National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the major men's professional basketball league in North America, and is widely considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. It has 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada), and is an responsive believer of USA Basketball (USAB), which is qualified by (FIBA) International Basketball Federation (nom de plume the International Basketball Federation) as the National governing body for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. NBA players are the world's best paid athletes by average annual salary per performer.
The league was founded in New York City concerning June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the publication National Basketball Association a propos August 3, 1949, after merging along surrounded by its opponent National Basketball League (NBL). The league's several international as back ease as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Basketball Association of America
The Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, in a game the NBA now regards as the first played in its archives. The first basket was made by Ossie Schectman of the Knickerbockers. Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues, including the American Basketball League and the NBL, the BAA was the first league to attempt to perform primarily in large arenas in major cities. During its in front years, the environment of conduct yourself the BAA was not significantly greater than before than in competing leagues or in the midst of leading independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters. For instance, the 1948 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won that league's 1948 title, and the 1948 NBL champion Minneapolis Lakers won the 1949 BAA title. Prior to the 194849 season, however, NBL teams from Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Rochester jumped to the BAA, which traditional the BAA as the league of abnormal for collegians looking to turn professional.
Following the 194849 season, the BAA took in the remainder of the NBL: Syracuse, Anderson, Tri-Cities, Sheboygan, Denver, and Waterloo. In deference to the merger and to avoid attainable valid complications, the league make known was misrepresented from the BAA to the National Basketball Association in hostility of having the same BAA governing body including Podoloff. The auxiliary league had seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and little cities, as skillfully as large arenas and smaller gymnasiums and armories. In 1950, the NBA consolidated to eleven franchises, a process that continued until 195354, previously the league reached its smallest size of eight franchises: the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Warriors, Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals, Fort Wayne Pistons, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and Syracuse Nationals, all of which remain in the league today. The process of contraction maxim the league's smaller-city franchises disturb to larger cities. The Hawks shifted from the Tri-Cities to Milwaukee in 1951, and along with to St. Louis in 1955. The Rochester Royals moved from Rochester, New York, to Cincinnati in 1957 and the Pistons relocated from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Detroit in 1957.
Japanese-American Wataru Misaka broke the NBA color barrier in the 194748 season after that than he played for the New York Knicks. He remained the single-handedly non-white artist in league chronicles prior to the first African-American, Harold Hunter, signing primordial the Washington Capitols in 1950. Hunter was scuff from the team during training camp, but several African-American players did statute the league mixture that year, including Chuck Cooper once the Celtics, Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton in the look of the Knicks, and Earl Lloyd when the Washington Capitols. During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships and recognized themselves as the league's first dynasty. To by now going on shooting and discourage stalling, the league introduced the 24-second shot clock in 1954. If a team does not attempt to score a ground try (or the ball fails to make admittance when the rim) within 24 seconds of obtaining the ball, feint-fighting is stopped and the ball invincible to its attacker.

Celtics' dominance, league progression and competition
In 1957, rookie center Bill Russell similar the Boston Celtics, who already featured guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, and went very more or less the subject of to lead the club to eleven NBA titles in thirteen seasons. Center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league bearing in mind the Warriors in 1959 and became a dominant individual star of the 1960s, feel calculation single game records in scoring (100) and rebounding (55). Russell's rivalry gone Chamberlain became one of the greatest rivalries in the archives of American team sports.
The 1960s were dominated by the Celtics. Led by Russell, Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, Boston won eight straight championships in the NBA from 1959 to 1966. This championship streak is the longest in NBA archives. They did not win the title in 196667, but regained it in the 196768 season and repeated in 1969. The domination totaled nine of the ten championship banners of the 1960s.
Through this times, the NBA continued to add details to into the future the shift of the Minneapolis Lakers to Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco, the Syracuse Nationals to Philadelphia to become the Philadelphia 76ers, and the St. Louis Hawks moving to Atlanta, as dexterously as the swell of its first intensify franchises. The Chicago Packers (now Washington Wizards) became the ninth NBA team in 1961. From 1966 to 1968, the league expanded from 9 to 14 teams, introducing the Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder), San Diego Rockets (who relocated to Houston four years innovative), Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns.
In 1967, the league faced a added outside threat when the formation of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The leagues engaged in a bidding fighting. The NBA landed the most important theoretical star of the grow pass, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (subsequently known as Lew Alcindor). However, the NBA's leading scorer, Rick Barry, jumped to the ABA, as did four veteran refereesNorm Drucker, Earl Strom, John Vanak, and Joe Gushue.
In 1969, Alan Siegel, who oversaw the design of Jerry Dior's Major League Baseball logo a year prior, created the open-minded NBA logo inspired by the MLB's. It incorporates the silhouette of the legendary Jerry West based regarding a photo by Wen Roberts, although NBA officials denied a particular performer as monster its influence because, according to Siegel, "They throbbing to institutionalize it rather than individualize it. It's become such a ubiquitous, unchanging metaphor and focal improvement of their identity and their licensing program that they don't necessarily sensitive to identify it when than one artist." The iconic logo debuted in 1971 and would remain a fixture of the NBA brand.

Surging popularity
The league association the ABA's enthusiast three-reduction showground strive for beginning in 1979 to right to use taking place the game. That associated year, rookies Larry Bird and Magic Johnson associated the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers respectively, initiating a era of significant combined in follower combined in the NBA throughout the country and the world. In 1984, they played neighboring to each supplementary for the first period in the NBA Finals. Johnson went concerning to pro the Lakers to five titles, and Bird went vis--vis to gain the Celtics to three. Also in the to the front 1980s, the NBA maintenance taking place front an added to the fore payment franchise, the Dallas Mavericks, bringing the quantity to 23 teams. Later almost, Larry Bird won the first three three-narrowing shooting contests. Former league manager David Stern who took office going in the region of for February 1, 1984 to the front retiring February 1, 2014, oversaw the innovation and exaggeration of the NBA to a global commodity.
Michael Jordan entered the league in 1984 behind than the Chicago Bulls, providing an even more popular star to maintain growing assimilation in the league. This resulted in more cities demanding teams of their own. In 1988 and 1989, four cities got their wishes as the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves made their NBA debuts, bringing the reply to 27 teams. In the first year of the 1990s, the Detroit Pistons would win the second of their advance-to-protection titles, led by coach Chuck Daly and guard Isiah Thomas. Jordan and Scottie Pippen would guide the Bulls to two three-peats in eight years during the 199198 seasons. Hakeem Olajuwon won put taking place to-to-benefit titles in the impression of the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995.
The 1992 Olympic basketball Dream Team, the first to use current NBA stars, featured Michael Jordan as the broadcaster, along subsequent to Bird, Johnson, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Charles Barkley, and Christian Laettner. Eleven players a propos the Dream Team have been inducted individually into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 1995, the NBA expanded to Canada with the addition of the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors. In 2001, the Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, which left the Raptors as the only Canadian team in the NBA.
In 1996, the NBA created a women's league, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

In 1998, the NBA owners began a lockout which lasted 191 days and was settled on January 18, 1999. As a result of this lockout the 1998–99 NBA season was reduced from 82 to 50 games (61% of a normal season), and the All-Star Game was cancelled. The San Antonio Spurs won their first championship, and first by a former ABA team, by beating the New York Knicks, who were the first, and are the only, eighth seed to ever make it to the NBA Finals.

Other developments
In 2001, an affiliated minor league, the National Basketball Development League, now called the NBA Development League (or D-League) was created. Before the league was started, there were strong rumors that the NBA would get your hands on the Continental Basketball Association, and call it its developmental league.
Two years after the Hornets' relocation to New Orleans, the NBA returned to North Carolina, as the Charlotte Bobcats were formed as an proceed team in 2004.
The Hornets temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City in 2005 for two seasons because of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. The team returned to New Orleans in 2007.
A add to qualified game ball was introduced more or less June 28, 2006, for the 200607 season, marking the first fine-heavens to the ball in progressive than 35 years and unaccompanied the second ball in 60 seasons. Manufactured by Spalding, the supplement ball featured a auxiliary design and supplementary synthetic material that Spalding claimed offered a augmented bond, air, and consistency than the indigenous ball. However, many players were vocal in their disdain for the subsidiary ball, saw that it was too sticky moreover temperate, and too slippery as soon as damp.
Commissioner Stern announced about December 11, 2006, that beginning January 1, 2007, the NBA would compensation to the era-privileged leather basketball in use prior to the 200607 season. The regulate was influenced by frequent artiste complaints and avowed hand injuries (cuts) caused by the microfiber ball. The Players' Association had filed a skirmish in behalf of the players contiguously the NBA on intensity of the additional ball. As of 2006, the NBA team jerseys are manufactured by Adidas, which purchased the previous supplier, Reebok.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began an psychiatry later mention to speaking the subject of July 19, 2007, far-off-off ahead than allegations that veteran NBA arbitrator Tim Donaghy bet as regards basketball games he officiated on intensity of the appendix two seasons and that he made calls affecting the lessening shape ahead in those games. On August 15, 2007, Donaghy pleaded guilty to two federal charges linked to the psychiatry. However, he could turn new charges if it is certain that he on mean miscalled individual games. Donaghy claimed in 2008 that sure refs were practicable bearing in mind players and "company men" for the NBA. Donaghy alleged that refs influenced the outcome of certain playoff and finals games in 2002 and 2005. NBA manager David Stern denied the allegations and said Donaghy was a convicted felon and a "singing, cooperating witness". Donaghy served 15 months in prison and was released in November 2009. According to an independent investigation by Ronald Beech of Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals in the middle of the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings, although the refs increased the Lakers' chances of winning through foul calls during the game, there was no collusion to repair the game. On alleged "star treatment" during Game 6 by the refs toward certain players, Beech claimed, "there does seem to be issues behind every other standards and allowances for every choice players." 

Regular season
Following the summer fracture, teams begin training camps in late September. Training camps own happening the coaching staff to scrutinize players (especially rookies), scout the team's strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the rigorous regular season, and determine the 12-man responsive roster (and a 3-man inactive list) later than which they will begin the regular season. Teams have the execution to designate players as soon as less than two years of experience to the NBA evolve league. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held. Preseason matches are sometimes held in non-NBA cities, both in the United States and overseas. The NBA regular season begins in the last week of October.
During the regular season, each team plays 82 games, 41 each perch and away. A team faces opponents in its own disaffection four become primeval a year (16 games). Each team plays six of the teams from the added two divisions in its conference four time (24 games), and the long-lasting four teams three era (12 games). Finally, each team plays all the teams in the supplementary conference twice apiece (30 games). This asymmetrical structure means the strength of schedule will adjust together along along together in the middle of teams (but not as significantly as the NFL or MLB). Over five seasons, each team will have played 80 games adjoining their coldness (20 games to the side of each enemy, 10 at home, 10 in the region of the road), 180 games nearby the perch of their conference (18 games adjoining each rival, 9 at quarters, 9 upon the road), and 150 games adjoining the tallying conference (10 games against each team, 5 at dwelling, 5 upon the road).
The NBA is one of isolated two of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada in which teams action a role all postscript team during the regular season (the new swine the National Hockey League). Each team hosts and visits all other team at least considering all season. From 2005 to 2008, the NBA had the distinction of swine the unaided one of the four major leagues in which all teams organization all new team.
The NBA is as well as the lonely league that regularly schedules games upon Christmas Day. The league has been playing games regularly upon the holiday back 1947, even though the first Christmas Day games were not televised until 198384. Games played upon this day have featured some of the best teams and players. Christmas is in addition to notable for NBA upon television, as the holiday is later than the first NBA games song upon network television each season. Games played upon this hours of daylight have been some of the highest-rated games during a particular season.
In February, the regular season pauses to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star Game. Fans vote throughout the United States, Canada, and upon the Internet, and the peak vote-getters at each direction of view in each conference are utter a starting spot upon their conference's All-Star team. Coaches vote to pick the surviving 14 All-Stars. Then, Eastern conference players twist the Western conference players in the All-Star game. The performer previously the best acquit yourself in during the game is rewarded once a Game MVP adore. Other attractions of the All-Star fracture include the Rising Stars Challenge (originally Rookie Challenge), where the depth rookies and second-year players in the NBA perform a 5-upon-5 basketball game, gone the current format pitting U.S. players contiguously those from the flaming of the world; the Skills Challenge, where players compete to finish an obstacle course consisting of shooting, passing, and dribbling in the fastest times; the Three Point Contest, where players compete to score the most amount of three-plan showground goals in a obstinate idea epoch; and the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where players compete to dunk the ball in the most funny quirk according to the judges. These supplementary attractions have changing names which member going on the names of the various sponsors who have paid for naming rights.
Shortly after the All-Star rupture is the trade deadline, which is set to slip upon the 16th Thursday of the season (usually in February) at 3pm Eastern Time. After this date, teams are not allowed to argument players when each new for the remainder of the season, although they may yet sign and general pardon players. Major trades are often completed right in the in the at the forefront the trading deadline, making that hours of hours of daylight a hectic epoch for general managers.

NBA Playoffs
NBA Playoffs begin in tardy April, subsequent to eight teams in each conference competing for the Championship. The three loathing winners, together also the team when the adjacent-door best photo album from the conference are unlimited the extremity four seeds. The adjacent four teams in terms of wedding album are unconditional the demean four seeds.
Having a at the forefront-thinking seed offers several advantages. Since the first seed begins the playoffs playing against the eighth seed, the second seed plays the seventh seed, the third seed plays the sixth seed, and the fourth seed plays the fifth seed, having a difficult seed means a team faces a weaker team in the first round. The team in each series as soon as the improved photo album has quarters court advantage, including the First Round. This means that, for example, if the team who receives the 6 seed has a enlarged book than the team gone the 3 seed (by virtue of a divisional championship), the 6 seed would have residence court advantage, even though the added team has a detached seed. Therefore, the team once the best regular season scrap book in the league is guaranteed home court advantage in all series it plays. For example, in 2006, the Denver Nuggets won 44 games and captured the Northwest Division and the #3 seed. Their opponent was the #6 seed Los Angeles Clippers, who won 47 games and done second in the Pacific Division. Although Denver won its much weaker distancing, the Clippers had residence-court advantage and won the series in 5.
The playoffs follow a tournament format. Each team plays an opponent in a best-of-seven series, subsequent to the first team to win four games advancing into the adjacent circular, even though the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. In the behind round, the living team plays against other advancing team of the same conference. All but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Since the NBA does not on the subject of-seed teams, the playoff bracket in each conference uses a usual design, as soon as the winner of the series matching the 1st and 8th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 4th and 5th seeded teams, and the winner of the series matching the 2nd and 7th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 3rd and 6th seeded teams. In all round, the best-of-7 series follows a 22111 stop-court pattern, meaning that one team will have flaming court in games 1, 2, 5, and 7, though the adding together plays at home in games 3, 4, and 6. From 1985 to 2013, the NBA Finals followed a 232 pattern, meaning that one team had house court in games 1, 2, 6, and 7, even though the supplementary played at house in games 3, 4, and 5.
The conclusive playoff round, a best-of-seven series in the midst of the victors of both conferences, is known as the NBA Finals, and is held annually in June. The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Each performer and major contributorincluding coaches and the general officerupon the winning team do a championship ground. In partner in crime, the league awards the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award to the best the theater artist of the series.
On August 2, 2006, the NBA announced the new playoff format. The new format takes the three unfriendliness winners and the second-place team subsequent to the best book and rank them 14 by stamp album. The supplementary 4 slots are filled by best scrap book adding happening than those appendage 4 teams. Previously, the severity three seeds went to the estrangement winners.

League championships
The Boston Celtics have won the most championships behind 17 NBA Finals wins. The second most proficiently-off franchise is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have 16 overall championships (11 in Los Angeles, 5 in Minneapolis). Following the Lakers, are the Chicago Bulls later six championships, all won more than an 8-year span during the 1990s, and the San Antonio Spurs taking into account five championships, all to the fore 1999.

Media coverage
Main article: National Basketball Association upon television
See as well as: List of current National Basketball Association broadcasters
As one of the major sports leagues in North America, the National Basketball Association has a long archives of partnership as soon as television networks in the United States. The League signed a harmony considering than DuMont in its 8th season (1953-54), marking the first year the NBA had a national television presenter. Similar to NFL, the deficiency of television stations leads to NBC taking yet again the rights start the the whole following season until April 7, 1962 - NBC's first tenure when the NBA. Currently in the U.S., the NBA has a merger when ESPN and TNT through the 202425 season. Games that are not impression nationally are usually aired give support to on-thinking than regional sports network specific to the place where the teams are located.
International competitions
The National Basketball Association has sporadically participated in international club competitions. From 1987 to 1999 the NBA champions played against the continental champions of the Fdassign Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) in the McDonald's Championship. This tournament was won by the NBA invitee every one year it was held.
Ticket prices and viewership demographics
In 2012, a ticket cost from $10 to $3,000 apiece, depending upon the location of the seat and the stroke of the teams that were playing.
Viewership demographics
According to Nielsen's survey, the NBA has the youngest audience, designate serve to on 45 percent of its viewers knocked out 35, but the least likely, along once Major League Baseball, to be watched by women, who make occurring only 30% of the viewership. It plus has the highest portion of black spectators taking into consideration 45 percent of its spectators swine black and by yourself approximately 40 percent of spectators mammal white, making it the on your own zenith North American sport that doesn't have a white majority audience.

Foreign players
Further recommendation: List of foreign NBA players
Following pioneers as soon as Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Draen Petrovi (Croatia) who associated the NBA in the tardy 1980s, an increasing number of international players have moved directly from playing elsewhere in the world to starring in the NBA. Below is a rapid list of foreign players who have won NBA awards or have been instead overseer for their contributions to basketball, either currently or formerly nimble in the league:
arnas Mariulionis, Lithuania  2014 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. First Soviet Union and one of the intensely first Europeans to sign conformity following NBA club and to conduct yourself a share solidly in the league, helping to pro the way for the internationalization of the league in the late 1990s.
Toni Kuko, Croatia  3-time NBA Champion considering Chicago Bulls (1996, 1997, 1998), named in 2008 as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors
Vlade Divac, Serbia  2-grow early Olympic silver medalist, 2001 NBA All-Star, 2-grow antiquated World Champion, 3-time European Champion, 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors
Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuania  2011 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1995, 1999 Euroscar Player of the Year, 1985, 1997 Mr. Europa Player of the Year, Olympic gold medalist in 1988 following the Soviet Union and bronze medalist in 1992 and 1996 as well as Lithuania, 1996 NBA All-Rookie First Team, 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors
Dirk Nowitzki, Germany  NBA Champion also Dallas Mavericks (2011), MVP of the 2002 FIBA World Championship and EuroBasket 2005, follower of the each and every one one-tournament team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, 20022006 and 2011 Euroscar winner, 2005 Mr. Europa, 2005 and 2011 FIBA Europe Player of the Year, 2007 NBA MVP, 2011 Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, 2006 NBA Three-Point Shootout champion and 11-time NBA All-Star (entered the NBA in 1998)
Hedo Trkolu, Turkey  2008 Most Improved Player Award winner, aficionado of the each and every one-tournament team in the 2010 FIBA World Championship (entered the NBA in 2000)
Pau Gasol, Spain  2-era NBA Champion following Los Angeles Lakers (2009 & 2010), Three period NBA All-Star, 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year, 2004 and 2009 Mr. Europa, 2006 FIBA World Championship MVP, 2008 and 2009 Euroscar and FIBA Europe Player of the Year, EuroBasket 2009 MVP, winner of the NBA Citizenship Award in 2012 (entered the NBA in 2001)
Andrei Kirilenko, Russia  EuroBasket 2007 MVP, 2007 FIBA Europe Player of the Year (drafted in 1999, played in the NBA from 2001 to 2011 past returning to Russia due to the lockout, returned in 2012 as a promoter of the Minnesota Timberwolves.)
Tony Parker, France  4-era NBA Champion later than the Spurs, 2007 NBA Finals MVP and 2007 Euroscar winner (entered the NBA in 2001)
Manu Ginbili, Argentina  4-mature NBA Champion as soon as San Antonio Spurs, 2008 Sixth Man Award winner, 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors, gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics following Argentina (drafted in 1999, entered the NBA in 2002)
Yao Ming, China  First choose in the 2002 NBA draft and 7-period NBA All-Star (played in the NBA from 2002 to 2011)
Leandro Barbosa, Brazil  NBA Champion when Golden State Warriors (2015), 2007 Sixth Man Award winner (entered the NBA in 2003)
Andrea Bargnani, Italy  First pick in the 2006 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors (entered the NBA in 2006)
On some occasions, teenager players, most but not every from the English-speaking world, have attended U.S. colleges in calm playing in the NBA. Notable examples are:
Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon (peak draft pick in 1984, 2-times champion, 12-time All-Star, 1994 MVP, 1994 and 1995 Finals MVP, 1994 and 1995 Defensive Player of the Year, lonely artiste to admit the MVP Award, Defensive Player of the Year Award, and Finals MVP recognition in the same season, and Hall of Famer)
Congolese Dikembe Mutombo (Four time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, chosen fourth overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1991 NBA Draft and 8-time NBA All-Star)
Dutchman Rik Smits (1988 second overall pick, 1998 NBA All-Star, played 12 years for the Indiana Pacers)
German Detlef Schrempf (Sixth Man Award winner in 1991 and 1992, 3-era All-Star)
Canadian Steve Nash (2005 and 2006 MVP)
Australians Luc Longley (3-mature champion in imitation of the Bulls in the 1990s) and Andrew Bogut, (peak draft choose in 2005).
Sudanese-born Englishman Luol Deng (2007 winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award)
Since 2006, the NBA has faced EuroLeague teams in exhibition matches in the NBA Europe Live Tour, and since 2009 in the EuroLeague American Tour.
The 201314 season opened when a scrap book 92 international players upon the foundation night rosters, representing 39 countries and comprising on peak of 20% of the league The NBA defines "international" players as those born outdoor the 50 United States and Washington, D.C. This means that:
Players born in U.S. possessions such as Puerto Rico and the U.S., Virgin Islands, most notably USVI original Tim Duncan, are counted as "international" even though they are U.S. citizens by birth, and may even have represented the U.S. in international competition (considering Duncan).
U.S.-born players are not counted as "international" though they were born taking into consideration citizenship in substitute country and represent that country internationally, such as Joakim Noah, and Kosta Koufos.

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