The Basketball Association of America or BAA was founded on June 6, 1946 and served as the professional basketball league in North America. It later merged with the National Basketball League or NBL in the year 1949, forming what is now known today as the National Basketball Association or NBA.

The individuals responsible for the founding of the BAA are owners of major ice hockey arenas in the Northeast and Midwest United States. The first game ever played in the league’s history was on November 1, 1946 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with the Toronto Huskies against the New York Knickerbockers. This was the first attempt by the league to play the game in large arenas in major cities though earlier attempts were made by other associations such as the ABL and the NBL.

Sport Basketball
Country United States United States
Founded 1946
Teams 10
Teams promoted / relegated 0

The quality of play in the BAA was not significantly better or significantly different from the way the other clubs or leagues played their game.

The end of the BAA happened on August 3, 1949 with the merger of the BAA and the NBL. This merger created the National Basketball Association which now has seventeen franchises located in a good mix of large and small cities.

The following teams made up the BAA such as the Baltimore Bullets, Chicago Stags, Rochester Royals, Cleveland Rebels, Detroit Falcons, Indianapolis Jets, New York Knickerbockers, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Providence Steamrollers, Sheboygan Redskins, St. Louis Bombers, Toronto Huskies, Washington Capitols, Boston Celtics, Minneapolis Lakers, Fort Wayne Pistons and Philadelphia Warriors.

During the BAA’s last year, it held one of the most memorable BAA awards, the 1949 All-BAA First Team. This was made up of Max Zaslofsky from Chicago Stags, Bob Davies from Rochester Royals, George Mikan from Minneapolis Lakers, Jim Pollar from Minneapolis Lakers and Joe Fulks from Philadelphia Warriors.

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