Basketball Association of America

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Basketball Association of America
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1946
No. of teams	17
Country(ies)	United States  Canada
Ceased	1949
Last champion(s)	Minneapolis Lakers

The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. The league merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949, forming the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Contents 1 History 1.1 The end of the BAA 2 List of teams 3 Standings 3.1 1946-47 season 3.1.1 Eastern Division 3.1.2 Western Division 3.2 1947-48 season 3.2.1 Eastern Division 3.2.2 Western Division 3.3 1948-49 season 3.3.1 Eastern Division 3.3.2 Western Division 4 BAA awards 5 References

[edit] History

The BAA was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946 by the owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeast and Midwest United States. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers which the NBA now regards as the first game played in the league's history.^[1] In the opening game of the fledgling BAA, Ossie Schectman scored the opening basket for the New York Knickerbockers.^[2] Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues, including the American Basketball League (ABL) and the NBL, the BAA was the first league to attempt to play primarily in large arenas in major cities. During its early years, the quality of play in the BAA was not significantly better than in competing leagues or among leading independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters. For instance, the 1948 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won its 1948 title, followed by the 1948 NBL champion Minneapolis Lakers who won the 1949 BAA title.

[edit] The end of the BAA

On August 3, 1949, the BAA agreed to merge with the NBL, creating the National Basketball Association. The new league had seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities, as well as large arenas, smaller gymnasiums, and armories.

[edit] List of teams

Note: * denotes a team currently playing in the NBA.

• Baltimore Bullets (1947-50)
• Chicago Stags (1946-49)^[3]
• Rochester Royals (1947-48)*
• Cleveland Rebels (1946-47)
• Detroit Falcons (1946-47)
• Indianapolis Jets (1948-49)
• New York Knickerbockers (1946-49)*
• Pittsburgh Ironmen (1946-47)
• Providence Steamrollers (1946-49)
• Sheboygan Red Skins (1949-50)
• St. Louis Bombers (1946-49)
• Toronto Huskies (1946-47)
• Washington Capitols (1946-49)^[4]
• Boston Celtics (1946-49)*
• Minneapolis Lakers (1948-49)*
• Fort Wayne Pistons (1948-49)*
• Philadelphia Warriors (1946-49)*

[edit] Standings

[edit] 1946-47 season

[edit] 1947-48 season

[edit] 1948-49 season

[edit] BAA awards

• 1949 All-BAA First Team:
  • Max Zaslofsky, Chicago Stags
  • Bob Davies, Rochester Royals
  • George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers
  • Jim Pollard, Minneapolis Lakers
  • Joe Fulks, Philadelphia Warriors

[edit] References