<p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr">The National Basketball Association (NBA), also known as the American Basketball League, is the most professional basketball league and one of the largest sports leagues in North America.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The league consists of thirty clubs, twenty-nine of which are from the United States and one club from Canada, the Toronto Raptors.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <span style="background-color:unset;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.87);font-family:inherit;font-size:16px;"><span lang="ar">You can follow the news and</span></span> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sbsial.com/ar/features/celebrity-ads"><span lang="ar">announcements of celebrities</span></a> <span style="background-color:unset;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.87);font-family:inherit;font-size:16px;"><span lang="ar">and all their</span></span> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sbsial.com/ar/features/exclusive-content"><span lang="ar">exclusive content</span></a> <span style="background-color:unset;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.87);font-family:inherit;font-size:16px;"><span lang="ar">that you can only find through the Special application, which is</span></span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sbsial.com/ar"><span lang="ar">a social networking application</span></a> <span style="background-color:unset;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.87);font-family:inherit;font-size:16px;"><span lang="ar">with special and unique features, as it includes a podcast that provides many unique features, as you can launch</span></span> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sbsial.com/ar/features/podcast-and-voice-recording"><span lang="ar">a podcast</span></a> <span style="background-color:unset;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.87);font-family:inherit;font-size:16px;"><span lang="ar">with your friends or listen to others, and it also provides information about</span></span> the <span style="background-color:unset;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.87);font-family:inherit;font-size:16px;"><span lang="ar">various</span></span> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sbsial.com/ar/features/celebrity-collectibles"><span lang="ar">possessions of celebrities</span></a> .</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, and was known at the time as the Basketball Association of America. In 1949, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged with its rival, the National Basketball League (NBL), to officially form the National Basketball Association (NBA). Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the United States.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The most successful team is the Boston Celtics, with 18 titles, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers, who also have 17 titles.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"><br> The National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded in 1946 by owners of ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. In 1946, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knicks at Maple Leaf Garden in what is considered the first game in the history of the National Basketball Association. The first basket was scored by the Knicks' Osie Sketchman.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Although there had been a few attempts to establish basketball leagues, the American League (the predecessor to the National Basketball Association) was the first to be held on a large scale.</p><h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <span style="color:hsl(187, 48%, 51%);">American Basketball Association</span></h2><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"><br> The American Basketball Association (ABA) was founded as an alternative to the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1967, at a time when the NBA was gaining popularity. The ABA offered an alternative ethos and a new style of play, as well as some rule changes.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Julius Erving was the league's pioneer, helping usher in a new style of play centered on jumping and rim-based play. The league emphasized excitement and energy, whether in the color of the ball (red, white, and blue), the way it plays, or the scoring spree, such as the three-pointer.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> National recognition and low profits prompted the league to look for a way out of its problems. A merger with the more successful and established National Basketball Association was seen as the solution.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The NBA merged with the National Basketball Association in the summer of 1976.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Founded in 1946 in New York, its current president is Adam Silver.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Two years after the Hornets moved to New Orleans, the NBA returned to North Carolina, where the Charlotte Bobcats were formed as an expansion team in 2004.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The Hornets temporarily moved to Oklahoma City in 2005 for two seasons due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. The team returned to New Orleans in 2007.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> A new official playing ball was introduced on June 28, 2006, for the 2006–07 season, marking the first change to the ball in over 35 years and only the second in 60 seasons. Manufactured by Spalding, the new ball featured a new design and a new synthetic material that Spalding claimed provided better grip, feel, and stability than the original ball.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> However, many players were vocal in their disdain for the new ball, saying it was too sticky when dry, and too slippery when wet.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Commissioner Stern announced on December 11, 2006, that effective January 1, 2007, the NBA would return to the traditional leather basketball used prior to the 2006–07 season. The change was prompted by repeated player complaints and confirmed hand injuries (cuts) caused by the microfiber ball.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The Players Association filed a lawsuit on behalf of the players against the NBA regarding the new ball. Starting with the 2017-18 season, NBA team jerseys are manufactured by Nike, replacing the previous supplier, Adidas.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> All teams will wear Nike-branded jerseys except the Charlotte Hornets, whose jerseys will instead feature the Jumpman logo associated with longtime Nike supporter Michael Jordan, who owns the Hornets.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The FBI began an investigation on July 19, 2007, into allegations that veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy had bet on basketball games he officiated over the past two seasons and made decisions that affected the spread in those games.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> On August 15, 2007, Donaghy pleaded guilty to two federal charges related to the investigation. In 2008, Donaghy claimed that certain referees were friendly with players and "company men" in the NBA, and that the referees influenced the outcome of certain playoff and Finals games in 2002 and 2005.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> NBA Commissioner David Stern denied the allegations and said Donaghy was a convicted felon and a "cooperating witness." Donaghy served 15 months in prison and was released in November 2009. According to an independent study by Ronald Beach of Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings, although the referees increased the Lakers' chances of winning through their poor decisions during the game, there was no collusion to fix the game.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Regarding the alleged "star treatment" during Game 6 by referees towards certain players, Beach claimed, "There appear to be issues with different standards and allocations for different players."</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The NBA Board of Governors approved the Seattle SuperSonics' request to relocate to Oklahoma City on April 18, 2008.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> However, the team was unable to relocate until a lawsuit filed by the City of Seattle was settled, which sought to keep the SuperSonics in Seattle for the remaining two seasons of the team's lease at Key Arena. Following the lawsuit, the City of Seattle reached a settlement with the SuperSonics' ownership group on July 2, 2008, allowing the team to relocate to Oklahoma City immediately in exchange for the final two seasons of the team's lease at Key Arena. The Oklahoma City Thunder began play in the 2008–2009 season.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The first outdoor game of the modern league era was held at Indian Wells on October 11, 2008, between the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The first NBA games were held on European soil in 2011. In two games, the New Jersey Nets faced the Toronto Raptors at the O2 Arena in London in front of over 20,000 fans.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Following the 2012-13 season, the New Orleans Hornets were renamed the Pelicans. During the 2013-14 season, Stern retired as commissioner after 30 years, and Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver ascended to the position of commissioner. During that season's playoffs, the Bobcats officially reclaimed the Hornets name and, under an agreement with the league and the Pelicans, also acquired sole ownership of all history, records, and statistics from the Pelicans' tenure in Charlotte.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> As a result, the Hornets are now officially considered to have been founded in 1988, ceased operations in 2002, and resumed in 2004 as the Bobcats, while the Pelicans are officially treated as an expansion team in 2002.</p>