Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first professional basketball game in what would become the NBA took place on the 1st of November 1946 inside Maple Leaf Gardens. This event marked the beginning of the Basketball Association of America, which was founded earlier that year by owners of major ice hockey arenas across the Northeastern United States and Canada.
Rookie center Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to eleven NBA titles in thirteen seasons starting from 1957. The franchise also featured guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach during this dominant period.
David Stern became commissioner of the NBA on the 1st of February 1984 after serving as deputy to Larry O'Brien. He served a thirty-year tenure before retiring on the 1st of February 2014 and was succeeded by Adam Silver.
The first regular season NBA league games in Europe took place in 2011 at the O2 Arena in London. The league announced on the 10th of March 2025 that it would play two preseason games at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne as part of the NBA x NBL: Melbourne Series.
The NBA signed a contract with DuMont Television Network in its eighth season, the 1953, 54 season, marking the first year the league had a national television broadcaster. NBC took over the rights from the 1954, 55 season until April 1962.