What is the NBA?
The National Basketball Association is the professional summit of world basketball — 30 franchises across the United States and Canada playing an 82-game season toward the playoffs and Finals. The 2026 champions are the New York Knicks, ending a 53-year drought behind Finals MVP Jalen Brunson with a five-game defeat of the San Antonio Spurs.[1] [2]
How does the NBA work?
A salary-capped league built on the draft — worst teams picking first — with rosters of 15 plus two-way G League contracts, an in-season NBA Cup since 2023, and a play-in tournament feeding sixteen playoff places. Nearly a third of its players are international, and the league's champions and MVPs now come from every continent; with FIBA, the NBA is developing a new NBA Europe league.[1] [3]
Since when does it exist?
Founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America, renamed the NBA after absorbing the NBL in 1949; the Celtics and Lakers share the record with 18 titles each, and the league's eras — Russell, Magic-Bird, Jordan, the international wave — track basketball's own history.[1] [4]
| Season | Pool / Format | Host cities |
|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | New York Knicks | Finals: 4–1 vs San Antonio Spurs — first title since 1973 |
| 2024–25 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Finals: 4–3 vs Indiana Pacers |
| 2023–24 | Boston Celtics | Finals: 4–1 vs Dallas Mavericks — record 18th title |
| 2022–23 | Denver Nuggets | Finals: 4–1 vs Miami Heat |
| 2021–22 | Golden State Warriors | Finals: 4–2 vs Boston Celtics |
| 2020–21 | Milwaukee Bucks | Finals: 4–2 vs Phoenix Suns |
| 2019–20 | Los Angeles Lakers | Finals: 4–2 vs Miami Heat (Orlando bubble) |
| 2018–19 | Toronto Raptors | Finals: 4–2 vs Golden State Warriors |
| 2017–18 | Golden State Warriors | Finals: 4–0 vs Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2016–17 | Golden State Warriors | Finals: 4–1 vs Cleveland Cavaliers |
NBA champions of the last ten seasons.
Why does the NBA matter?
It is the destination league of the sport everywhere on Earth — an NBA roster spot, draft selection or ten-day contract is basketball's defining professional credential, and its Finals are the game's biggest club stage.[1] [2]
References
- NBA — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- ESPN — New York Knicks win 2026 NBA Finals. Accessed August 2026.
- NBA — G League & league operations. Accessed August 2026.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — NBA. Accessed August 2026.