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The BAA and NBL merger
After a battle to win over fans and players, the Basketball Association of America and National Basketball League decided to merge together to create the league we know now which is the National Basketball Association. At the time, there were only 11 teams in the newly created in the NBA that were located mostly in major cities such as Boston and Indianapolis. -
The Creation of the Shot Clock
The NBA had become a bore after teams would be playing keep away after gaining a lead. The NBA needed offense to keep fans interested. The 24 second shot clock revived the game and brought more offense to the league. -
The Acceptance of the 3 Point Line
Before 1979, there was no point difference from making a layup to shooting from a distance. After seeing college leagues experiment with a three point line, the league finally accepted it. This revolutionized the game and made the league more exciting. -
The Plague of Low Viewership
During the early 1980's, the league was at an all time low. The games were not interesting and the viewers responded to that. There was low attendance at games and declining TV ratings. There were several money losing franchises as a result of this. -
The Change at NBA Commissioner
At the time, the NBA commissioner Larry O'Brien was not coming up with new ideas of reviving the NBA. When David Stern took over as commissioner, he started advertising the NBA. He started showing off the star players at the time which included Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. This helped bring fans back to the NBA. -
The Michael Jordan Era
Ever since he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984, he dominated the NBA. During his first few years of playing in the NBA, he became the focal point of advertising for the league. Fans loved to see Michael Jordan make the game exciting by lighting up the scoreboard. -
NBA lottery draft
To prevent teams from tanking and to make the NBA more interesting, the NBA decided to switch to a lottery system for positions in a draft. -
International Superstars Era
In the 2000's, there was a great increase in international players playing in the NBA. The NBA had become more diversified by seeing players Dirk Nowitzki enter the game. -
Evolution of Super Teams in the NBA
MVP caliber players have been disloyal as of recently in history to chase championships. Teams such as the Miami Heat in 2011 and currently the Golden State Warriors are prime examples. These super teams have won multiple championships and make the NBA more predictable. -
The Switch of the Playoffs format
The playoff bracket that we know now is a two conference league. In those conferences, the top eight seeds in those conferences made the playoffs. This switched from a complicated seeding system that included 6 divisions.
