If it is August 3, 1949 that the official birth certificate of the Nbathe league is in fact the merger of the National Basketball League (NBL) created in 1937, and Basketball Association of America (BAA), created for its part in 1946. And if the best players were playing in the first, it was the second that set the frame.
“Mainly launched by ice hockey team owners who wanted to fill their rooms on the evenings without match, the league had less talented players than the NBL but the advantage of playing in big cities like New York, Philadelphia and Boston »» described the New York Times. And his first boss, Maurice Podoloff, was the president of “the American Hockey League”.
Ensure at least 90 minutes in the room for spectators
It was thus at the Commodore hotel (which has become the Hyatt Grand Central) then at the Roosevelt hotel, in New York, in June then October 1946, that Walter Brown (Boston), Al Sutphin (Cleveland), Arthur Morse (Chicago ), Richard Miller (Detroit), Ned Irish (New York), Peter Tyrell (Philadelphia), John McGreevey (Pittsburgh), Emory Jones (St. Louis), Harry Bolton and Ben Neuman (Toronto) and Michael Uline (Washington) have laid the foundations of the current NBA.
The minutes of the various meetings thus reflect the debates between these ice hockey promoters who embark on the basketball adventure, and who seek how to create a show that will fill their rooms.
The entry price to create a deductible is set at $ 1,000. With inflation, that is just over $ 16,000 at present. The average wages of players are set at $ 75 per regular season game (current $ 1,206) with 4 dollars (current dollars) to be able to eat on the go.
As for the duration of the matches, this is the second point in the second meeting, the founders of the BAA establishing that the matches would be played in four quarters of 12 minutes.
For what ? In its 13 original rulesJames Naismith had however explained that a match took place in two half-time of 15 minutes, with a five-minute break between them. But for Walter Brown and the other founders, it's far too short. It takes a format that ensures at least 90 minutes of show, while the four quarters allow spectators to have them for their money, while letting the basketball players catch their breath. Without forgetting that half-time allows everyone to go for a little tour at the refreshment bar …
Several votes, all won by the 48 -minute format
But in the minutes of this emerging BAA, we can see that the duration of the matches remains debated. As early as December 1946, there was a question of a “Long discussion” To find out if the quarters should not last 15 minutes. The proposal is finally rejected, in exchange for the promise to organize “double posters”.
In May 1947, the owners discovered this time to reduce the duration of the matches to 40 minutes, and thus reduce the size of the workforce from 12 to 9 players.
In June 1947, the nine owners passed to find out if the matches should last 40 or 48 minutes. The 48 -minute format wins by seven votes against two. A year later, while several franchises disappear and others arrive from NBL (before the merger the year after), a new vote is organized. Again, the format of the 48 minutes is essential, this time by ten votes against two. These are the Minneapolis Lakers and ROCHESTER ROYALSjust arrived from the competing league, which preferred the 40 -minute matches.
Subsequently, the format of the four-quarter of 12 minutes will be gradually engraved in marble, By being very rarely discussed. Especially because it allowed the NBA to stand out from the NCAA or FIBA basketball, with longer matches (and higher records …) and to consolidate its specificity.
Until today?
