The history of the national basketball association

NBA 的前世今身

The National Basketball Association, commonly referred to as the NBA, is

the premier professional men's basketball league of North America. This

league is composed of thirty teams, one from Canada and 29 from the

United States. It was on June 6, 1946 that the league was started as the

Basketball Association of America. After merging with their rival, the

National Basketball League, in 1949, the league adopted its current name.

通常被称为 NBA 的国家篮球协会是北美地区最早的职业男子篮球联

赛。 这个联盟有三十支球队，一支来自加拿大，其他的都来自美国。

1946 年 6 月 6 日，联盟被称为美国篮球协会。 1949 年与他们的对手

——国家篮球联盟合并后，采用了现在的名字。

NBA history: early years (1940s and 1950s)

The new league was composed of 17 franchises that were located in both

small and large cities, making use of small gymnasiums and large arenas.

In 1950, some teams consolidated, resulting in just 11 NBA franchises. The

consolidation process continued until 1954, during which there were just

eight franchises left, all of them still in the league until now. These

franchises include the Celtics, Lakers, Knicks, Warriors, Hawks, Pistons,

Nationals/76ers, and Royals/Kings.

The league's franchises in smaller cities moved to larger cities. In 1951,

the Hawks relocated from the "Tri-Cities" (now called the Quad Cities) to

Milwaukee, and then to St. Louis in 1955. In 1957, the Royals shifted from

Rochester to Cincinnati, and in 1957, the Pistons moved from Fort Wayne

to Detroit. During 1963, the Lakers moved to Los Angeles and the Warriors

relocated to San Francisco. The year after that, the Nationals went to

Philadelphia from New York, subsequently changing their moniker from

"Nationals" to "76ers." Among the eight original franchises, only the

Celtics and Knicks didn't relocate.

NBA 历史：早期（20 世纪 40 年代和 50 年代）

新联盟有 17 支球队，分别分布在大小城市，有的用小型体育馆，有

的用大型体育馆。 1950 年时，有些球队合并了，NBA 只剩下 11 支

球队。 这股合并潮一直持续到 1954 年，后来只剩下 8 支球队，到目

前为止他们还都存在于联盟当中。 这些球队包括凯尔特人、湖人、

尼克斯、勇士、老鹰、活塞、76 人和国王。

小城市的球队逐渐向大城市转移。1951 年老鹰队从阔德城搬到密尔

沃基，然后在 1955 年又搬到了圣路易斯。1957 年，国王从罗契斯特

搬到了辛辛那提，活塞从韦恩堡搬到了底特律。1963 年，湖人搬到了

洛杉矶，而勇士则迁到了旧金山。1964 年，76 人从纽约搬到费城，

并把他们的队名从“锡拉丘兹民族队”改为“76 人”
。在这八支队中，

只有凯尔特人和尼克斯没有迁过地方。

NBA history: expansion of the NBA (1960s)

The Chicago Packers, now known as the Washington Wizards, were

founded as the 9th NBA team in 1961. From 1966 to 1968, NBA expanded

and added five teams to the league, which included the Seattle

SuperSonics (now known as Oklahoma City Thunder), Chicago Bulls, San

Diego Rockets (which moved to Houston after four years), Phoenix Suns,

and Milwaukee Bucks.

NBA 历史：NBA 的扩张（20 世纪 60 年代）

芝加哥包装工队也就是现在的华盛顿奇才队，在 1961 年成立，成为

NBA 的第九支球队。从 1966 年到 1968 年，NBA 增加了 5 支球队，分

别是西雅图超音速队（现在的俄克拉荷马雷霆队）
、芝加哥公牛队、

圣地亚哥火箭队（四年后搬到了休斯敦）、菲尼克斯太阳队以及密尔

沃基雄鹿队。

NBA history: the rivalry of the NBA and ABA (1970s)

The ABA and the NBA continued their rivalry well into the 1970s. The ABA

managed to sign several major stars, while the NBA expanded rapidly and

aimed to tie up the most viable cities. During the period of 1966 to 1974,

the NBA grew to have 18 franchises from just nine franchises beforehand.

In 1970, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Buffalo Braves, and the Portland Trail

Blazers all entered the NBA, bringing the franchises to a total of 17. In 1974,

the New Orleans Jazz (which is now in Utah) joined the NBA too, making

the franchises 18. After the 1976 season, the NBA and the ABA made an
agreement that moved four ABA franchises to the NBA, bringing NBA

franchises to a total of 22. The franchises added included the Denver

Nuggets, New York Nets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs.

NBA 历史：NBA 和 ABA 的竞争（20 世纪 70 年代）

ABA 和 NBA 在 20 世纪 70 年代继续竞争，ABA 签了几个明星，而 NBA

迅速扩张。从 1966 年到 1974 年，NBA 已经从 9 支球队增加到 18 支

球队。1970 年，克利夫兰骑士队、水牛城勇者队和波特兰开拓者队都

加入 NBA，使球队增加到 17 个。1974 年，新奥尔良爵士队（现在在

犹他州）也加入了 NBA，球队增加到 18 个。1976 赛季后，NBA 和 ABA

达成协议，将四个 ABA 球队交易到 NBA，使 NBA 球队增加到 22 个。

这四支加盟的球队包括丹佛掘金队、纽约篮网队、印地安纳步行者队

和圣安东尼奥马刺队。

NBA history: the Bird and Magic rivalry (1980s)

NBA added the three-point field goal of the ABA beginning in 1979. During

that year, neophytes Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird joined the Los

Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics respectively. Their presence in the

NBA resulted in the significant growth of fan interest. Johnson managed

to lead the Lakers to win five titles, while Bird succeeded in leading the

Celtics to three. It's also during the early 1980s that the Dallas Mavericks

joined the NBA, being the 23rd franchise in the league.

NBA 历史：
“大鸟”拉里·伯德和魔术师约翰逊的竞争（20 世纪 80 年

代）

1979 年，NBA 引入了 ABA 的三分球。那一年，新秀魔术师约翰逊和

拉里·伯德分别加入了洛杉矶湖人队和波士顿凯尔特人队。他们的出

现使得球迷激增。约翰逊带领湖人队赢得了五个冠军，而“大鸟”伯

德成功引领凯尔特人拿下三个冠军。在 20 世纪 80 年代初，达拉斯小

牛队加入了 NBA，成为了联盟中第 23 个球队。

NBA history: the rise of Michael Jordan and the globalization of the NBA

(1990s)

In 1984, Michael Jordan became part of the league, playing for the Chicago

Bulls. He made the league more popular, and this resulted in the growing

interest of individuals. In fact, even cities started demanding their own

teams. In 1988 and 1989, four new teams were added to the league, which

included the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, and

Charlotte Hornets (now known as New Orleans Hornets).

During the 1990s, Michael Jordan, together with Scottie Pippen, led the

Bulls to win six championships in a span of eight years. In 1995, the NBA

expanded to Canada, adding the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver

Grizzlies to their roster of franchises. In 2001, though, the Vancouver

Grizzlies moved to Memphis, leaving the Raptors as the only Canadian

franchise in the NBA.

NBA 历史：迈克尔·乔丹的崛起以及 NBA 的国际化（20 世纪 90 年

代）

1984 年，迈克尔·乔丹加入联盟，效力于芝加哥公牛队。乔丹使得

NBA 更加流行，使得人们对 NBA 的兴趣与日俱增。1988 和 1989 年，

四支新的球队加入联盟，包括迈阿密热火队、明尼苏达森林狼队、奥

兰多魔术队以及夏洛特黄蜂队（后来搬到了新奥尔良，现在又更名为

新奥尔良鹈鹕队）。

20 世纪 90 年代，乔丹和斯科蒂·皮蓬一起带领公牛队，在八年间拿

下六个冠军。1995 年，NBA 的影响扩张到加拿大，把多伦多猛龙队和

温哥华灰熊队纳入旗下。然而在 2001 年，温哥华灰熊队搬到孟菲斯，

使得猛龙队成为 NBA 唯一的一支加拿大球队。

NBA history: the domination of the Western Conference without Jordan

(2000s)

When the break-up of the Chicago Bulls happened in 1998, the Western

Conference dominated the NBA, garnering seven titles out of the ten

championships. David Robinson and Tim Duncan led the San Antonio

Spurs to win the 1999 championship, while Kobe Bryant and Shaquille

O'Neal paved the way for the Los Angeles Lakers to win three straight

championships at the start of the 2000s. The Spurs won against the Nets

in 2003, with the Detroit Pistons getting the title in 2004. During the off-

season, the Miami Heat won O'Neal in a trade, and the Lakers and Bryant
had no win in the playoff series until 2008. Before the start of the 2007-

08 season, the Boston Celtics got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen from

Minnesota and Seattle. This bold move made the Celtics a contender for

the title for the first time in so many years. As the Celtics began playing

great games, other teams made major changes to their roster as well,

doing major trades of their own.

NBA 历史：乔丹之后，西部联盟统领整个联盟（21 世纪）

1998 年，芝加哥公牛队瓦解后，西部联盟就统领 NBA，10 个冠军中

有 7 个是他们的。大卫·罗宾逊和蒂姆·邓肯带领圣安东尼奥马刺队

赢下了 1999 年的冠军，而科比·布莱恩特和沙奎尔·奥尼尔为湖人

队在 21 世纪初赢得三连胜打下坚实的基础。马刺队在 2003 年击败篮

网又一次获得冠军，2004 年底特律活塞队拿下冠军。季后赛时，迈阿

密热火在交易中得到了奥尼尔，这使得湖人和科比直到 2009 年才又

获得冠军。2007-2008 赛季，波士顿凯尔特人得到了明尼苏达的凯

文·加内特和西雅图的雷·阿伦，这一大胆的决定使得凯尔特人这么

多年来第一次有了夺冠的机会。这一赛季凯尔特人打得很好，其他球

队也开始改变，进行交易。最终，凯尔特人赢得了 2008 年的冠军。

NBA history: who is the best player after Kobe？

That next player was none other than LeBron James. Coming straight out

of high school to join the NBA, he immediately turned the Cleveland

Cavaliers franchise around and gave the fans something new to be excited

about. He also turned the entire basketball world on its head as soon as
he announced his departure from Cleveland to join the Miami Heat,

forming the first prominent “Big 3” of our modem era, with Dwyane Wade

and Chris Bosh.

Many other stars followed LeBron’s route and proceeded to form their

own Big 3 as well - a testament to the effect LeBron had on the league.

After Kobe’s final championship, it was an undisputed fact that LeBron

James would take over the reins as the best player in the world. Having

gone to 6 NBA Finals and winning 2 back-to-back championships, his

legacy has already been firmly cemented and placed in the hearts of fans

all over the world.

科比之后，勒布朗•詹姆斯成为联盟的领袖。从高中出来直接就进入

NBA，他立马就改变了克里夫兰骑士队，给了球迷新的兴奋点。在他

宣布离开克利夫兰加入迈阿密热火，和德恩•韦德以及克里斯•波什组

成我们时代首个著名的“三巨头”时，他就改变了整个篮球世界。

许多球星纷纷效仿勒布朗，也开始组建自己的三巨头，见证了勒布朗

对联盟的影响力。在科比的最后一个冠军之后，勿庸置疑勒布朗•詹

姆斯将会接棒成为世界上最好的球员。
勒布朗六次进入 NBA 总决赛，

连续两次赢得总冠军，他的传奇地位在全世界球迷心中无可撼动。

Nowadays，NBA is still changing. Stephen curry、James Harden、Kevin

Durant、Russell Westbrook、Isaiah Thomas are all ｒｉｓｉｎｇ ｓｔ

ａｒs. ｂｕｔ ｗｈｏ ｉｓ ｔｈｅ ｂｅｓｔ，ｌｅｔ＇ｓ ｌ

ｏｏｋ ｆｏｒｗａｒｄ．
现在ＮＢＡ仍在发生变化，史蒂芬·库里、詹姆斯·哈登、凯文·杜

兰特、拉塞尔·维斯布鲁克以及小托马斯都是联盟中的顶级球星。但

是谁会是联盟中的领袖呢？让我们拭目以待。