the NBA’s scale, pay, or global reach.
NBA players make millions. The average salary in the 2024-25 season was just over $10 million. The highest-paid player, Nikola Jokić, earned $47 million that year. Compare that to the EuroLeague, where top players make around $3-5 million. That’s a huge gap.
The NBA also has the most global fans. In 2024, over 1.2 billion people watched NBA games somewhere in the world. That’s more than the entire population of India. The league has broadcast deals in over 200 countries and territories. You can watch a game live from Tokyo, Lagos, or Madrid.
Who Runs the NBA?
The NBA is run by a commissioner. As of 2025, that’s Adam Silver. He’s been in charge since 2014. He handles everything from rule changes to disciplinary actions. He also approved the move to the 22-team bubble during the pandemic in 2020, which kept the season going when no one thought it could.
The league office is in New York City. But the real power lies with the team owners. Each of the 30 teams has an owner or ownership group. They vote on major league decisions-like expanding the league, changing the draft rules, or moving teams. The commissioner doesn’t make decisions alone.
What About the WNBA?
Some people get confused and think the NBA includes women’s basketball. It doesn’t. The WNBA-the Women’s National Basketball Association-is a separate league. It was founded in 1996, 50 years after the NBA. The WNBA has 12 teams, and while it doesn’t get the same media attention, its players are just as skilled.
The WNBA’s top players, like A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, make about $200,000-$300,000 a year. That’s a fraction of NBA salaries, but the gap is slowly closing. The WNBA’s 2025 season will be the first to feature a new collective bargaining agreement that raises minimum salaries and improves benefits.
How Do You Get Into the NBA?
There are only a few paths to the NBA. Most players come from college basketball in the U.S. The NCAA is the main pipeline. After three years of college, or if they’re 19 and one year out of high school, players can enter the NBA Draft.
The draft happens every June. Teams pick in reverse order of their win-loss record from the previous season. The team with the worst record gets the first pick. In 2024, the San Antonio Spurs picked Victor Wembanyama first overall. He was a 19-year-old from France who had already dominated in Europe.
There are also international players who go straight from pro leagues overseas to the NBA. Luka Dončić came from Spain. Giannis Antetokounmpo came from Greece. Neither played college ball in the U.S. But they still had to declare for the draft and meet the age rules.
What Does the NBA Actually Do?
The NBA doesn’t just run games. It owns the trademarks for team logos, jersey designs, and even the sound of the shot clock. It licenses all the merchandise you see-T-shirts, hats, video games. The league makes billions from TV deals alone. In 2024, it signed a $76 billion, 11-year deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon to broadcast games.
The NBA also runs youth programs, basketball camps, and community outreach. It’s one of the few sports leagues that actively promotes social justice causes. Players wear messages on their jerseys. Teams donate millions to education and housing programs. The league even has a dedicated social responsibility department.
Why Do People Care So Much?
It’s not just the stars. It’s the story. The underdog team that beats the champs. The rookie who drops 50 points. The last-second shot that wins it all. The NBA blends athleticism, drama, and personality better than any other sport.
It’s also the most accessible. You don’t need a big field or special gear. Just a ball and a hoop. Kids in Lagos, Manila, and Minneapolis all play the same game. And when they watch the NBA, they see people who look like them, talk like them, and came from places like theirs.
The NBA isn’t just a league. It’s a cultural force. It shapes music, fashion, and even how people talk. When someone says ‘slam dunk’ or ‘clutch’, they’re using NBA words. The league didn’t just invent basketball-it turned it into a global language.
Is the NBA the only professional basketball league in the U.S.?
No, the NBA is the top league, but there are others. The G League is the NBA’s official minor league, where players develop before moving up. There’s also the WNBA for women’s basketball and semi-pro leagues like the The Basketball League (TBL) and the NBA 2K League for esports. But none of them have the same level of pay, exposure, or global reach as the NBA.
Does the NBA include college teams?
No. The NBA is a professional league made up of paid players on 30 teams. College basketball is run by the NCAA and is amateur-players don’t get paid salaries, though they can now earn money from endorsements. College teams play for championships like the Final Four, but they don’t compete in the NBA playoffs.
Why is the NBA called the National Basketball Association if it has a Canadian team?
The name stuck from its 1949 founding, when all teams were in the U.S. The Toronto Raptors joined in 1995, and the league kept the original name because it was already globally recognized. The word ‘National’ here refers to the league’s status as the top professional basketball organization in North America, not just the U.S.
How many games does an NBA team play in a season?
Each team plays 82 regular-season games. That includes games against teams in their own conference and teams from the other conference. After that, the top eight teams from each conference enter the playoffs, which can add up to 28 more games if a team goes all the way to the Finals.
Can anyone join the NBA?
No. You must be eligible for the draft, which requires you to be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school. International players must be at least 19. There’s no open tryout system. You get noticed through college, international leagues, or the G League. Even then, only about 60 players are drafted each year out of thousands who try out.
