NBA

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOIATION

MENU • WHAT IS THE NBA?

• HISTORY

• TEAMS

• ATLANTA HAWKS

• BOSTON CELTICS

• BROOKLYN NETS

• CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

• CHICAGO BULLS

• CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

• DALLAS MAVERICKS

• DENVER NUGGETS

• DETROIT PISTONS

• GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

• HOUSTON ROCKETS

• INDIANA PACERS

• LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trailblazers

Sacramento Kings

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Rockets

Utah Jazz

Washington Wizards

REFERENCES

THE NBA IS…• THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA) IS THE PRE-EMINENT MEN'S

PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE IN NORTH AMERICA, AND IS WIDELY CONSIDERED TO BE THE PREMIER MEN'S PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE IN THE WORLD. IT HAS THIRTY FRANCHISED MEMBER CLUBS (29 IN THE UNITED STATES AND 1 IN CANADA), AND IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF USA BASKETBALL (USAB),  WHICH IS RECOGNIZED BY FIBA (ALSO KNOWN AS THE INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL FEDERATION) AS THE NATIONAL GOVERNING BODY FOR BASKETBALL IN THE UNITED STATES. THE NBA IS ONE OF THE FOUR MAJOR NORTH AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUES. NBA PLAYERS ARE THE WORLD'S BEST PAID SPORTSMEN, BY AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARY PER PLAYER. THE LEAGUE WAS FOUNDED IN NEW YORK CITY ON JUNE 6, 1946, AS THE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (BAA). THE LEAGUE ADOPTED THE NAME NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION ON AUGUST 3, 1949, AFTER ABSORBING THE RIVAL NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE (NBL). THE LEAGUE'S SEVERAL INTERNATIONAL AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL TEAM OFFICES ARE DIRECTED OUT OF ITS HEAD OFFICES LOCATED IN THE OLYMPIC TOWER AT 645 FIFTH AVENUE IN NEW YORK CITY. NBA ENTERTAINMENT AND NBA TV STUDIOS ARE DIRECTED OUT OF OFFICES LOCATED IN SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY.

HISTORY• THE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA WAS FOUNDED

IN 1946 BY OWNERS OF THE MAJOR ICE HOCKEY ARENAS IN THE NORTHEASTERN AND MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES AND CANADA. ON NOVEMBER 1, 1946, IN TORONTO,ONTARIO, CANADA, THE TORONTO HUSKIES HOSTED THE NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS AT MAPLE LEAF GARDENS, IN A GAME THE NBA NOW REGARDS AS THE FIRST PLAYED IN ITS HISTORY. THE FIRST BASKET WAS MADE BY OSSIE SCHECTMAN OF THE KNICKERBOCKERS. ALTHOUGH THERE HAD BEEN EARLIER ATTEMPTS AT PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUES, INCLUDING THE AMERICAN BASKETBALL LEAGUE 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 THAT LEAGUE'S 1948 TITLE, AND THE 1948 NBL CHAMPION MINNEAPOLIS LAKERS WON THE 1949 BAA TITLE.

TEAMS• THERE ARE 32 OFFICIAL NBA TEAMS. THESE ARE DIVIDED IN WESTERN AND EASTERN CONFERENCE.

THE CONFERENCES ARE SEPARATED IN DIVISIONS:

• EASTERN CONFERENCE- ATLANTIC DIVISION- CENTRAL DIVISION- SOUTH EAST DIVISION

• WESTERN CONFERENCE- PACIFIC DIVISION- SOUTH WEST DIVISION- NORTH WEST DIVISION

HAWKS

• THE ATLANTA HAWKS ARE AN AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM BASED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA. THEY ARE PART OF THE SOUTHEAST DIVISION OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THEY PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT PHILIPS ARENA IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA.

• THEIR ORIGINS CAN BE TRACED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BUFFALO BISONS IN 1946, A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE. AFTER 13 GAMES OF THEIR INAUGURAL SEASON, THE TEAM MOVED TO MOLINE, ILLINOIS AND BECAME THE TRI-CITIES BLACKHAWKS. IN 1949, THEY JOINED THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA) AS PART OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE AND THE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA MERGER. IN 1951, THE TEAM MOVED TO MILWAUKEE, WHERE THEY CHANGED THEIR NAME TO THEHAWKS. THE TEAM MOVED AGAIN IN 1955 TO ST. LOUIS, WHERE THEY WON THEIR ONLY NBA CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1958. THE HAWKS MOVED TO ATLANTA IN 1968, WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN EVER SINCE.

CELTICS•  THEY PLAY IN THE ATLANTIC DIVISION OF THE EASTERN

CONFERENCE. FOUNDED IN 1946 AND ONE OF EIGHT NBA TEAMS (OUT OF 23) TO SURVIVE THE LEAGUE'S FIRST DECADE, THE TEAM IS CURRENTLY OWNED BY BOSTON BASKETBALL PARTNERS LLC. THE CELTICS PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT THE TD GARDEN, WHICH THEY SHARE WITH THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE'S BOSTON BRUINS. THE FRANCHISE'S SEVENTEEN CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE THE MOST FOR ANY NBA FRANCHISE.

NETS• THEY ARE A MEMBER OF THE ATLANTIC DIVISION OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL

ASSOCIATION (NBA). THE TEAM IS ONE OF TWO NBA FRANCHISES THAT PLAY HOME GAMES IN NEW YORK CITY; THE OTHER IS THE KNICKS.

• AN ORIGINAL MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (ABA), THE NETS WERE FOUNDED IN 1967 AND INITIALLY PLAYED IN TEANECK, NEW JERSEY, AS THE NEW JERSEY AMERICANS. IN ITS EARLY YEARS, THE TEAM LED A NOMADIC EXISTENCE, MOVING TO LONG ISLAND IN 1968 AND PLAYING IN VARIOUS ARENAS THERE AS THE NEW YORK NETS. LED BY HALL OF FAMER JULIUS "DR. J" ERVING, THE NETS WON TWO ABA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NEW YORK BEFORE BECOMING ONE OF FOUR ABA TEAMS TO BE ADMITTED INTO THE NBA AS PART OF THE ABA–NBA MERGER IN 1976. THE TEAM THEN MOVED BACK TO NEW JERSEY IN 1977 AND BECAME THE NEW JERSEY NETS. DURING THEIR TIME IN THAT STATE, THE NETS SAW PERIODS OF LOSING AND MISFORTUNE INTERMITTENT WITH SEVERAL PERIODS OF SUCCESS, WHICH CULMINATED IN TWO CONSECUTIVE NBA FINALS APPEARANCES IN THE 2001–02 AND 2002–03 SEASONS BY TEAMS LED BY POINT GUARD JASON KIDD.

• AFTER 35 SEASONS IN NEW JERSEY, THE TEAM RETURNED TO THE STATE OF NEW YORK IN 2012 TO PLAY IN THE NEW BARCLAYS CENTER IN BROOKLYN AS THE BROOKLYN NETS.

BOBCATS• THEY PLAY IN THE SOUTHEAST DIVISION OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE IN

THENATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THE BOBCATS WERE ESTABLISHED IN 2004 AS AN EXPANSION TEAM, TWO SEASONS AFTER CHARLOTTE'S PREVIOUS NBA TEAM, THE CHARLOTTE HORNETS, RELOCATED TO NEW ORLEANS. THE TEAM IS OWNED BY FORMER NBA PLAYER MICHAEL JORDAN, WHO ACQUIRED THE TEAM IN 2010. THE BOBCATS PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT TIME WARNER CABLE ARENA IN CENTER CITY CHARLOTTE. AS OF THE END OF THE 2012–13 SEASON, THE BOBCATS HAVE COMPILED A RECORD OF 250–476. IN THEIR 10-YEAR HISTORY AS THE BOBCATS, THEY HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE POSTSEASON JUST ONCE, WHICH WAS DURING THE 2009–10 SEASON WHEN THEY ACHIEVED A FRANCHISE-BEST RECORD OF 44–38.

BULLS•  PLAYING IN THE CENTRAL DIVISION OF

THE EASTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION. THEY PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT THE UNITED CENTER. THE TEAM WAS FOUNDED IN 1966. THE BULLS ARE KNOWN FOR HAVING ONE OF THE NBA'S GREATEST DYNASTIES, WINNING SIX NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS BETWEEN 1991 AND 1998 WITH TWO THREE-PEATS. ALL SIX CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS WERE LED BY HALL OF FAMERS MICHAEL JORDAN, SCOTTIE PIPPEN AND COACH PHIL JACKSON.

CAVALIERS•  THEY BEGAN PLAYING IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL

ASSOCIATION (NBA) IN 1970 AS AN EXPANSION TEAM. THEY PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT QUICKEN LOANS ARENA. THEY PLAY IN THE CENTRAL DIVISION OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE, THE ONLY REMAINING CHARTER MEMBER OF THE DIVISION (ALL THE OTHER CENTRAL DIVISION TEAMS JOINED LATER FROM THE NOW-DEFUNCT MIDWEST DIVISION).

• THE CAVALIERS HAVE FEATURED MANY NBA STARS DURING ITS HISTORY, INCLUDING DRAFT PICKS TURNED ALL-STARS AUSTIN CARR, BRAD DAUGHERTY, ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS, MARK PRICE,LEBRON JAMES, AND KYRIE IRVING. PAST NBA GREATS SUCH AS NATE THURMOND, WALT "CLYDE" FRAZIER, AND SHAQUILLE O'NEAL ALSO PLAYED IN CLEVELAND (ALBEIT NEAR THE END OF THEIR CAREERS).

MAVERICKS

• THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHWEST DIVISION OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA).

• ACCORDING TO A 2013 FORBES MAGAZINE  REPORT, THEY ARE THE FIFTH-MOST VALUABLE BASKETBALL FRANCHISE IN THE UNITED STATES, VALUED AT APPROXIMATELY $685 MILLION; THE FRANCHISE IS SURPASSED IN VALUE ONLY BY THE NEW YORK KNICKS, THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS, THE CHICAGO BULLS AND THE BOSTON CELTICS.

NUGGETS • THE TEAM WAS FOUNDED AS THE DENVER LARKS IN 1967 AS A CHARTER FRANCHISE OF THE AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION BUT CHANGED ITS NAME TO ROCKETS BEFORE THE FIRST SEASON. IT CHANGED ITS NAME AGAIN TO THE NUGGETS IN ANTICIPATION OF AN ABA-NBA MERGER IN 1974, AND PLAYED FOR THE FINAL ABA CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN 1976, LOSING TO THE NEW YORK NETS. THE TEAM JOINED THE NBA IN 1976 AFTER THE ABA-NBA MERGER AND HAS HAD SOME PERIODS OF SUCCESS, MAKING THE PLAYOFFS FOR NINE CONSECUTIVE SEASONS IN THE 1980S AND DOING THE SAME FOR THE PREVIOUS TEN SEASONS. HOWEVER, IT HAS NOT MADE AN APPEARANCE IN A CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND SINCE ITS LAST YEAR IN THE ABA.

• THE NUGGETS PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT PEPSI CENTER, WHICH THEY SHARE WITH THE COLORADO AVALANCHE OF THE NHL.

PISTONS• IN 1941, THE TEAM WAS FOUNDED IN FORT WAYNE, INDIANA AS THE FORT

WAYNE (ZOLLNER) PISTONS, A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE (NBL). SINCE MOVING TO DETROIT IN 1957, THE PISTONS HAVE WON NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 1989, 1990 AND 2004. THE TEAM'S HOME ARENA IS THE PALACE OF AUBURN HILLS.

WARRIORS•  THE TEAM WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED IN 1946,

AS THE PHILADELPHIA WARRIORS, IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, WHERE THE FRANCHISE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE INAUGURAL SEASON OF THE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (BAA), THE LEAGUE THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION AFTER A MERGER WITH THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE (NBL).

ROCKETS

•  THE TEAM PLAYS IN THE SOUTHWEST DIVISION OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THE TEAM WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1967, AND PLAYED IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, FOR FOUR YEARS, BEFORE MOVING TO HOUSTON.

PACERS

• THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE CENTRAL DIVISION IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE OF THENATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THE PACERS WERE FIRST ESTABLISHED IN 1967 AS MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (ABA) AND BECAME MEMBERS OF THE NBA IN 1976 AS A RESULT OF THE ABA-NBA MERGER. THEY PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT BANKERS LIFE FIELDHOUSE.

CLIPPERS

• THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS ARE A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION, LOCATED IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THEY PLAY IN THE PACIFIC DIVISION OF THE NBA. THE CLUB'S HOME GAMES ARE PLAYED AT THE STAPLES CENTER, AN ARENA SHARED WITH THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS OF THE NBA, THE LOS ANGELES SPARKS OF THE WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONV(WNBA), AND THE LOS ANGELES KINGS OF THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE (NHL).

LAKERS• THEY PLAY IN THE PACIFIC DIVISION OF THE WESTERN

CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION(NBA). THE LAKERS PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT STAPLES CENTER, WHICH THEY SHARE WITH THEIR LOCAL NBA  RIVAL, THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS, THE LOS ANGELES KINGS OF THE NHL, AND THE LOS ANGELES SPARKS OF THE WNBA. THE LAKERS ARE ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TEAMS IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA, AND HAVE WON 16 CHAMPIONSHIPS, THEIR LAST BEING IN 2010. AS OF 2013, THE LAKERS ARE THE SECOND MOST VALUABLE NBA FRANCHISE ACCORDING TOFORBES, HAVING AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF $1 BILLION.

GIZZLIES• THE TEAM IS PART OF

THE SOUTHWEST DIVISION OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THE GRIZZLIES PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT FEDEXFORUM. THE TEAM'S MAJORITY OWNER IS ROBERT PERA. THE GRIZZLIES WERE ESTABLISHED IN VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA IN 1995. THE TEAM RELOCATED TO MEMPHIS IN 2001. THEY ARE ALSO THE ONLY TEAM OUT OF THE FOUR MAJOR PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES THAT PLAYS IN MEMPHIS.

HEAT

• THE TEAM IS A MEMBER OF THE SOUTHEAST DIVISION IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THEY PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT THE AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA IN DOWNTOWN MIAMI. THE TEAM OWNER ISMICKY ARISON, WHO ALSO OWNS CRUISE-SHIP GIANT CARNIVAL CORPORATION. THE TEAM PRESIDENT AND DE FACTO GENERAL MANAGER IS PAT RILEY, AND THE HEAD COACH IS ERIK SPOELSTRA. THE MASCOT OF THE TEAM IS BURNIE, AN ANTHROPOMORPHIC FIREBALL.

BUCKS• THEY ARE PART OF THE CENTRAL DIVISION OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE IN

THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THE TEAM WAS FOUNDED IN 1968 AS AN EXPANSION TEAM, AND CURRENTLY PLAYS AT THE BMO HARRIS BRADLEY CENTER. FORMER U.S. SENATOR HERB KOHL IS THE OWNER OF THE TEAM, WITH JOHN HAMMOND AS GENERAL MANAGER. THE BUCKS HAVE WON ONE LEAGUE TITLE (1971), TWO CONFERENCE TITLES (1971 AND 1974), AND THIRTEEN DIVISION TITLES (1971–74, 1976, 1980–86, 2001). THEY HAVE FEATURED SUCH NOTABLE PLAYERS AS KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR,SIDNEY MONCRIEF, OSCAR ROBERTSON, BOB LANIER, RAY ALLEN, ANDREW BOGUT, MICHAEL REDD AND JON MCGLOCKLIN.

TIMBERWOLVES•  AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM BASED IN

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. THEY PLAY IN THE NORTHWEST DIVISION OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). FOUNDED IN 1989, THE TEAM IS OWNED BY GLEN TAYLOR. THE TIMBERWOLVES PLAYED THEIR HOME GAMES AT THE METRODOME DURING THEIR INAUGURAL SEASON, BEFORE MOVING TO TARGET CENTER IN 1990.

• LIKE MOST EXPANSION TEAMS, THE TIMBERWOLVES STRUGGLED IN THEIR EARLY YEARS, BUT AFTER THE ACQUISITION OF KEVIN GARNETT IN THE 1995 NBA DRAFT, THE TEAM MADE THE PLAYOFFS EIGHT CONSECUTIVE TIMES FROM 1997 TO 2004. DESPITE LOSING IN THE FIRST ROUND IN THEIR FIRST SEVEN ATTEMPTS, THE TIMBERWOLVES WON THEIR FIRST DIVISION TITLE IN 2004 AND ADVANCED TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS. GARNETT WAS ALSO NAMED THE NBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD FOR THAT SEASON. THE TEAM HAS BEEN IN REBUILDING MODE SINCE MISSING THE PLAYOFFS IN 2005, AND TRADING GARNETT TO THE BOSTON CELTICS IN 2007.

PELICANS• THEY PLAY IN THE SOUTHWEST DIVISION OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE OF THE NATIONAL

BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION. THE FRANCHISE BEGAN PLAY DURING THE 1988–89 NBA SEASON AS THE CHARLOTTE HORNETS, BASED IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, WHERE THEY WERE LOCATED FOR FOURTEEN SEASONS. FOLLOWING THE 2001–02 SEASON, THE TEAM RELOCATED TO NEW ORLEANS, BECOMING THE NEW ORLEANS HORNETS. AFTER THREE SEASONS IN NEW ORLEANS, HURRICANE KATRINA FORCED THE FRANCHISE TO TEMPORARILY RELOCATE TO OKLAHOMA CITY, WHERE THEY SPENT TWO SEASONS OFFICIALLY KNOWN AS THE NEW ORLEANS/OKLAHOMA CITY HORNETS. THE HORNETS RETURNED TO NEW ORLEANS FULL-TIME FOR THE 2007–08 SEASON. THE FRANCHISE'S NAME WAS CHANGED TO THE "PELICANS" AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE 2012–13 SEASON. THAT SAME OFFSEASON, THE HORNETS NAME WAS RETURNED TO ITS ORIGINAL CITY TO BE USED BY THE CHARLOTTE BOBCATS, EFFECTIVE IN THE 2014–15 SEASON.

KNICKS• THE TEAM, ESTABLISHED BY NED IRISH IN

1946, WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (BAA), WHICH BECAME THE NBA AFTER MERGING WITH RIVAL NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE (NBL) IN 1949. THE TEAM PLAYS AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN AND IS ONE OF ONLY TWO TEAMS OF THE ORIGINAL NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION STILL LOCATED IN ITS ORIGINAL CITY (THE OTHER BEING THE BOSTON CELTICS).

THUNDER• THEY PLAY IN THE NORTHWEST DIVISION OF

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA);THEIR HOME COURT IS AT CHESAPEAKE ENERGY ARENA. THE THUNDER'S NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE AFFILIATE IS THE TULSA 66ERS, WHO ARE OWNED BY THE THUNDER. THE THUNDER ARE THE ONLY TEAM IN THE MAJOR PROFESSIONAL NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS LEAGUES LOCATED IN THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA. FORMERLY KNOWN AS SEATTLE SUPERSONICS.

MAGIC• THEY ARE PART OF THE SOUTHEAST DIVISION OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE IN

THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THE FRANCHISE WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1989 AS AN EXPANSION FRANCHISE, AND HAS HAD SUCH NOTABLE NBA STARS SUCH ASSHAQUILLE O'NEAL, PENNY HARDAWAY, GRANT HILL, TRACY MCGRADY, STEVE FRANCIS, DWIGHT HOWARD, AND RASHARD LEWIS THROUGHOUT ITS YOUNG HISTORY. THE FRANCHISE HAS ALSO BEEN IN THE PLAYOFFS FOR MORE THAN HALF OF THEIR EXISTENCE (14 PLAYOFF APPEARANCES IN 24 YEARS). ORLANDO HAS BEEN THE SECOND MOST SUCCESSFUL OF THE FOUR EXPANSION TEAMS BROUGHT INTO THE LEAGUE IN 1988 AND 1989 IN TERMS OF WINNING PERCENTAGE, AFTER THE MIAMI HEAT. AS OF 2012, THEY ARE THE ONLY TEAM IN THE "BIG FOUR" SPORTS LEAGUES TO PLAY IN THE CITY OF ORLANDO.

76ERS• HEY PLAY IN THE ATLANTIC DIVISION OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE OF

THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). FOUNDED IN 1946 AND ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS THE SYRACUSE NATIONALS, THEY ARE ONE OF THE OLDEST FRANCHISES IN THE NBA, AND ONLY ONE OF EIGHT (OUT OF 23) TO SURVIVE THE LEAGUE'S FIRST DECADE. AFTER THEIR MOVE TO PHILADELPHIA IN 1963, A CONTEST WAS HELD TO DECIDE ON THEIR NEW NAME. THE WINNING NAME, CHOSEN BY WALTER STALBERG, WAS THE "76ERS", AS A "TRIBUTE TO THE GALLANT MEN WHO FORGED THIS COUNTRY'S INDEPENDENCE" IN 1776.

SUNS

• THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE PACIFIC DIVISION OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA), AND THE ONLY TEAM IN THEIR DIVISION NOT TO BE BASED IN CALIFORNIA. SINCE 1992 THEIR HOME ARENA HAS BEEN THE US AIRWAYS CENTER, WHICH WAS FORMERLY KNOWN AS AMERICA WEST ARENA, IN DOWNTOWN PHOENIX. THE ARENA IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE "PURPLE PALACE" DUE TO ITS PURPLE SEATS, WHICH ALSO IS ONE OF THE SUNS COLORS.

BLAZERS• THEY PLAY IN THE NORTHWEST DIVISION OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL

BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THE TRAIL BLAZERS PLAYED THEIR HOME GAMES IN THE MEMORIAL COLISEUM BEFORE MOVING TO THE MODA CENTER IN 1995 (CALLED THE ROSE GARDEN UNTIL 2013). THE FRANCHISE ENTERED THE LEAGUE IN 1970, AND PORTLAND HAS BEEN ITS ONLY HOME CITY. THE FRANCHISE HAS ENJOYED A STRONG FOLLOWING; FROM 1977 THROUGH 1995, THE TEAM SOLD OUT 814 CONSECUTIVE HOME GAMES, THE LONGEST SUCH STREAK IN AMERICAN MAJOR PROFESSIONAL SPORTS. THE TRAIL BLAZERS HAVE BEEN THE ONLY NBA TEAM BASED IN THE BINATIONAL PACIFIC NORTHWEST, AFTER THE VANCOUVER GRIZZLIES RELOCATED TO MEMPHIS AND BECAME THE MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES IN 2001, AND THE SEATTLE SUPERSONICS RELOCATED TO OKLAHOMA CITY AND BECAME THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER IN 2008.

KINGS• THE SACRAMENTO KINGS ARE A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM BASED

IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES. THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE PACIFIC DIVISION OF THEWESTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THE KINGS ARE THE ONLY TEAM IN THE MAJOR PROFESSIONAL NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS LEAGUES LOCATED IN SACRAMENTO; THEY PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT SLEEP TRAIN ARENA.

SPURS• THE SPURS ARE ONE OF FOUR FORMER AMERICAN

BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION TEAMS TO REMAIN INTACT IN THE NBA AFTER THE 1976 ABA–NBA MERGER AND IS THE ONLY FORMER ABA TEAM TO HAVE WON AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP. THE SPURS' FOUR NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE THE FOURTH MOST IN NBA HISTORY, BEHIND ONLY THE BOSTON CELTICS (17), LOS ANGELES LAKERS (16) AND CHICAGO BULLS (6). AS OF JULY 2009, THE SPURS RANK THIRD AMONG ACTIVE FRANCHISES FOR THE HIGHEST WINNING PERCENTAGE IN NBA HISTORY; THEY HAVE ONLY MISSED THE PLAYOFFS FOUR TIMES AS AN NBA FRANCHISE.

JAZZ• THE UTAH JAZZ ARE AN AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL FRANCHISE BASED IN SALT

LAKE CITY, UTAH. THEY ARE A PART OF THE NORTHWEST DIVISION IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA). THE FRANCHISE BEGAN IN 1974 AS THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA; THE TEAM MOVED TO UTAH IN 1979.

• THE JAZZ WERE ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE IN THEIR EARLY YEARS. ALTHOUGH THEY TOOK 10 YEARS BEFORE THEY MADE A PLAYOFF APPEARANCE (IN 1984), THEY WOULD NOT MISS THE PLAYOFFS AGAIN UNTIL 2004. DURING THE LATE 1980S, JOHN STOCKTON AND KARL MALONE AROSE AS THE FRANCHISE PLAYERS FOR THE TEAM, AND FORMED ONE OF THE MOST FAMED POINT GUARD–POWER FORWARD DUOS IN NBA HISTORY.

WIZARDS

• THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS ARE A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL FRANCHISE BASED IN WASHINGTON, D.C. THEY ARE PART OF THE SOUTHEAST DIVISION OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION. THE TEAM PLAYS THEIR HOME GAMES AT THE VERIZON CENTER, IN THE CHINATOWN NEIGHBORHOOD OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

REFERENCES

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