5 Interesting Things Every Fan Should Know About the NBA

The NBA is considered to be one of the most advanced and open sports professional leagues in the world. Adam Silver, president of the NBA, has plans to make the NBA even more popular over the next decade. Opening up new markets, developing a sporting business model that focuses on expansion are just some pieces of the big picture. Last year, the NBA had almost 100% more followers on social media and that’s saying a lot about this sport’s reputation. Here are 5 interesting things about NBA that you should know.

NBA Has a A Date of Birth

There are not many sports that have an official date of birth, but this one does. Basketball was born on December 15th, 1891. Gym teacher James Naismith wrote the rules for a new sport designed to keep football players in training during the winter. On December 21st, the first match of basketball history was played between two teams of nine players. The name of this new game was coined by one of James Naismith’s students, Frank Mahan, after the teacher refused to call it Naismithball. The sport became popular in the United States in a very short time, and started to spread immediately throughout the world. It is an Olympic sport from the 11th Olympiad – 1936 – which was held in Berlin – Germany.

The Chinese Champion and His Time in the NBA

Yao Ming, who became famous for his incredible height of 7 ft 6 in (229 cm), is one of the most iconic foreign players to ever play in the NBA. He is a Chinese, now retired, professional basketball player who played in the Chinese Basketball Association for Shanghai Sharks, and for the Houston Rockets in the NBA. He was selected to play for the Western Conference in the famous NBA All Star tages 8 times, and was part of the All-NBA Team 5 times.

Ming is one of the most distinguished basketball players of all time, and even though he didn’t won a championship with the Houston Rockets, his time in the NBA really had an impact on the popularity of the league.

NBA Revolves Around Betting and Fantasy Leagues

Online sports betting, fantasy sports and casino games have been rising increasingly in popularity over the last couple of years. So much so, that casinos are offering impressive welcome bonuses for new players that always come in handy when getting started with a new provider. And when we’re talking about sports betting, football and basketball sport leagues are the main reason why people enjoy placing bets.

Basketball is one of the most popular sports for betting. In the USA, basketball is second only to soccer, while in Europe it occupies the third position – right after soccer and tennis. There are over 1000 betting events during one season of the NBA. During a basketball game, there are number of ways to to score points, and this adds on the dynamiqueness of the match itself. These numerous ways to score points also reduce the randomness factor of the game. Therefore, it is more frequent that the strongest teams wins the match – but that doesn’t have to be the case all the time.

When we’re talking about NBA, there are a number of high-profile events that are popular for betting – especially as the season progresses. Bookmakers have special betting offers for playoffs, where you can bet on all kind of things. There are even NBA tools you can use to simulate the draft and check out mock drafts from experts around the globe. This can help you make better predictions and up your game.

NBA’s Chuck and the Converse All-Star Sneakers Line

If you like the famous Converse All-Star shoes, then you will have to thank the American basketball player Charles Hollis Taylor, called “Chuck”. He went to the production site of the very famous shoes to complain and give advice on some possible improvements. Converse willingly accepted his suggestions and created a pair of shoes specifically for him. He became then the first sportsman in history to have his own customized shoes.

Thanks to Chuck, this shoe becomes the very popular in the basketball world. His contribution is so remarkable that in 1932, the company decided to stamp his name on the shoe patch. For the 1936 Olympics, Chuck Taylor designed the new Converse All-Star. Completely white, it showed the colors of red and blue in the finishings as a tribute to the American flag. It became the official shoe of the Olympic games until 1968. The fortune of the Converse still grew, making them become the symbol of an entire generation. The All-Stars are most likely the most famous sneakers in the world and despite having countless models on the market, the classic designed by basketball champion Chuck Taylor in white or black remain a timeless cult.

Michael Jordan is not the All-Time-Best Points Scorer

There is no doubt about who is the most famous player in the history of basketball. Even those who do not follow this sport, know very well the name of Michael Jordan. For many, he is also the greatest scorer in the history of basketball, with a total of 32.292 points. But there’s a player who has scored more.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, will not be as famous as his colleague, but boasts a total of 38,387 points made between 1969 and 1989 – making him the highest points scorer in the history of the game. He was in general a controversial figure. Moreover, he did not speak to the press. Many basketball experts, in addition to Abdul-Jabbar himself, believe that his reticence, whether through disdain for the press or simply because of introversion, was the cause of the few NBA coaching opportunities.

So there you have it, 5 interesting points of discussion that focus around different aspects of the most popular basketball league in the world.