Major Professional Basketball Leagues
American Basketball Association (ABA)
Explore the history of the ABA from 1967 through 1976, including
teams, champions, awards, players, playoff appearances, scoring
records and the ABA-NBA agreement.
Explore ABA History
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Follow the history of the WNBA from its creation in 1996 and first
season in 1997 through its champions, teams, awards, records,
expansion and greatest players.
Explore WNBA History
Historic Professional Basketball Leagues
Basketball Association of America (BAA)
Explore the BAA, which operated from 1946 through 1949 and became one
of the direct predecessors of the modern NBA.
Explore BAA History
National Basketball League (NBL)
Explore the National Basketball League, its teams, champions,
players and the role it played in the formation of the NBA.
Explore NBL History
Development and Minor Professional Leagues
NBA Development League / NBA G League
Explore the NBA's developmental league, originally known as the NBDL,
including champions, standings, awards, drafts, NBA call-ups and
scoring records.
Explore NBA G League History
United States Basketball League (USBL)
Explore the history of the USBL, a spring and summer professional
basketball league that provided opportunities for players, coaches
and future NBA personnel.
Explore USBL History
International Basketball
International Basketball
Explore basketball outside the NBA, including international
competitions, national teams and players who have represented their
countries on the world stage.
Explore International Basketball
Basketball League Timeline
Professional basketball in North America has been shaped by several
different leagues. The National Basketball League began play in the
1930s, while the Basketball Association of America launched in 1946.
Those leagues eventually came together to form the modern NBA.
The American Basketball Association later challenged the NBA from
1967 through 1976 and introduced innovations and stars that permanently
changed professional basketball. Four ABA franchises eventually entered
the NBA: the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets and
San Antonio Spurs.
The WNBA began play in 1997 and developed into the longest-running
major women's professional basketball league in the United States,
while the NBA's developmental league created a direct pipeline between
minor-league basketball and the NBA.
| League |
Years |
Historical Importance |
| NBL |
1937-1949 |
Major pre-NBA professional league whose teams helped form the NBA.
|
| BAA |
1946-1949 |
League whose merger with the NBL produced the modern NBA.
|
| ABA |
1967-1976 |
Major NBA rival known for the three-point shot, red-white-and-blue
basketball and stars such as Julius Erving.
|
| USBL |
1985-2008 |
Summer professional league that served as a developmental opportunity
for players and coaches.
|
| WNBA |
1997-Present |
Major women's professional basketball league founded with NBA support.
|
| NBDL / NBA G League |
2001-Present |
Official developmental league of the NBA.
|
Explore NBAHoopsOnline League Archives
NBAHoopsOnline's league archives include team histories, champions,
standings, awards, drafts, records, players, playoff results,
franchise relocations and other historical information from leagues
throughout professional basketball history.
The goal of this section is to preserve not only NBA history, but also
the leagues and organizations that helped shape professional
basketball before, alongside and beyond the NBA.
