NBA history NBA timeline 39 moments from 1946 to today. Choose a decade, filter by theme and tap an entry for the story.
All eras 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
All League Rules Teams Players Championships
1946 The league begins League 1949 The NBA is born League 1950 The color barrier falls Players 1954 The 24-second shot clock Rules 1957 The first Celtics title Championships 1960 Chamberlain arrives Players 1962 The 100-point game Players 1966 Eight in a row Championships 1967 A rival league starts League 1970 Willis Reed limps out Championships 1976 The leagues merge League 1979 The three-point line arrives Rules 1980 Magic at center Players 1984 A new commissioner and a new star League 1985 The draft lottery Rules 1986 Jordan scores 63 Players 1991 The Bulls dynasty begins Championships 1992 The Dream Team League 1995 Expansion to Canada Teams 1996 72 wins Championships 1997 The WNBA tips off League 1999 A lockout shortens the season League 2002 A Lakers three-peat Championships 2003 A famous draft class Players 2004 The Pistons shock the Lakers Championships 2006 Kobe scores 81 Players 2008 Seattle moves to Oklahoma City Teams 2010 The Decision Players 2012 Brooklyn gets a team Teams 2013 Miami wins 27 straight Championships 2016 Back from 3-1 Championships 2019 Toronto wins it all Championships 2020 The bubble League 2021 Milwaukee after 50 years Championships 2023 LeBron passes Kareem Players 2024 Boston raises banner 18 Championships 2025 Oklahoma City wins it all Championships 2026 Adebayo scores 83 Players 2026 The Knicks return to the top Championships Record book → Take the quiz →