North America's National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league made up of teams from across the world. The league consists of 30 clubs (29 in the United States and one in Canada), and it is one of the four main professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, with the other three being the National Football League and the National Basketball Association. It is the world's most prestigious men's professional basketball league, with teams from all over the globe.
The Basketball Association of America was established on June 6, 1946, in New York City as a professional basketball league (BAA). The National Basketball Association was formed on August 3, 1949, when the National Basketball League and the National Basketball Association merged to form a new organisation (NBL). In the NBA's regular season, which spans from October to April, each club plays a total of 82 games throughout that time period. The postseason round for the league will continue until June. As of 2020, NBA players are the highest-paid athletes in the world, based on the average yearly pay per player.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognised by the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) as the national regulatory organisation for basketball in the United States of America. International and individual team offices are directed from the league's headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, while NBA Entertainment and the NBA TV studios are based in Secaucus, New Jersey. The NBA has several international and individual team offices, as well as a corporate headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.
After the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), the NBA is the third-richest professional sports league in North America in terms of revenue, and it is also in the top four in the world in terms of revenue.
It was the Milwaukee Bucks that won their first championship in 2021 after defeating the Phoenix Suns 4–2 in the Finals.