• The National Basketball Association is comprised of 30 professional teams playing basketball in the United States and Canada.

  On March 26, 2009, the league changed the rule for having too many player on the court. Under the new policy, if a technical foul is given for too many men, the non-offending team has the choice to keep the previous play or void the action and revert the game clock.ESPN.com: NBA Approves New Rule for Violation

• Fast Facts

  1. Inaugural season: 1946
  2. League offices: New York City
  3. Commissioner: David Stern
  4. Number of teams: 30
  5. Number of games per team: 82
  6. 2007 defending champion: San Antonio Spurs
  7. TV partners: ESPN, TNT

• Financial Issues

  According to The Washington Times, the NBA is set to borrow $175 million from JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America on February 26, 2009. The funds will be distributed to 15 teams to help eliminate revenue losses caused by the economic recession.The Washington Times: NBA Gets a Loan

• Regular Season Format

  Each team plays a six month, 82-game regular season within two conferences, each of which have three geographical divisions. The NBA All-Star Game is held each February. Every four seasons, the league allows elite players to represent their country in the Summer Olympics.

• Playoff Format

  Following the regular season, 16 teams qualify for the NBA Playoffs. After three rounds are played to determine each conference champion, the two remaining teams participate in the NBA Finals.

• History

  Originally founded as the Basketball Association of America on June 6, 1946, with 11 teams. The first game was played on November 1, 1946, in Toronto where the New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68-66. In 1949, the Basketball Association of America merged with the National Basketball League, forming the NBA. The league first started with 17 teams, then cut the league to 11 teams the following year. In 1976 the NBA absorbed four teams from the struggling American Basketball Association. The fall of the ABA was satirized in the 2008 Will Ferrell film Semi-Pro.

  
  

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