Basketball History
Essays on the defining eras, games, rivalries, and off-court moments in basketball's 130-year history.
2026 NBA Draft Lottery: AJ Dybantsa, the Wizards, and the Last Ping-Pong Ball Draw
The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery takes place on May 10 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN — the last year the NBA uses the current ping-pong ball system before …
History of the three-point line
The three-point line did not start in the NBA. A close history of the arc, the 1961 American Basketball League origin, the ABA's 25-foot ado…
How the 24-second shot clock saved the NBA
A close history of the 24-second shot clock. The Fort Wayne Pistons 19, Minneapolis Lakers 18 stall game on November 22, 1950, the lowest-sc…
Magic vs Bird: The Rivalry That Saved the NBA
From the 1979 NCAA championship game through three NBA Finals meetings in four seasons, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird produced the most impor…
The 1992 Dream Team: The Greatest Basketball Team Ever Assembled
The first Olympic basketball team permitted to include NBA players went 8–0, won gold by an average of 43.8 points a game, and became the mo…
The Decision: LeBron James and the 2010 Miami Move
On July 8, 2010, LeBron James announced on a live ESPN special, in 75 minutes of broadcast, that he was signing with the Miami Heat. The mos…
The Detroit Pistons' 2026 Playoff Run: From 14 Wins to the Conference Semis
Two years after winning 14 games — the worst record in the NBA — the Detroit Pistons are up 2-0 on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2026 Easte…
The illegal defense rule: history, death in 2001, and the modern defensive three-second violation
For 54 seasons the NBA banned zone defense through a rulebook construction called 'illegal defense.' The rule was introduced in amended form…
The Invention of Basketball: December 1891 in Springfield
James Naismith invented basketball in a Springfield, Massachusetts gymnasium in December 1891 after his supervisor, Luther Gulick, assigned …
The Thunder's 2026 Playoff Run: SGA, Chet Holmgren, and OKC's Next Dynasty
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2026 NBA Playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference, led by two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexand…