Expansion of National Basketball Association
The Expanion of the National Basketball Association has happened several times in the leagues history since it began play in 1946. Some of the most recent examples of the expansion of the NBA are the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets in 2004, Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies in 1995, Miami Heat in 1989 and New Orleans Hornets in 1988.[1]
The NBA currently has 30 teams which are located in the following cities: Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles (two teams), Minneapolis, Memphis, New Orleans, New York City, Oakland, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Toronto, Utah, Sacramento, San Antonio and Washington D.C..[2]
The least number of teams the NBA has ever had was 8 teams in both 1947–48 and 1955–56. And has the most it's ever seen is the 30 teams it has currently.
| Progression of NBA Expansion | |
|---|---|
| Years | # Teams |
| 1946–47 | 11 |
| 1947–48 | 8 |
| 1948–19 | 12 |
| 1949–50 | 17 |
| 1950–51 | 11 |
| 1951–53 | 10 |
| 1953–55 | 9 |
| 1955–61 | 8 |
| 1961–66 | 9 |
| 1966–67 | 10 |
| 1967–68 | 12 |
| 1968–70 | 14 |
| 1970–74 | 17 |
| 1974–76 | 18 |
| 1976–80 | 22 |
| 1980–88 | 23 |
| 1988–89 | 25 |
| 1989–95 | 27 |
| 1995–04 | 29 |
| 2004–Pres. | 30 |
Early years: 1946–66
There was a lot of expansion and moving of organizations I the early years of the NBA. During this twenty year time period is when notable franchises entered the NBA like then Syracuse Nationals now the Philadelphia 76ers, the Philadelphia Warriors now Golden State Warriors, Baltimore Bullets now Washington Wizards and Rochester Kings now the Sacramento Kings.
During this time period the league experienced its first substantial growth but also in years 1947 and 1953 the league also lost teams.
Later years: 1966–80
During this time period most of the current teams were brought into the league, including the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder), Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trailblazers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn Nets), Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks where introduced.
Modern expansion: 1980–Present
During this time period 7 new NBA franchises were formed, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans. The league saw a rise of five teams in 15 years making a total of 28 teams.
Team timeline
See Timeline for the history of teams who participated in the NBA.
Possible expansion cities
Seattle
Seattle had a NBA franchise in the early 2000s, and is a leader in the potential to host and expansion NBA team.[3]
In 2016 it was reported that the NBA is was extremely close to finalizing their new Collective Bargaining Agreemen with parties in Seattle. And that the timeline for a team to get back to Seattle was about in 2050.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh has a new arena, the Consol Energy Center (opened in 2010). It was rumored for a short time that the Detroit Pistons were moving to Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh was one of the cities mentioned by David Stern as a possible relocation site. Pittsburgh has some of the best fans in the nation, and a basketball tradition with Pitt and Duquesne. And if the NBA was to expand in then Northeast Pittsburgh is a leading contender.
Kansas City
Kansas City is the largest market without an NBA franchise, and a larger TV market then current NBA cities Oklahoma City and New Orleans. And a long with Pittsburgh has a brand-new arena, the Sprint Center, that has hosted Big 12 and NCAA tournament. Also the city is home to the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Vancouver
The city had an NBA team before it was moved to Memphis. The city has a solid fan base and the city already has a major sports team in the Vancouver Canucks. It has an arena as well as a large population of 603,500 and a big TV market.
Current teams
The NBA originated in 1946 with 11 teams, and through a sequence of team expansions, reductions, and relocations currently consists of 30 teams. The United States is home to 29 teams and one is located in Canada.
References
- ↑ "NBA expansion". foxsports. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- ↑ "NBA teams and cities as of 2015". ESPN.com. 7 Feb 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- ↑ "Expansion team to Seattle looking more and more likely". SBNation. Retrieved December 1, 2016.