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The NBA will commemorate its 75th anniversary in the upcoming 2021-22 season. As part of the same, the NBA released a diamond logo to be used for the entire season on all merchandise and social media platforms. The league will also announce their 75 greatest players ever.
Founded in 1946, the NBA started as the Basketball Association of America or BAA. Three years later, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League to become the NBA.
Ahead of the NBA's 76th edition, here's a look at the ten oldest franchises in the league's history:
#10 Chicago Bulls (Founded in 1966)
The Chicago Bulls became an NBA franchise in 1966 when the city was granted entry by the league. The Bulls were the third team in Chicago following failed stints by the Chicago Stags and Chicago Packers/Zephyrs franchise now known as the Washington Wizards.
The Bulls never relocated and settled in Chicago for good. They had moderate success in the 1970s. Their fortunes changed in the 1980s when they drafted a guy named Michael Jordan.
Jordan became a superstar for the Chicago Bulls, and brought six NBA championships to the franchise. They won the titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
#9 Washington Wizards (Founded in 1961)
The Washington Wizards are one of the oldest teams in the NBA. The team was founded in 1961, and they were known back then as the Chicago Packers. The franchise moved to Baltimore before settling in the American capital in 1973.
After starting as the Packers, the team became the Zephyrs for a short period before becoming the Bullets in 1963. The team remained as the Bullets till 1997 when the owners decided that the name had violent overtones.
In their 61 seasons in the NBA, the Wizards have won one championship, doing so in 1978, thanks to the exploits of Hall of Famer Wes Unseld. The franchise also has four conference titles and eight division titles.
#8 LA Lakers (Founded in 1947)
Tied for the most NBA championships with the Boston Celtics at 17, the LA Lakers are also one of the oldest teams in the league. Even though the Lakers are famous for being in Hollywood, the franchise started as the Minneapolis Lakers in 1947.
The Lakers spent 13 seasons in Minneapolis before relocating to Los Angeles in 1960. Despite not having any famous natural lakes, the franchise decided to keep the name. The name Lakers has been synonymous with superstars and legends over the years.
Out of their 17 NBA championships, the Lakers won five of them in Minneapolis. The franchise has been called home by some of the biggest names in basketball history. That includes Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain, among others.
#7 to #3 Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers (All founded in 1946)
As mentioned earlier, the NBA was founded in 1946, and three of the original teams remain in the league. They are the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors. The Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers were also founded in 1946, but they joined the NBA in 1949.
The Celtics, Knicks and Warriors have combined to win 25 NBA championships. Boston have won 17, New York two and Golden State six. Meanwhile, the Hawks have one championship and the Sixers three.
Boston and New York have not changed names or relocated, while the Warriors started in Philadelphia. They relocated to San Francisco in 1962 before changing their name to Golden State nine years later.
The Hawks were founded in Buffalo and then moved to Moline, Milwaukee, and St. Louis before settling in Atlanta in 1968. Meanwhile, the Sixers were first known as the Syracuse Nationals before moving to Philadelphia in 1963.
#2 Detroit Pistons (Founded in 1941)
Believe it or not, the Detroit Pistons are older than the NBA. The Pistons were founded in 1937 as a semi-professional basketball team known as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons.
They joined the NBA in 1948 as the Fort Wayne Pistons before becoming the Detroit Pistons in 1957. The Pistons have won three NBA championships, doing so in 1989, 1990 and 2004. Before joining the NBA, the Pistons were two-time champions in the NBL.
#1 Sacramento Kings (founded in 1923)
The oldest franchise in the NBA is the Sacramento Kings. The Kings were founded in 1923, more than two decades before the NBA was formed. The franchise started as a semi-professional team called the Rochester Seagrams.
After 22 years since their foundation, the team joined the NBL as the Rochester Royals, and won the championship in their first season. They then became part of the NBA in 1948, and stayed in Rochester until 1957.
The franchise became the Cincinnati Royals and the Kansas City Royals in the next few decades. They became the Sacramento Kings in 1985, and stayed in the city despite a few attempts to relocate by some of their former owners.
Guess the Lakers players!
