The NBA is taking measures to protect its players. They are implementing a COVID-19 testing program and enclosing the court in a bubble to protect players from contact with infectious diseases. The bubble, which will remain in place for two weeks, will also be used to separate players and team personnel from non-essential people. Players who test positive will not be permitted to play in games during that time.
The league features 30 teams, divided into two conferences and three divisions. Each division contains five teams. The current divisional alignment was first introduced in the 2004-05 season. Most NBA teams are located in the eastern half of the country; there are 13 in the Eastern Time Zone, nine in Central Time Zone, and three in Mountain Time Zone. There are also five teams in the Pacific Time Zone.
The NBA was once a footnote in American sports, but it was able to become a major force in the world of basketball. This was thanks to its large cities and consistency. It was founded in 1946 as an extension of the NHL, with some of its teams located in cities that hosted the NHL.
The regular season begins in October and ends in early April. Teams compete for a playoff seeding based on their record during the regular season. The top eight teams are then seeded into the postseason. The teams with the best regular season records play for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. The seeds are awarded in strict order based on their regular season records, and a tiebreaker system is employed in the case of ties.
Each year, the regular season is interrupted by the NBA All-Star Game. In this game, top vote-getters in each conference are named captains. The rest of the starters are selected by coaches. At the end of the season, each team will draft their own team from the player pool, and the league’s top vote-getter earns the first pick. The Game MVP is awarded to the player who gave the best performance during the game.
The NBA has a long history of partnerships with American television networks. In 1953-54, it signed a contract with the DuMont Television Network, the first national television network to broadcast NBA games. On April 7, 1962, NBC took over the rights. Today, the NBA has agreements with ESPN, ABC, and TNT through the 2024-25 season.
Since 2006, NBA teams have played against EuroLeague teams in exhibition games. Since 2009, the NBA has also faced EuroLeague teams in the NBA Europe Live Tour. Players from the U.S. territories are also eligible for NBA membership. A recent example of an NBA player who was born in the US Virgin Islands is Tim Duncan.
Today’s NBA draft is based on a lottery system, with lottery-style ping-pong balls as the lottery balls. The first three picks are determined by three Lotto balls, and the remaining picks are awarded in order of lowest to highest finish. The teams choose in reverse order of their regular-season finish, although there may be trades that move a team up or down in the order.