Each year, many professional basketball prospects hope to get called up to the NBA through the draft. Since 1947, the NBA, which was called the Basketball Association of America (BAA) at that time, has held the draft where teams have added new players to their rosters.
During the NBA Draft, there are two rounds where players join one of the 30 teams in the NBA.
Test your NBA knowledge ahead of draft day with these 10 fun facts about the league.
The NBA Draft brings new players into the league. ( Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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- Celtics and Knicks are the only NBA teams that have never moved locations
- Air Jordans were, for a time, banned from the NBA
- The shortest and tallest NBA players were on the same team
- Providence, Rhode Island previously had an NBA team
- Jump balls used to be after every basket
- Three-point shooting wasn’t always in the NBA
- Shaquille O’Neal only scored a single three-point basket in his NBA career
- The longest NBA game in history was 78 minutes
- The highest scoring NBA game ever was 186-184
- The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have the most championships of any NBA team
1. Celtics and Knicks are the only NBA teams that have never moved locations
It takes a lot of teams some time to find their NBA home, except for the Celtics and the Knicks. The Celtics have always been in Boston and the Knicks have remained in New York.
2. Air Jordans were, for a time, banned from the NBA
Air Jordans have remained one of the most sought after basketball shoes around since Nike teamed up with Michael Jordan, a rookie at the time, to create the iconic sneaker.
The color of the shoe is what led to them being banned from the league since they went against uniform regulations. Michael Jordan wore the shoe with their release and was fined $5,000 for every game he wore them. He still wore the shoes and Nike paid the fines associated with the brand-new sneaker.
Air Jordans were created in a collaboration between Michael Jordan and Nike. (Focus on Sport via Getty Images)
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3. The shortest and tallest NBA players were on the same team
Muggsy Bogues holds the spot for the shortest NBA player in history with a height of 5’3. Bogues played 10 seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, but also played for the Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards, formerly known as the Washington Bullets during Bogues’ time. That was the team he played on with the tallest player in NBA history, Manute Bol who is 7’7. So, for just a short time, the historic shortest player and the tallest were on the same team.
4. Providence, Rhode Island previously had an NBA team
The Providence Steamrollers played just three seasons in the BAA, the league that was later named the NBA.
5. Jump balls used to be after every basket
A jump ball marks the start or the restart of play, but it used to be used a lot more.
In old basketball play, a jump ball occurred every time a basket was made.
6. Three-point shooting wasn’t always in the NBA
There were not always three-point shots in the NBA. It was 1979 when the three-point shot was introduced into the league.
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Shaquille O’Neal made one three-point shot in his NBA career. (Katherine Tyler/NBAE via Getty Images)
7. Shaquille O’Neal only scored a single three-point basket in his NBA career
Shaq only made one three-point basket in his NBA career. The scoring shot was in 1998 in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
8. The longest NBA game in history was 78 minutes
The longest game in NBA history was played by the Indianapolis Olympians and the Rochester Royals in 1951.
The game turned out to be a six-overtime game and was ultimately won by the Olympians, 75-73.
9. The highest scoring NBA game ever was 186-184
The highest scoring basketball game in history was a match between the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets in a Dec. 13, 1983 triple-overtime game.
The final score of the game was 186-184. The Pistons emerged victorious.
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The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers both hold 17 championship wins. (David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
10. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have the most championships of any NBA team
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics are tied for the most championships of any NBA team with 17 wins each.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are several teams who have never won an NBA championship title. These teams are the Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Denver Nuggets were also on that list until they won their first championship in 2023.
