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Introduction
The National Basketball Association also known as the NBA for short was founded in 1946 and has since then became one of the most famous and well respected sports leagues in the world. In the basketball world the NBA is the top of the line, the highest level league a player could dream to play in. This exhibit will show the evolution of the NBA throughout its history through key moments, and key artifacts that shaped the way the league is perceived in today’s time. -
Introduction Pt.2
All the way from rule changes to gaining superstars that will gain massive influence around the world that will help the league gain traction and fame. The purpose of this exhibit is to show the audience the way the NBA has changed overtime and how it became the powerful, famous league it is today with millions of people who watch games daily. -
Introduction Pt.3
To start the exhibit I will be presenting the very first NBA rulebook which was made in 1892, and is a reminder to how the NBA’s game was originally formatted. This rulebook laid the groundwork for how the game is played today, even though a lot of rules have been changed as time has progressed it is all still based upon the original rules created by Dr.James Naismith. I will then include the invention of the shot clock and how the shot clock affected the game of basketball and the NBA. -
Introduction Pt.4
It came in 1954 and was a huge event in the history of the NBA because it made the game more entertaining for people to watch as it made the game more sped up and faster rather than a team holding the ball for 3 minutes. Moving on from rules and 24 second shot clocks, I will be presenting Wilt Chamberlain's one hundred point game that he had in 1962, which is the highest number of points anyone in the NBA has ever scored in one game that is still upheld to this day. -
Introduction Pt.5
This is one of the greatest if not arguably the greatest performance by a player in a singular game and is important to the history of the NBA because it is famously known to every basketball fan, and every player is chasing to beat that record with the closest being 81 held by the late Kobe Bryant. Moving to the 1980’s where the Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson rivalry helped bring the NBA out of a slump they were currently in. -
Introduction Pt.6
This rivalry helped the league regain fan interest and helped spark new commercials and more revenue for the league, and this rivalry is huge for the history of the NBA because without those two and the next artifact I introduce the league could’ve possibly not have lasted. Their game worn jerseys help symbolize the rebirth and surgance of the league that it had in the 80’s. -
Introduction Pt.7
The 1990’s was a time of culture for the league and complete global dominance for the league, where it really established its spot in the world. Led by Micheal Jordan and his famous shoe, if not the most famous shoe to ever drop in the world, the Air Jordan 1 sneakers that dropped in 1985. This shoe broke barriers in the league and world as it became a huge culture shoe in the fashion world, a big performance shoe for players, and had crazy marketing upside. -
Introduction Pt.8
It had people thinking if they put on the shoe they could play and be like Micheal Jordan, this shoe helped change the history and fame of the league forever. The 1992 Dream Team signed basketball is important to the league because it shows the time when the NBA sent their best team to the Olympics to show their dominance against every other country and league and absolutely dominated every other team, solidifying their place at the top of the basketball world. -
Introduction Final
One of the most important significant changes in the modern impact is the 3 point shot and it was all started by Stephen Curry which changed the game of basketball forever and that is what his signature Under Armour shoe represents. I will then show a jersey of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s NBA Finals jersey, which will symbolize how foreign players are now such a big part of the NBA with stars like Giannis who are foreigners gaining fame and leading their teams to championships. -
First Official NBA Rulebook
This is the first NBA rulebook, created in 1892, Jan 15th, Dr.James Naismaith wrote the 13 rules of basketball. Even though this exact rulebook isn’t used to exact in today’s game, it is the groundwork for all of basketball rules. The creation of these rules made basketball and the NBA a more organized and less chaotic sport. -
First Official NBA Rulebook Pt.2
Some of the rules that were in there such as not being able to run with the ball without dribbling, and not throwing punches at the ball with your fist are still used in today’s game. Without this rulebook, there’s a possibility basketball and the NBA wouldn’t be as organized as it is today. -
Shot Clock was created
The twenty four second shot clock was introduced to the game of basketball and the NBA in 1954, by Daniel Biasone. The shot clock was introduced because Biasone wanted to speed the game up, and he knew it would make the game faster, and help encourage teams to take more shots. -
Shot Clock was created
According to “The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Danny Biasone,” before the shot clock teams averaged 79 points per game and after teams averaged 93 points per game, showing that the shot clock did work and made the game faster and more entertaining which helped in the popularity of the NBA, which is why it is so important to the history of it. -
100 point game
The famous 100 point game put on by Wilt Chamberlain is still the highest scoring amount a player has ever had in the NBA. On March 2nd 1962, he scored a 100 against the New York Knicks. While there is no footage out of the game, there is this stat sheet shown above where they logged all of his points. -
100 point game Pt.2
Some argue to this day that it didn’t happen because of no footage but as the facts, the record books, and the state sheets say it is real, and therefore is one of the greatest if not greatest single performance by a player in NBA history. -
Magic vs Bird Pt.2
This rivalry sparked more interest and viewers than before they were drafted. These two helped revitalize the NBA, and bring a spark back to the league, as they faced each other multiple times in the NBA Finals. These jerseys are important because they symbolize how these two players helped bring the league back into national spotlight and help grow it to what it is today. -
Magic vs Bird Rivalry
These jerseys worn by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, two of some of the finest players to play in the league, represents one of the biggest rivalries in sports history between two players. In college they battled against each other in the National Championship, and then Magic got drafted to the Lakers, and Bird to the Celtics, the two biggest markets and teams the league had and one of the best sports teams rivalry. -
Air Jordan One's
The Air Jordan One’s are one of the most iconic shoes in fashion and culture history. Nike released these shoes under their star athlete Micheal Jordan on April 1st 1985, and from there it became one of the most popular shoes in the world. This shoe changed performance on the court as shoes like converses were the standard before which were not the best shoes to run in for hours. It changed how athletes were marketed, now athletes have their own line and brand, instead of a company shoe. -
Air Jordan One's Pt.2
Jordan and Nike revolutionized the culture shoe game, as every kid wanted a pair because they looked cool and wanted to be Micheal Jordan. This brought immense attention to the NBA and Micheal Jordan and his shoes are known as a savior to the league and its ratings. Because of this shoe and Micheal Jordan the league profits and spotlight went up a crazy amount and helped it become as big as it is today. -
Dream Team Pt.2
The league created a team that consisted of the players mentioned plus Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, and Christian Laettner. They absolutely dominated the Olympics winning the Gold game by beating the opponents by an average of forty-four points. This ball is important because it symbolizes the time in 1992 that the USA and NBA solidified its position in the basketball world as the number one in the world. -
Dream Team Ball
This ball is signed by some of the best basketball players to ever come into the league, such as Micheal Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, etc. This 1992 Dream Team, was the first American Olympics team made up of NBA players, and before 1992 they just sent college players, and they started losing so the world was questioning if America still had the best players. -
The Stephen Curry Sneakers Pt.2
He holds the record for most threes in a season, and career. Stephen Curry is the reason so many teams shoot so many more threes nowadays, he popularized the three and had kids pulling up from half court wanting to be like him. The NBA has changed so much with teams taking more than fifty percent of their shots from the three in today's time, all because of him. -
The Stephen Curry Sneakers
The Stephen Curry sneakers first dropped in 2015 with the Under Armour brand, quickly blew up as Curry was rapidly becoming famous and influential in the basketball world around this time. His team the Golden State Warriors were making and winning championships, but that wasn’t why he was popular. It was because of his ability to shoot the basketball, he is referred to as the best shooter in not just NBA history but the best shooter to ever shoot a ball. -
Giannis Championship Jersey Pt.2
Now we have players like Jokic, Embiid, and Shai Gilgeous Alexander following in his footsteps. His championship jersey is important because it shows the path he begun for foreign players to chase their dream and come to the NBA and try to be the best player, and he has a lot of American fans as well, changing the game. -
Giannis Championship Jersey
One of the most recent news in the NBA, is the growth of foreign players coming to the league and dominating. It started with Giannis Antetokounmpo winning back to back Most Valuable Players, and leading his team to a championship in 2021. Giannis came from humble beginnings in Greece and found his way to the NBA, where he started a wave of a foreign player being the best player in the league. -