The Sacramento Kings have only been around since 1985, but their time in the NBA goes way beyond that. The team started out in 1948 as the Rochester Royals with the Basketball Association of America. The Royals were one of 17 teams to participate in the merger of the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball League […]
Knickerbockers Origins The New York Knicks got their start in 1946 as one of the initial members of the NBA. Ned Irish – the founding father of the Knicks – led the club to victory against the Toronto Huskies (68-66) during their first showdown in this newfound league. The Knickerbockers moniker goes back to the Dutch settlers who first settled in New […]
The Hawks Take Flight The Atlanta Hawks got their start in 1946. However, back then, they were known as the Buffalo Bisons and were a part of the National Basketball League, where they played for 38 days before departing for Moline, Illinois. There, they took on a new name — the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, in reference to the Black Hawk […]
Starting Lineup The idea of an NBA All-Star game was conceived in 1951 after a meeting took place between Haskell Cohen, an NBA publicist, and Walter Brown, then owner of the Boston Celtics. Cohen and Brown wanted to introduce the All-Star game during the college scandals of the time. Point-shaving misconduct infiltrated the NCAA in the 1951 season, giving basketball […]
From Minneapolis to Los Angeles The Los Angeles Lakers are a big part of NBA history; however, their start began in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1947 – before the NBA even existed. Back then, the Lakers were a part of the National Basketball League but made the jump to the Basketball Association of America after their first season. […]
The Magic Begins In the late ’80s, Orlando businessman Jim Hewitt had an interest in bringing an NBA franchise to Central Florida. With the help of Philadelphia 76ers general manager Pat Williams, Hewitt began promoting the would-be team and garnering interest from locals, convincing them to put down deposits on season tickets. The NBA listened, […]
Cavs’ Origins The Cleveland Cavaliers first took to the court in 1970 after the NBA granted Forest City an expansion team. Nick Mileti – the original team owner – guided the Cavs through their first season; they finished in the last place with one of their worst records in franchise history (15 wins, 67 losses). After news spread that the city […]
The Chargers – a founding team in the American Football League with the Dallas Texans and Boston Patriots in 1960 – got their start in the city of Los Angeles, California. They moved to San Diego in 1961 and merged with the NFL in 1970. In 2017, the Chargers moved back to Los Angeles after 56 seasons in San Diego. Fans of […]
Professional football was introduced to New York at the same time that the New York Giants were established in the tristate area by original owner Tim Mara. The organization was legally named the “New York Football Giants” to distinguish itself from the New York Giants baseball team. The Giants experienced initial success during their inaugural season but struggled financially up until […]
The Minnesota Vikings kicked things off as an expansion team in 1960, and first took the field for their season opener in 1961. It all began, however, when a group of five businessmen were granted a franchise in the newly formed AFL in 1959. The Vikes would forfeit their AFL membership the following year to become the NFL’s 14th […]
