Timeline of the NBA

Timeline

1946–1949: BAA years

1946: Founding of the BAA

• The Basketball Association of America was established with 11 teams.

1947

• The Cleveland Rebels, Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen, and Toronto Huskies folded.
• The Baltimore Bullets joined from the ABL and were placed in the Western Division.
• The Washington Capitols moved to the Western Division.

1948

• The Fort Wayne Pistons, Indianapolis Jets, Minneapolis Lakers, and Rochester Royals all joined from the NBL and were placed in the Western Division.
• The Washington Capitols moved back to the Eastern Division.
• The Baltimore Bullets moved to the Eastern Division.

1949–1966: BAA–NBL merger

1949: BAA–NBL merger

• The Indianapolis Jets and Providence Steamrollers folded.
• The BAA merged with the NBL to form the NBA.
• The BAA teams from the Western Division were moved to a newly created Central Division.
• The Anderson Packers, Denver Nuggets, Sheboygan Red Skins, Syracuse Nationals, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and Waterloo Hawks joined from the NBL. All were placed in the Western Division, except the Nationals, who were placed in the Eastern Division.
• The Indianapolis Olympians joined as an expansion team and were placed in the Western Division.

1950 contraction

• The Chicago Stags, Denver Nuggets, and St. Louis Bombers folded.
• The Anderson Packers, Sheboygan Red Skins, and Waterloo Hawks transferred to the NPBL.
• The Pistons, Lakers, and Royals moved back to the Western Division and the Central Division was eliminated.
• The Washington Capitols folded mid-season.

1951: Hawks relocate to Milwaukee

• The Tri-Cities Blackhawks relocated to Milwaukee to become the Milwaukee Hawks.

1953 and 1954 contraction

• The Indianapolis Olympians folded.
• The Baltimore Bullets folded after 14 games into the 1954–55 season.

1955: Hawks relocate to St. Louis

• The Milwaukee Hawks relocated to St. Louis to become the St. Louis Hawks.

1957: Pistons and Royals relocate

• The Fort Wayne Pistons relocated to Detroit to become the Detroit Pistons.
• The Rochester Royals relocated to Cincinnati to become the Cincinnati Royals.

1960: Lakers relocate to Los Angeles

• The Minneapolis Lakers relocated to Los Angeles to become the Los Angeles Lakers.

1961 expansion

• The Chicago Packers joined as an expansion team and were placed in the Western Division.

1962: Warriors relocate and Chicago rebrands

• The Philadelphia Warriors relocated to San Francisco to become the San Francisco Warriors and moved to the Western Division.
• The Cincinnati Royals moved to the Eastern Division.
• The Chicago Packers renamed the Chicago Zephyrs.

1963: Zephyrs and Nationals relocate

• The Chicago Zephyrs relocated to Baltimore and renamed the Baltimore Bullets.
• The Syracuse Nationals relocated to Philadelphia and renamed the Philadelphia 76ers.

1966–1976: Expansion era

1966 expansion

• The Chicago Bulls joined as an expansion team and were placed in the Western Division.
• The Baltimore Bullets moved to the Eastern Division.

1967 expansion

• The San Diego Rockets and Seattle SuperSonics joined as expansion teams and were placed in the Western Division.
• The Detroit Pistons moved to the Eastern Division.

1968 expansion and relocation

• The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns joined as expansion teams. The Bucks were placed in the Eastern Division and the Suns in the Western Division.
• The St. Louis Hawks relocated to Atlanta to become the Atlanta Hawks.

1970 expansion and realignment

• The league realigned into the Eastern and Western Conferences, with two new divisions each. The Atlantic and Central Divisions were added to the Eastern Conference, while the Midwest and Pacific Divisions were added to the Western Conference.
• The Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Portland Trail Blazers joined as expansion teams. The Braves were placed in the Atlantic Division, the Cavaliers in the Central Division, and the Trail Blazers in the Pacific Division.
• While most of the remaining teams were placed in the conference of the same name as their former division, the Atlanta Hawks moved from the Western Division to the Eastern Conference, while the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks moved from the Eastern Division to the Western Conference.

1971: Rockets and Warriors relocate

• The San Diego Rockets relocated to Houston to become the Houston Rockets.
• The San Francisco Warriors moved to Oakland to become the Golden State Warriors.

1972: Royals relocate to Kansas City–Omaha

• The Cincinnati Royals left Cincinnati and split their home games between Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska, becoming the Kansas City–Omaha Kings. They moved from the Central to the Midwest Division.
• The Houston Rockets moved from the Pacific to the Central Division.
• The Phoenix Suns moved from the Midwest to the Pacific Division.

1973: Bullets relocate

• The Baltimore Bullets relocated to the Washington, D.C. suburb of Landover, Maryland to become the Capital Bullets.

1974 expansion

• The New Orleans Jazz joined as an expansion team and were placed in the Central Division.
• The Capital Bullets renamed the Washington Bullets.

1975: Kings play in Kansas City full-time

• The Kansas City–Omaha Kings abandoned playing in Omaha to become the Kansas City Kings.

1976–1988: ABA–NBA merger

1976: ABA–NBA merger

• The Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, and San Antonio Spurs joined from the American Basketball Association.

1977: Nets relocate to New Jersey

• The New York Nets relocated to Piscataway, New Jersey to become the New Jersey Nets.

1978: Braves relocate to San Diego

• The Buffalo Braves relocated to San Diego to become the San Diego Clippers and moved from the Atlantic to the Pacific Division.
• The Detroit Pistons moved from the Midwest to the Central Division.
• The Washington Bullets moved from the Central to the Atlantic Division.

1979: Jazz relocate to Utah

• The New Orleans Jazz relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah to become the Utah Jazz, and moved from the Central to the Midwest Division.
• The Indiana Pacers moved from the Midwest to the Central Division.

1980 expansion and realignment

• The Dallas Mavericks are enfranchised as the league's 23rd team and placed in the Midwest Division.
• The two other Texas teams, the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, moved from the Central to the Midwest Division to join the Mavericks.
• The Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks moved from the Midwest to the Central Division.

1984: Clippers relocate to Los Angeles

• The San Diego Clippers relocated to Los Angeles to become the Los Angeles Clippers.

1985: Kings relocate to Sacramento

• The Kansas City Kings relocated to Sacramento, California to become the Sacramento Kings.

1988–2004: Modern expansion era

1988 expansion

• The Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat are enfranchised as the league's 24th and 25th teams. The Hornets are placed in the Atlantic Division and the Heat in the Midwest Division.
• The Sacramento Kings moved from the Midwest to the Pacific Division.

1989 expansion

• The Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic are enfranchised as the league's 26th and 27th teams. The Timberwolves are placed in the Midwest Division and the Magic in the Central Division.
• The Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat switched conferences. The Hornets moved from the Atlantic to the Midwest Division, while the Heat moved from the Midwest to the Atlantic Division.

1990: Hornets and Magic switch conferences

• The Charlotte Hornets moved from the Midwest to the Central Division, while the Orlando Magic moved from the Central to the Midwest Division.

1991: Magic moves back to the Eastern Conference

• The Orlando Magic moved from the Midwest to the Atlantic Division to reduce travel after spending the previous season in the Western Conference.

1995 expansion

• The NBA expands into Canada as the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies are enfranchised as the league's 28th and 29th teams. The Raptors are placed in the Central Division and the Grizzlies in the Midwest Division.

1997: Washington renaming

• The Washington Bullets are renamed the Washington Wizards.

2001: Grizzlies relocate to Memphis

• The Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee to become the Memphis Grizzlies.

2002: Hornets relocate to New Orleans

2004–present: Realignment

2004 expansion and realignment

• The Charlotte Bobcats are enfranchised as the league's 30th team.
• The league realigned to create three divisions in each conference with five teams in each division.
• The New Orleans Hornets switch conferences, moving from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference.

2005: Hurricane Katrina impacts Hornets

• Due to the damages caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets split their home games between New Orleans and Oklahoma City for two seasons, and thus officially play as the New Orleans–Oklahoma City Hornets.

2007: Hornets return to New Orleans full-time

• With damages caused by Hurricane Katrina fully repaired, the Hornets returned to New Orleans full-time.

2008: SuperSonics relocate to Oklahoma City

2012: Nets relocate to Brooklyn

2013: New Orleans renaming

2014: Charlotte renaming