The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional league for men’s basketball. Founded in 1946, the NBA currently has 30 teams: 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. Teams begin training camps in September, and play 82 regular season games each year. The best teams are seeded higher in the playoffs, which begins in late April or early May. Having the higher seed offers several advantages, including playing at home in the first round of the playoffs.
During the regular season, each team plays every other team twice, once at home and once on the road. Within their conference, they also play each other three or four times. The league’s annual All-Star Game is held in February, and fans vote to choose the starters for the game. The regular season pauses for the All-Star weekend, which includes the All-Star game and several other festivities.
Once the playoffs begin, the top eight teams in each conference qualify for the postseason. The winners of the Eastern and Western conferences play each other in a best-of-seven series, with the highest seeds hosting the lower seeds in each round. The winner of each series advances to the Finals, which are held in June or July. The victors of the Finals win the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Each member of the winning team receives a championship ring.
The NBA has many traditions and rituals, such as the raising of the championship banner to mark a franchise’s victory, and the NBA All-Star game, which features the best players from each conference. The All-Star game’s popularity has grown to the point where it now attracts many celebrities, who attend the event in person or watch it on television.
In addition to its traditional events, the NBA has introduced innovations such as a salary cap on player salaries, lucrative TV rights deals for networks and cable television, and its own marketing division to promote the game worldwide. The NBA also has established a reputation for being one of the world’s premier sports leagues.
The current structure of the NBA is that there are two 15-team conferences, each divided into three divisions with five teams each. This arrangement was introduced in the 2004-05 season. Each team plays home games at its arena, and away games at another venue. The arenas are 50 feet wide and 94 feet long, and the rims hang 10 feet from the floor. The three-point line is 23 feet, 9 inches from the basket at the top of the arc, and 22 feet in the corners. The balls are inflated to between 8.5 and 9.5 pounds per square inch.