National Basketball Association (NBA), a professional basketball league formed in the United States in 1949 by the merger of two rival organizations, the National Basketball League (founded 1937) and the Basketball Association of America (founded 1946). In 1976 the NBA absorbed four teams from the American Basketball Association (ABA), which disbanded that year.



The league was founded in Newyork city, on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in the Autumn of 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League (United States). The league’s several international and individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower (New York) at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. The NBA represents the highest level of competition in the world of basketball. It has grown in international popularity as the best players in the world have joined America’s top players.
NBA Team Structure
There are a total of 30 teams in the NBA divided into conferences, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference. Teams in the western part of the U.S. play in the western conference and vice versa. There are also six divisions in the NBA, each with five teams. These divisions are based on location even more special than just west or east. Teams compete to win their division or to make the postseason as a wildcard and compete for a chance to play in the NBA Finals.
NBA Playoffs seeding
The playoff seeding is done as per conferences though. Each team has a schedule of 82 games, they have more head-to-head games with teams of their own conference.
Based on the record that these teams have, they are given seeds in their respective conference. For example, Golden State had the best record in the western conference, so they got the 1 seed. If a team has a top 8 record in their conference, they qualify for the playoffs with their respective seed. If two teams have the same record, the team who has won the head-to-head season series is given a higher seed.
The first round sees matchups between the 1st and 8th seed, 2nd and 7th seed and so forth.
The Most Valuable NBA Teams
Here’s a look at the top five most valuable teams in 2022:
Rank | Team | 2022 Valuation |
1 | New York Knicks | $5.8B |
2 | Golden State Warriors | $5.6B |
3 | Los Angeles Lakers | $5.5B |
4 | Chicago Bulls | $3.6B |
5 | Boston Celtics | $3.2B |
NBA Winners History
The league’s first recognized official match was played in 1946 between Toronto Huskies and New York Knicker Bockers. Winners of the National Basketball Association(NBA) championship are provided in the table.



NBA regular season starts in mid-October and ends in early April. Each team in the NBA plays 82 games 41 on the road and 41 at home. Teams compete within and outside of their division in order to have a good record and make the playoffs.