Earlier this month (August 3rd, to be exact) was the 61st anniversary of the NBA. So to celebrate that, here are some significant moments in NBA history from the month of August.
On Aug. 3rd, 1949, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the NBA. The BAA included the Boston Celtics, Minneapolis Lakers (later LA Lakers), New York Knicks, Philadelphia Warriors (later Golden State Warriors), and the Rochester Royals (later Sacramento Kings). The NBL included the Syracuse Nationals (later Philadelphia 76ers) and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (later Atlanta Hawks).
On Aug. 6th, 1962, the Philadelphia franchise’s name was changed from the Nationals to the 76ers. The name was the "76ers", after 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia.
On Aug. 8, 1992, the USA Olympic Men’s Basketball Team, featuring NBA stars for the first time, won the Gold Medal at the Barcelona Olympics and were known as the “Dream Team."
On Aug. 25th, 1965, Boston Celtic Bill Russell signed a contract as the NBA's highest paid player, making one dollar more than arch-rival Wilt Chamberlain.
So although August is usually one of the slowest times for the NBA during the year, some significant things have happened in the past. For more significant moments in NBA history, check out http://www.nba.com/history/this_date_august.html
