The NBA has existed for the past 75 years dating all the way back to 1946. Over these years, the game has constantly changed and evolved. Certain teams and players over these years have changed how the NBA has shaped itself in a variety of different ways. Today, I am here to talk about how the NBA has evolved since the start, and what certain players changed how the game is played today.
The NBA has been regarded as one of the most popular professional sports viewed by the public, bringing in about $7 billion in revenue for every season! Depending on the area and market of the team, some teams bring in more revenue than others. For example, the New York Knicks bring in more revenue than the Charlotte Hornets simply because New York has a larger market than Charlotte. But nonetheless, even small market teams like Portland and Oklahoma City attract a lot of fans. And fans come to the games simply for entertainment in seeing their favorite players perform.
Among some of the most popular and successful players over the history of the game include Bill Russel, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and so many more. And some of these players had such a big impact on the game, that their level of lay completely restructured how the game is played. One of the most dominant big men of all time, Wilt Chamberlain, absolutely dominated around the lane right below the basket. It became so easy for him to score there based on his 6’10 frame that the league had to increase the width and length of the lane just to make it harder for big players to score. The leagues also called a foul if a player would stay in the lane for more than 5 seconds at a time to make sure players moved a lot more. But as of recently, a player by the name of Steph Curry has completely revolutionized where players are taking shots. When Steph entered the league, he really only would attempt 3-point shots and was so consistent at making them that the league took notice quickly. In order for teams to compete, their players began to expand their range and attempt more 3-point shots every game to ensure that they could evenly compete. This ultimately;y lead to teams attempting over 50 3-point shots a night and increasing the value of final scores compared to the early years of the NBA.
Despite only players changing basketball, a lot of other factors influenced the change of the sport. The NBA is starting to attract a lot more international players based upon salary differences. These players are realizing that they have the opportunity to make a lot more money if they play basketball in the United States, which is encouraging more foreign players to enter into the NBA draft if they are eligible. The NBA implemented the lottery draft instead of just ordering the draft based on overall record. Teams are given more balls in the lottery if they had a worse record as the season concluded, making the worse teams have an easier chance of getting a high draft pick as opposed to the good teams. Although some people don’t really like this method, I find it very interesting being that it makes the draft picks less predictable which sparks more interest among the fans.
it was ultimately inevitable that the NBA would change over the years, but not this drastically. I honestly can’t tell if it’s for the better or the worse, but the game has definitely changed rapidly. I encourage you all to comment on your opinions on this matter, being that this topic can spark a lot of debate. I leave all my viewers with a few questions: Which players has impacted and changed the NBA the most? Do you like how the NBA is structured today? What changes would you make to today’s NBA?
Be sure to leave questions as I strongly encourage all my viewers to ask away. This topic has always interested me, and if you enjoy NBA content then I’m sure this topic has crossed your mind at least once. Be sure to like and subscribe and toon in tomorrow as I talk about next weekend’s NFL playoff matchups and what teams I believe will make the biggest impact in the playoffs. As always, have a wonderful day!
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