1946–47 BAA season
The 1946–47 BAA season was the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America. The league launched with 11 teams playing a 60-game schedule. The postseason tournament (the 1947 BAA Playoffs) at its conclusion, ended with the Philadelphia Warriors becoming the first BAA Champion, beating the Chicago Stags 4 games to 1 in the BAA Finals.
| 1946–47 BAA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Basketball Association of America |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration |
|
| Number of games | 60-61 |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Washington Capitols |
| Top scorer | Joe Fulks (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Eastern runners-up | New York Knicks |
| Western champions | Chicago Stags |
| Western runners-up | Washington Capitols |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Runners-up | Chicago Stags |
Following its third, the 1948–49 season, the BAA and National Basketball League merged to create the National Basketball Association or NBA. The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history, sometimes without comment, so the 1946–47 BAA season is sometimes considered the first NBA season.
By 1951, only three original BAA teams were still in the NBA: the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Philadelphia Warriors (now in San Francisco as the Golden State Warriors). All members of the inaugural Western Division had folded by 1950, with three of them lasting one season (Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Cleveland Rebels). In addition, the Toronto Huskies also folded following the season, making a total of four teams folding before the BAA's second season.