The NBA at 75: From a very modest beginning, to a behemoth

By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer

It started in 1946 with 11 teams and 160 players. The shot clock was nearly a decade away, the 3-point line was a couple generations away. Buildings were smaller. So were the players. And it wasn’t even called the National Basketball Association. The NBA, 75 years ago, was different in almost every imaginable way. Over the coming months, The Associated Press will look back at what the league was on and off the court, how it became what it is and where it’ll be going over the next 25 years as it moves toward the century mark. The series will show how what was happening in the country seemed to mirror what was happening in the league, from the league’s path toward integration to its stance on social issues and race relations today.