National Basketball Association Eastern Conference

NBA Eastern Conference

The NBA Eastern Conference History is a storied one, and it dates back to when the National Basketball Association was first formed in 1946. The conference was created with the addition of teams from the disbanded Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League, which were two former rival organizations that were both formed in 1946.

The Ten Original Franchises 

At this point, the Eastern Conference consisted of teams from all throughout the eastern United States. There were ten original franchises, including three from Canada. These teams included the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Warriors (now Golden State Warriors), Chicago Stags (now Washington Wizards), New York Knicks, Toronto Huskies (dissolved after one season), Cleveland Rebels (dissolved one year later), Pittsburgh Ironmen (also dissolved after one season), Detroit Falcons (also dissolved after one season), Syracuse Nationals (became Philadelphia 76ers in 1963) and Washington Capitols (folded in 1951).

As time passed and more teams entered the league, divisions within conferences began to form. Initially, there were only two divisions: East Division and West Division. Eventually, as more teams joined and moved between conferences, three different divisions began forming: Atlantic Division, Central Division, and Southeast Division. This structure remains to this day as part of the current alignment for the Eastern Conference.

The Success of the Eastern Conference

Since then many of these franchises have had great success; some even have multiple championships under their belts! In its long history, there has been an abundance of legendary players who have played for or represented an Eastern Conference team such as Larry Bird with the Boston Celtics, Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, or LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers to name a few names out of many great ones. As well as Hall-of-Famers coaches like Phil Jackson who won five championships with Chicago Bulls or Pat Riley who brought four championships to Miami Heat over his tenure with them.

Indeed this part of basketball history has provided us with some amazing moments that no fan would ever forget! Furthermore, today’s fans can enjoy those same outstanding moments during games featuring today’s superstars such as Kevin Durant playing for the Brooklyn Nets or Giannis Antetokounmpo representing the Milwaukee Bucks as they strive for glory in pursuit of a championship title!