Basketball in North America

The game was invented in December 1891 by the Canadian-American James Naismith, who was a college professor in Springfield, Massachusetts. He wanted to come up with a team sport that could be played indoors during the winter when the weather didn't allow for popular outdoor sports like rugby, football, soccer or baseball. He used soccer balls for the game; proper basketballs were invented several decades later. Naismith also intended the game to limit contact between players, fixing the goal at a height then thought to be hard to reach even by jumping as he observed a lot of physical contact going in the contest close to the goal in other sports. There are conflicting interpretations whether this was due to the high injury risk associated with various codes of football or ice hockey at the time or religious prudery.

The color line in professional basketball was broken in the NBA's second season (1947/48), when the league signed its first non-white player, Japanese-American Wataru Misaka. By the 1950s African-American players became a common sight in the league. Now, almost three out of four NBA players are African-American. A significant minority of non-American players are black or mixed-race — for example, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) is the son of Nigerian immigrants, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert (France) has a black father and white mother. While the demographics of the fans also skew somewhat in favor of black people, it is far less noticeable than among the players.

The NBA draws most of the top players from throughout the world. Two major events at the end of the 1980s brought this about: the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the decision of FIBA, the sport's international governing body, to allow NBA players to compete in the Olympics. Today, a bit over 20% of the league's players were born outside the U.S. The largest share has traditionally come from Europe, but African countries are producing an increasing number of players. Many other countries are represented in the league, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, and Canada. The Spanish presence is large enough that Spaniards now call their men's national team La ÑBA.

Basketball is played by two teams, each having 5 players on the court. The objective is to put (by throwing) the basketball through the basket or hoop mounted at the rear of the opposing team's side, thereby scoring points. Another objective is preventing the opposing team from putting the ball through the hoop on their side. The hoops are mounted 10 ft (about 3 m) above ground to prevent goaltending. The team usually gets two points for putting the ball through the hoop; this is called a field goal. If it's thrown from further away, behind the three-point line, the team gets three points. Actions against the rules fall under two categories: violations and fouls. Most fouls occur as a result of personal contact with another player, and usually results in the ball being turned over to the opposing team. A player who has committed 6 fouls in the NBA or WNBA, or 5 fouls in the Olympics and NCAA, is fouled out, meaning that (s)he must be substituted off and cannot take part in the remainder of the game.

When a player commits a foul against a player from the opposing team who is attempting a goal, the fouled player may attempt throw the ball into the hoop while everyone else is standing still. This is called a free throw, and is worth one point if the throw is successful. In most cases, a player is entitled to take two or three free throws, depending on where the shot attempt was made; if you hear that a player is shooting "one-and-one", then the player will get another opportunity if the first free throw scores. (The "one-and-one" is now used only in the US college men's ruleset.) If the player that is being fouled scores a goal, one free throw is awarded so the player has the chance to score an extra point. Two free throws are also awarded for all defensive fouls regardless of whether the fouled player is attempting a shot once a team has accumulated a certain number of fouls in a certain period, which is 5 per quarter in the NBA, WNBA, Olympics, NCAA women's, and US high school play, and 7 per half in NCAA men's play. The team with most points when the time is up wins the game.

Game duration varies between leagues. In the NBA, games are played in four quarters, each taking 12 minutes. The WNBA is also played in quarters, but each lasts only 10 minutes. College games are the same length as WNBA games, but the timing conventions are different for men's and women's play. Men's games are played in 20-minute halves, while women's games use 10-minute quarters. Games at the Olympics and other international tournaments are played in 10-minute quarters. Youth games use shorter periods still; for example, US high school games are played in 8-minute quarters. If the score is even when the time is up, overtime periods of five minutes (4 in US high schools) are played until a winner emerges. Like hockey, and unlike soccer, the clock is stopped when the play isn't active, so games take more time than actual playing time. The shot clock is equally important to the pacing of a basketball game. Set at 24 seconds in professional and Olympic basketball, and 30 seconds in college basketball, the shot clock marks the time that the offensive team has to set up and make a shot at the basket. (Most US states do not use a shot clock for high schools; those that do must use 35 seconds.) Hitting the rim of the basket resets the shot clock, as do defensive fouls that do not occur in the act of shooting. If the offense lets the shot clock run out without shooting, a shot clock violation occurs, and the other team gets the ball.

Basketball players are not allowed to carry the ball as they move. This is called a traveling violation, and results in the other team getting the ball. Instead, the ball is passed between the players, and if a player is moving with the ball, the player has to dribble it, i.e. bounce it between their hand and the floor. A player is also not allowed to dribble the ball with both hands simultaneously, and doing so is a violation known as a double dribble that results in the other team getting the ball.

• Boston Celtics – 🌍 TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts (in the North End). The Celtics have the most NBA Finals championships of any team, partially due to the greatness of Bill Russell and Larry Bird.
• Brooklyn Nets – 🌍 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York (in Downtown Brooklyn).
• New York Knicks – 🌍 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York (in the Theater District).
• Philadelphia 76ers – 🌍 Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (in South Philly). Home to reigning league MVP Joel Embiid.
• Toronto Raptors – 🌍 Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario (in the Entertainment District).

• Chicago Bulls – 🌍 United Center, Chicago, Illinois (on the Near West Side). Michael Jordan may be gone, but the Bulls still provide exciting games to watch.
• Cleveland Cavaliers – 🌍 Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio (in Downtown Cleveland). The Cavaliers have finally won the championship that they — and their city — have longed for, but after LeBron James left for Los Angeles, the Cavs immediately plummeted to the bottom of the league. They've since returned to playoff contention behind a young nucleus.
• Detroit Pistons – 🌍 Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan (in Midtown Detroit).
• Indiana Pacers – 🌍 Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Milwaukee Bucks – 🌍 Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Home to two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

• Atlanta Hawks – 🌍 State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia (in Downtown Atlanta).
• Charlotte Hornets – 🌍 Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina (in Uptown Charlotte).
• Miami Heat – 🌍 Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida (in Downtown Miami).
• Orlando Magic – 🌍 Amway Center, Orlando, Florida.
• Washington Wizards – 🌍 Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. (in the Penn Quarter).

• Denver Nuggets – 🌍 Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado. Home to the reigning NBA champions, led by three-time league MVP Nikola Jokić.
• Minnesota Timberwolves – 🌍 Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota (in Downtown Minneapolis).
• Oklahoma City Thunder – 🌍 Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (in Downtown Oklahoma City).
• Portland Trail Blazers – 🌍 Moda Center, Portland, Oregon.
• Utah Jazz – 🌍 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah.

• Golden State Warriors – 🌍 Chase Center, San Francisco, California (on the Mission Bay waterfront). The Warriors have emerged as a "superteam" that has dominated the NBA, with such players as Steph Curry and Kevin Durant making the "Dubs" a team to contend with (though Durant has since departed, first for Brooklyn and now Phoenix). The Warriors returned to San Francisco in 2018 after nearly a half-century playing in Oakland, and after some injury-riddled seasons returned to the dominance of their recent past, winning the 2022 title.
• Los Angeles Clippers – 🌍 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California (in Downtown L.A.) The Clippers were historically known for being perennial underdogs, but have found some success starting around 2010, with the potential for even more with the arrival of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in 2019. However, they've been hampered by a series of injuries, especially to Leonard. The 2023–24 season is expected to be the Clips' last in downtown L.A.; they're planning a move to the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
• Los Angeles Lakers – Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California (in Downtown L.A.) One of the most successful teams in the NBA's history, the Lakers are the team of Jerry West (whose silhouette appears on the NBA logo), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. With LeBron James joining the team in 2018 and Anthony Davis joining a year later, they emerged from the doldrums of the previous 10 years, winning the title in 2020. They also won the league's first midseason tournament in 2023.
• Phoenix Suns – 🌍 Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona.
• Sacramento Kings – 🌍 Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California.

• Dallas Mavericks – 🌍 American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas (in Downtown Dallas). The longtime team of German Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, and now led by the versatile Slovenian Luka Dončić.
• Houston Rockets – 🌍 Toyota Center, Houston, Texas (in Downtown Houston). Known for being the team of Hakeem Olajuwon, a Hall of Fame center who played college ball in the city and led the Rockets to two titles during Michael Jordan's first retirement; and Yao Ming, perhaps the greatest Chinese basketball player ever, and the only one to achieve success in the NBA.
• Memphis Grizzlies – 🌍 FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee.
• New Orleans Pelicans – 🌍 Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana (in the Central Business District).
• San Antonio Spurs – 🌍 Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas. Arguably the most consistently successful team from the late 1990s into the late 2010s, with four championships and almost-regular playoff appearances behind stars such as Hall of Famers Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manu Ginóbili, and Tony Parker. After hitting a dry spell in the 2020s, they're now trying to rebuild behind young French mega-prospect Victor Wembanyama.

• Atlanta Dream – 🌍 Gateway Center Arena in the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Georgia.
• Chicago Sky – 🌍 Wintrust Arena on the Near South Side.
• Connecticut Sun – 🌍 Mohegan Sun Arena at the Mohegan Sun casino complex in Uncasville, Connecticut.
• Indiana Fever – Shares Gainbridge Fieldhouse with the Pacers. While they haven't made the playoffs since 2016, they're almost certain to be the league's biggest draw in 2024 with the arrival of college basketball icon Caitlin Clark.
• New York Liberty – Shares Barclays Center with the Brookyln Nets.
• Washington Mystics – 🌍 Entertainment and Sports Arena in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C.

• Dallas Wings – 🌍 College Park Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington.
• Las Vegas Aces – 🌍 Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Two-time defending league champs.
• Los Angeles Sparks – Shares Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers and Clippers, with the Clippers set to move out after the 2023–24 NBA season.
• Minnesota Lynx – Share Target Center with the Timberwolves.
• Phoenix Mercury – Shares Footprint Center with the Suns.
• Seattle Storm – 🌍 Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center, just to the northwest of downtown Seattle.

• The Golden State Valkyries, owned by the Golden State Warriors and playing in the Warriors' home of Chase Center, will start play in 2025.
• An as-yet-unnamed team in Toronto is expected to start play in the 2026 season, playing at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

The NBA's official minor league, known as the G League due to a sponsorship deal with the Gatorade sports drink, has operated since 2001. It started with eight teams, all in the Southeast U.S., but it has steadily expanded over the years and now has 31 teams, all but one affiliated with a single NBA franchise (and almost all of these owned directly by the NBA team). As of the league's next season in 2024–25, all NBA teams have a G League affiliate.

While the quality of play is obviously not as high as in the NBA, games are still every bit as competitive as those in the NBA, given that every player in the league is trying to prove himself to NBA teams. Also, the U.S. men's national team is now made up almost exclusively of G League players except in the final Olympic and World Cup tournaments.

The season is divided into two portions. It starts in November with the Showcase Cup, with a group stage followed by an 8-team knockout tournament. After the Showcase Cup ends just before Christmas, the regular season starts and runs through March, followed by playoffs that end with the G League Finals in April.

Each team's NBA affiliate is indicated in parentheses next to the team's name. Teams are as of the league's next 2024–25 season, with the following changes from 2023–24:

• NBA G League Ignite, which had been an NBA-sponsored program providing an alternative to college basketball for top prospects, was shut down after the 2023–24 season. The concept became irrelevant once college athletes were allowed to make money from endorsements, personal appearances, and apparel sales earlier in the 2020s.
• Phoenix will get a new team, with the name to be announced.
• The Indiana Mad Ants are for now listed under that name, but the team will adopt a new name in 2024–25, following its move from Indianapolis proper to the suburb of Noblesville.
• The team previously known as the Ontario Clippers is moving to the San Diego County city of Oceanside and will rebrand as the San Diego Clippers.

• Birmingham Squadron (New Orleans Pelicans) – Legacy Arena at the downtown convention center in Birmingham, Alabama.
• Capital City Go-Go (Washington Wizards) – Entertainment and Sports Arena in the southeast Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Congress Heights, also home to the WNBA's Washington Mystics.
• Cleveland Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers) – Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University in downtown Cleveland.
• College Park Skyhawks (Atlanta Hawks) – Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, also home to the WNBA's Atlanta Dream.
• Delaware Blue Coats (Philadelphia 76ers) – Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington.
• Grand Rapids Gold (Denver Nuggets) – Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte Hornets) – Novant Health Fieldhouse, part of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina.
• Indiana Mad Ants (Indiana Pacers) – Noblesville Event Center in the Indianapolis suburb of that name. As noted above, the "Mad Ants" name will be dropped for 2024–25 and beyond.
• Long Island Nets (Brooklyn Nets) – Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York (on Long Island in Nassau County). Notably, this team plays in a former home of its parent club.
• Maine Celtics (Boston Celtics) – Portland Exposition Building in Portland, Maine.
• Motor City Cruise (Detroit Pistons) – Wayne State Fieldhouse at Wayne State University's athletic complex on Detroit's West Side, next to the boundary of Midtown.
• Osceola Magic (Orlando Magic) – Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.
• Raptors 905 (Toronto Raptors) – Paramount Fine Foods Centre in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga. Like its parent club, 905 is its league's only Canadian team.
• Westchester Knicks (New York Knicks) – Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York.
• Windy City Bulls (Chicago Bulls) – NOW Arena in the northwest Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
• Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee Bucks) – Oshkosh Arena in Oshkosh.

• Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs) – H-E-B Center in the northwest Austin suburb of Cedar Park, Texas.
• Capitanes de Ciudad de México – A team from Mexico City that formerly played in that country's top professional league before joining the G League in 2021–22 and playing a standard league schedule for the first time in 2023–24. They play at Arena CDMX in the northeast district of Azcapotzalco. It's not only the largest arena in the G League, but has a larger capacity than any NBA arena.
• Iowa Wolves (Minnesota Timberwolves) – Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
• Memphis Hustle (Memphis Grizzlies) – Landers Center in the Memphis suburb of Southaven, Mississippi.
• Oklahoma City Blue (Oklahoma City Thunder) – Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City, also home to the Thunder.
• Phoenix (Phoenix Suns) – Starting play in 2024–25. The team's name and home arena have yet to be announced.
• Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets) – Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas.
• Rip City Remix (Portland Trail Blazers) – New for 2023–24; playing at Chiles Center on the North Portland campus of the University of Portland.
• Salt Lake City Stars (Utah Jazz) – Maverik Center in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City, Utah.
• San Diego Clippers (Los Angeles Clippers) – Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California. Incidentally, the LA Clippers had played in San Diego under the Clippers name from 1978–1984.
• Santa Cruz Warriors (Golden State Warriors) – Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California.
• Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami Heat) – Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
• Stockton Kings (Sacramento Kings) – Stockton Arena in Stockton, California.
• South Bay Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers) – UCLA Health Training Center in the South Bay city of El Segundo, California.
• Texas Legends (Dallas Mavericks) – Comerica Center in the north Dallas suburb of Frisco.