Basketball Association of America
On the 6th of June 1946, a group of arena owners gathered in New York City to create a new professional basketball league. Walter Brown, owner of the Boston Garden, proposed using empty ice hockey arenas for basketball games during off-seasons. This strategy aimed to generate profit from venues that sat idle on many nights. The meeting included representatives like Ned Irish of Madison Square Garden and Peter Tyrell of Philadelphia Arena. Maurice Podoloff, already president of the American Hockey League, was appointed as the first president of this new Basketball Association of America. Two intended teams in Buffalo and Indianapolis failed to launch before the season began due to financial struggles and lack of resources. The league started with eleven teams playing a sixty-game regular season schedule.
The inaugural season faced severe operational challenges that threatened its survival. On the 1st of November 1946, the first official game took place at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knickerbockers. Ossie Schectman scored the opening basket for the visiting team. Many arenas simply placed wooden floors over ice rinks, causing puddles that cancelled games. Some building owners refused to heat their facilities, forcing fans to bring blankets and players to wear gloves. Attendance averaged only three thousand spectators per game. Teams with large leads would stall by dribbling the ball for extended periods instead of scoring. Four teams folded before the second season even began, leaving the league with just seven franchises. Financial weakness plagued every organization within the nascent competition.
Three different teams claimed the BAA championship during its brief existence from 1947 through 1949. The Philadelphia Warriors won the inaugural title in 1947 by defeating the Chicago Stags four games to one. Eddie Gottlieb coached the winning Warriors squad. The Baltimore Bullets took the 1948 crown after beating Philadelphia four games to two under Buddy Jeannette. George Mikan joined the Minneapolis Lakers in 1949, bringing significant talent from the rival National Basketball League. The Lakers defeated the Washington Capitols four games to two to win the final BAA title. John Kundla served as head coach for the champion Lakers. These titles were often won by teams that had previously played in other leagues rather than original BAA founders. The quality of play did not significantly exceed independent clubs like the Harlem Globetrotters at the time.
On the 3rd of August 1949, the Basketball Association of America officially merged with the National Basketball League. This consolidation created the modern National Basketball Association structure. Seven NBL teams including the Indianapolis Olympians joined ten existing BAA franchises. The new league operated with seventeen teams across large cities and small towns. Some teams like the Providence Steamrollers folded before the merger could finalize. The league held its last college draft on the 21st of March 1949 under the old BAA name. The NBA later adopted all BAA history and statistics while ignoring most NBL records. This decision preserved the legacy of the original thirty-three teams that competed between 1946 and 1949. The merger marked the end of the BAA as a distinct entity but ensured basketball's survival in major markets.
Six teams from the original BAA era continue to operate in the current NBA as of the 2024, 25 season. Three franchises co-founded the league in 1946: the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia Warriors. Three other teams joined from the NBL in 1948 and evolved into modern franchises: the Fort Wayne Pistons, Minneapolis Lakers, and Rochester Royals. Records and statistics from the BAA count toward official NBA history only if a player or team participated after 1949. The Washington Capitols and Chicago Stags no longer exist despite strong early performance. The Baltimore Bullets moved to become today's Washington Wizards decades later. The NBA celebrates this lineage by counting seasons starting from 1946, 47 without comment on its website. This continuity allows modern fans to trace their favorite teams back to the league's chaotic beginnings.
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Common questions
When was the Basketball Association of America founded?
The Basketball Association of America was founded on the 6th of June 1946. A group of arena owners gathered in New York City to create this new professional basketball league.
Who was the first president of the Basketball Association of America?
Maurice Podoloff served as the first president of the Basketball Association of America. He was already president of the American Hockey League before taking this role.
Which teams won the Basketball Association of America championships between 1947 and 1949?
Three different teams claimed the BAA championship during its brief existence from 1947 through 1949. The Philadelphia Warriors won the inaugural title in 1947, the Baltimore Bullets took the 1948 crown, and the Minneapolis Lakers won the final BAA title in 1949.
When did the Basketball Association of America merge with the National Basketball League?
The Basketball Association of America officially merged with the National Basketball League on the 3rd of August 1949. This consolidation created the modern National Basketball Association structure.
How many original Basketball Association of America teams continue to operate in the current NBA as of the 2024, 25 season?
Six teams from the original Basketball Association of America era continue to operate in the current NBA as of the 2024, 25 season. Three franchises co-founded the league in 1946 while three other teams joined from the NBL in 1948 and evolved into modern franchises.