A Timeline of Expansion, Contraction, Re-Location and Name Changes in the NBA

1946-47: 11 teams

The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was founded in 1946. The new league started out with eleven franchises;

Boston Celtics
Chicago Stags
Cleveland Rebels
Detroit Falcons
New York Knicks
Philadelphia Warriors
Pittsburgh Ironmen
Providence Steamrollers
St. Louis Bombers
Toronto Huskies
Washington Capitols

Of the original eleven, only the Celtics and Knicks didn’t later fold or re-locate.

1947-48: 8 teams

The following teams folded after the ’46-47 season;

Cleveland Rebels
Detroit Falcons
Pittsburgh Ironmen
Toronto Huskies

The league brought in one new team, the Baltimore Bullets. The Washington Wizards were once known as the Baltimore Bullets, but this was a different franchise with the same name.

1948-49: 12 teams

The league added four new teams;

Fort Wayne Pistons
Indianapolis Jets
Minneapolis Lakers
Rochester Royals

1949-50: 17 teams

Before this season, the BAA merged with the NBL (National Basketball League) to from the NBA, and seven new teams joined the leauge;

Anderson Packers
Denver Nuggets (different from the current Nuggets)
Indianapolis Olympians
Sheboygan Red Skins
Syracuse Nationals
Tri-Cities Blackhawks
Waterloo Hawks

Most of the NBL’s teams were located in relatively small Midwestern cities. Two teams also folded; the Indianapolis Jets and Providence Steamrollers.

1950-51: 11 teams

The following teams folded after the ’49-50 season;

Anderson Packers
Chicago Stags
Denver Nuggets
St. Louis Bombers
Sheboygan Red Skins
Waterloo Hawks

1951-52: 10 teams

The Washington Capitols folded.

The Tri-Cities Blackhawks left Moline, Illinois for Milwaukee and became the Milwaukee Hawks, and were the first NBA team to re-locate.

1953-54: 9 teams

The Indianapolis Olympians folded.

1954-55: 8 teams

The Baltimore Bullets folded early in the ’54-55 season. The Bullets won the 1948 BAA Championship, and are the only team that won a BAA/NBA Championship to later cease operations. They were the last NBA team to fold.

1955-56: 8 teams

The Milwaukee Hawks re-located to St. Louis.

1957-58: 8 teams

The Fort Wayne Pistons re-located to Detroit and the Rochester Royals re-located to Cincinnati.

1960-61: 8 teams

The Minneapolis Lakers re-located to Los Angeles.

1961-62: 9 teams

The Chicago Packers joined the league.

1962-63: 9 teams

The Philadelphia Warriors re-located to San Francisco and the Chicago Packers changed their name to the Zephyrs.

1963-64: 9 teams

The Chicago Zephyrs re-located to become the Baltimore Bullets and the Syracuse Nationals re-located to become the Philadelphia 76ers.

1966-67: 10 teams

The Chicago Bulls joined the league.

1967-68: 12 teams

The San Diego Rockets and Seattle SuperSonics joined the leauge.

1968-69: 14 teams

The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns joined the league and the St. Louis Hawks re-located to Atlanta.

1970-71: 17 teams

The Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers joined the league.

1971-72: 17 teams

The San Diego Rockets re-located to Houston. The San Francisco Warriors were re-named the Golden State Warriors, although this could also be considered a re-location as they moved across the bay from San Francisco to Oakland.

1972-73: 17 teams

The Cincinnati Royals re-located to become the Kansas City–Omaha Kings.

1973-74: 17 teams

The Baltimore Bullets re-located to suburban Washington, DC and were re-named the Capital Bullets.

1974-75: 18 teams

The New Orleans Jazz joined the league and the Capital Bullets were re-named the Washington Bullets.

1975-76: 18 teams

The Kansas City-Omaha Kings became the Kansas City Kings.

1976-77: 22 teams

This was the year the NBA merged with the ABA (American Basketball Association) and four new teams joined the league;

Denver Nuggets
Indiana Pacers
New York Nets
San Antonio Spurs

1977-78: 22 teams

The New York Nets re-located to New Jersey.

1978-79: 22 teams

The Buffalo Braves re-located to become the San Diego Clippers.

1979-80: 22 teams

The New Orleans Jazz re-located to Utah.

1980-81: 23 teams

The Dallas Mavericks joined the league.

1984-85: 23 teams

The San Diego Clippers re-located to Los Angeles.

1985-86: 23 teams

The Kansas City Kings re-located to Sacramento.

1988-89: 25 teams

The Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat joined the league.

1989-90: 27 teams

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic joined the leauge.

1995-96: 29 teams

The Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies joined the league, expanding the NBA into Canada for the first time since 1947, when it was still the BAA.

1997-98: 29 teams

The Washington Bullets were re-named the Wizards.

2001-02: 29 teams

The Vancouver Grizzlies re-located to Memphis.

2002-03: 29 teams

The Charlotte Hornets re-located to New Orleans.

2004-05: 30 teams

The Charlotte Bobcats joined the league.

2008-09: 30 teams

The Seattle SuperSonics re-located to become the Oklahoma City Thunder.

2012-13: 30 teams

The New Jersey Nets re-located to Brooklyn.

2013: 30 teams

The New Orleans Hornets were re-named the Pelicans.

2014-15: 30 teams

The Charlotte Bobcats were re-named the Hornets. All records of the original Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002) were transferred to the new Hornets, and the Bobcats and current Hornets are considered a continuation of the original Hornets. The history of the Pelicans now officially begins with the re-location of the original Hornets to New Orleans in 2002.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 3: Bill Sharman

#21 Bill Sharman, “Bullseye Bill,” Shooting Guard, 1951-1961

Born in Abilene, Texas in 1926, Bill Sharman re-located to Porterville, California by the time he was in high school. Sharman joined the US Navy after graduating in 1944, with World War II still raging. After serving, he attended the University of Southern California from 1946 to ‘50. In 1950, Sharman was First Team All-Conference for the second straight year and First Team All-American, and his number “11” has been retired by USC.

Sharman was picked 17^th overall in the 1950 NBA draft by the Washington Capitols. That year also marked the beginning of Sharman’s minor league baseball career, which lasted until 1955. In the end, he only played one season in Washington as the Capitols folded after his rookie year. He was then signed by the Fort Wayne (now Detroit) Pistons, who traded him to the Boston Celtics prior to the 1951-52 season.

Sharman was one of the best shooters of his generation, both from the field and especially from the free throw line, earning him the nickname “Bullseye Bill.” He led the league a record seven times in free throw percentage, including a record five times in a row from 1953 to ‘57.

With players like Bill Russell and Jim Loscutoff shoring up the defense on a team that already had excellent offense, the Celtics and Sharman won their first title in 1957 against the St. Louis Hawks. Sharman would win three more with the Celtics before he was done, against the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959 and the Hawks again in ‘60 and ‘61. The Celtics made the finals in 1958 as well, but lost to the Hawks.

Along with four titles, Sharman was named First Team All-NBA four straight years from 1956 to ‘59, All-NBA Second Team in 1953, ‘55 and ‘60, and was an All-Star eight straight years, from 1953 to ‘60. He currently sits at 11^th all time among Celtics players in points. Among his career highs are an astronomical 93% free throw percentage (an NBA record until the 1970s) in 1958-59 and 22.3 points per game in ‘57-58. He scored a career high 44 points in a December 1957 win against the New York Knicks. His number “21” was retired by the Boston Celtics in 1966. Sharman was further honored by being named to 25^th and 50^thAnniversary NBA All-Time Teams, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976.

In 1966, Sharman came back to the NBA as the coach of the San Francisco (now Golden State) Warriors. In his first season with the team, he made it to the NBA Finals but lost to a great Philadelphia 76ers team. The following year, which was his last with the Warriors, Sharman coached the Western Conference All-Star Team. After Leaving San Francisco, He became head coach of the American Basketball Association (ABA)’s Los Angeles Stars, who became the Utah Stars in 1970. He won a championship with them in 1971, before returning to the NBA to coach the Los Angles Lakers, who then featured Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich.

His first season with LA was among the greatest in NBA history, with the Lakers going 69 and 13, winning a record 33 games in a row and winning their first NBA Championship since leaving Minneapolis, against the New York Knicks. Sharman did it alongside assistant coach and former Celtics teammate, KC Jones. He won a well deserved Coach of the Year award for his efforts. Sharman left the Lakers following the 1975-76 season. Bill Sharman was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame yet again in 2004, this time as a coach. He died in October of 2013 one week after suffering a stroke at the age of 87.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 4: Frank Ramsey

#23 Frank Ramsey, “The Kentucky Colonel,” Shooting Guard, 1954-1964

Born in Corydon, Kentucky in 1931, Frank Ramsey attended the University of Kentucky from 1950 to ‘54, where he won an NCAA Championship and made Third Team All-American in 1951, and was Second Team All-American in 1952 and ‘54. His number “30” was retired by the school. He was drafted fifth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1953, but decided to remain at school another year and debuted in the NBA in 1954.

Ramsey then missed the entire 1955-56 season due to military service, but returned for 1956-57, which was Boston’s first championship season, with the Celtics beating the St. Louis Hawks in the finals. They would make the finals every year for the rest of his career, beating the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, the Hawks again in ‘60 and ‘61, the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63, and the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64. The Celtics made it to the finals in 1958 as well, but lost to the Hawks.

Ramsey currently sits at 16^th all time in points among Celtics players, despite generally coming into games off the bench, and is considered the NBA’s first “sixth man.” His career highs include 16.5 points per game in 1957-58. He scored a career high 38 points in a January 1962 loss to the New York Knicks. Ramsey also served as team co-captain in 1963-64, alongside Bill Russell. He retired in 1964, the winner of seven championships, and his number “23” was retired by the Celtics that year.

Ramsey had been Red Auerbach’s choice to replace him after his retirement as head coach in 1966, but he turned it down, wanting to return to Kentucky. This led to Bill Russell taking on the role of player-coach that year.

In 1970, Ramsey became the head coach of his home state Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association (ABA). Despite a 32 and 35 record under coach Ramsey, the Colonels did well enough to reach the 1971 ABA Finals against the Utah Stars, who were coached by his old Celtics teammate, Bill Sharman. The Colonels lost the series in seven games. Ramsey never went back to pro coaching after that season. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. Frank Ramsey died in July of 2018 at the age of 86.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 9: K.C. Jones

#25 K.C. Jones, Point Guard and Coach, 1958-1967, 1983-1988

Born in Taylor, Texas in 1932, K.C. Jones attended the University of San Francisco from 1952 to ‘56, winning two NCAA Championships on a squad that included his future Celtics teammate, Bill Russell. Along with two titles, Jones made Second Team All-American in 1956. The same year, Jones and Russell played for team USA at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, winning the Gold Medal. Jones was picked 13^th overall in the 1956 draft, acquired by the Boston Celtics the same day as Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn. Before joining the team in 1958, Jones tried out for the National Football League, but didn’t make the cut.

He was known for his tough defense and was part of an era of Celtics domination, with the team winning the NBA Championship eight times in his nine year career. They beat the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, the St. Louis Hawks in ‘60 and ‘61, the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63, the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64, and the Lakers again in ‘65 and ‘66. Only in 1967 were Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers able to stop the Celtics in the Division Finals. Along with Bill Russell and Sam Jones, K.C. was one of three Celtics to play in all of their consecutive championship runs of 1959 to ‘66. Along with Tom Sanders and John Havlicek, he’s one of only three players to play in eight Finals without losing any.

Jones currently sits at ninth all time among Celtics players in assists and 29^th in points. His career highs include 6.3 assists per game in 1965-66. He scored a career high of 22 points in two different games, first in a December 1962 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, then in a November 1965 win against the San Francisco Warriors. Jones retired as a player in 1967, and his number “25” was retired that year. He and Russell are among the only seven basketball players ever to win an NCAA Championship, an Olympic gold medal and an NBA Championship.

In the fall of 1967, Jones began coaching at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he stayed until 1970. He then became assistant coach at Harvard for the 1970-71 season, before moving on to the pros and becoming assistant coach of the Lakers, working under his old Celtics teammate, head coach Bill Sharman. The Lakers had an incredible season in ‘71-72; led by Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, they won 69 games, including a record 33 in a row, and won their first NBA Championship (against the New York Knicks) since leaving Minneapolis. Jones moved on to head coach the American Basketball Association (ABA)’s San Diego Conquistadors in 1972-73.

He came back to the NBA the next year to become head coach of the Washington Bullets from 1973 to ‘76. In 1975, Jones led the Bullets to the finals, beating the Celtics in the Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals, the Bullets faced the Golden State Warriors. With Al Attles coaching Golden State, it was the first Finals to feature two black head coaches. Unfortunately for Jones, the Bullets were swept in four games. Also in ‘75, Jones coached the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. After leaving the Bullets, Jones became the assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976-77, before things came full circle as he re-joined the Celtics as their assistant coach from 1978-79 to ‘82-83.

The team was in a bad way in his first season back despite the excellent play of young forward Cedric Maxwell, but the Celtics soon saw the arrival of three stars, with Larry Bird joining the team in 1979-80 and Robert Parish and Kevin McHale coming in ’80-81. The Celtics were champions again in 1981, beating the Houston Rockets in six games. After an embarrassing four game sweep by the Bucks in the second round of the ‘83 playoffs, Celtics head coach Bill Fitch was fired and K.C. Jones took his spot.

The ‘83-84 season was the beginning of an amazing run for K.C. and the Celtics, who beat the rival Lakers in seven games for their second championship of the decade. In the ‘85 finals, the Celtics lost a re-match with the Lakers in six. In 85-86, the Celtics fielded one of the best teams in their history. During the ‘85 off-season, Cedric Maxwell was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for veteran center Bill Walton, who had an excellent year coming off the bench for Robert Parish. Maxwell’s departure also allowed Kevin McHale to become the team’s starting power forward and shine as one of the league’s best low post scorers. They also acquired point guard Jerry Sichting from the Indiana Pacers, who was one of the league’s best shooters that year, hitting 57% from the field. The Celtics steamrolled the league, winning 67 games including 40 of 41 at home. They went on to win the NBA Finals in six games, again defeating the Houston Rockets.

Following that high point, the team experienced several serious setbacks. The first and most heart-breaking was the death of college superstar Len Bias two days after he was drafted second overall by Boston. Second, after a rare healthy year in ‘85-86, Bill Walton was injured and only played in ten regular season games in ’86-87. He was able to appear in twelve playoff games, but only for an average of 8.5 minutes. Third, Kevin McHale broke his foot in March of ‘87 but kept playing on it for the rest of the year. He played well but wasn’t 100 percent, and his decision to play affected the rest of his career. Had Len Bias made it to the NBA, McHale could’ve gotten much more rest. All things considered, the Celtics had a good run in ‘87, winning 59 games and finishing first in their division. In the end, they didn’t have the depth of the year before and again fell to the Lakers in the finals. In ‘87-88, the Celtics had another strong season with 57 wins, but lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Conference Finals in six games, missing the NBA Finals for the first time since 1983. Jones left the team following the season.

Other than Red Auerbach, K.C. Jones had the greatest tenure of any Celtics head coach. He won 308 games and lost just 102, a winning percentage of .751, higher than any other Boston coach, including Red himself. He took the team on four straight trips to the finals, winning two, and never falling short of the Conference Finals. He also coached the Eastern Conference All-Star Team an impressive four straight years, from 1984 to ‘87. In 1989, Jones became the assistant coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, and in 1990 was promoted to head coach, where he remained until 1992. In the ‘94-95 season he was assistant coach of the Detroit Pistons, and in ‘96-97 made one more trip back to Boston, reprising his role as assistant coach, working under his former player and then head coach, M. L. Carr. K.C. Jones was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1989, and it remains to be seen if he’ll make it there as a coach.