The NBA, or National Basketball Association, is one of the world’s top professional sports leagues. It has 30 teams that are divided into two conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each team plays 82 games per season, 41 of which are home games. The regular season begins in October and ends in February. Teams compete to win the best record in their conference and then the best overall record. The best teams play in the NBA Finals, a best-of-seven series. The champion of the Finals receives the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. All players and coaches on the winning team also receive a championship ring.
The modern NBA was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in New York City. The league has undergone several changes over the years, including a merger with the rival ABA in 1976 and lucrative broadcast rights deals for network television. The league also limits the amount that individual players can be paid and has a strict anti-drug program.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the Minneapolis Lakers were the NBA’s first dynasty, winning five consecutive championships. George Mikan was the team’s leader, and he is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Other famous names in the early years of the NBA include Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Michael Jordan was a key player during the 1990s, and Kobe Bryant led the Los Angeles Lakers to six championships between 1998 and 2014. Stephen Curry is currently one of the best players in the league, and he helped lead his team to four titles between 2015 and 2022.
The NBA is a global franchise, with games and shows broadcast in more than 200 countries and territories in 40 languages. In addition, the league has offices in China and India. The NBA has several international tournaments and other events, and some teams play regular seasonal games abroad.
In the spring, the NBA holds the draft lottery to determine the order of selection in the upcoming draft. The process uses three Lotto balls, which are drawn in an audited event. The highest-finishing team has the first pick, followed by the next two highest finishers, and so on. Teams can also trade draft picks, which makes the lottery even more unpredictable.
After the All-Star break in February, the regular season pauses for the annual NBA All-Star Game. Fans vote throughout the United States and on the Internet for the starters. The All-Star game also features other activities, such as the Three-Point contest and the Skills course.
The playoffs begin in April and continue until a single team is crowned the NBA champion. Each team in the league plays its conference rivals twice during the playoffs, plus at least two games against other divisional opponents. The top eight teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs, and they are seeded based on their records during the regular season. Having a higher seed typically offers advantages, such as playing the weaker team in the first round.