Imagine a world without buzzer-beaters, slam dunks, or the roar of a packed arena after a three-pointer. Hard to picture, right? Yet the NBA—now a global sports giant—had to start somewhere. So, when is the first NBA game, and what was it like before basketball became the spectacle we know today?
A League Is Born
The National Basketball Association didn’t actually begin as the NBA. Back in 1946, it was the Basketball Association of America (BAA), founded by owners of major sports arenas in the United States and Canada. Their idea was simple but bold: create a professional basketball league that could fill stadiums on nights when hockey or other events weren’t happening.
Three years later, in 1949, the BAA merged with its rival, the National Basketball League (NBL), and the NBA was officially born. But the very first game that started this journey took place while the league was still the BAA.
When Is The First NBA Game?
Mark your history books: November 1, 1946. That’s the day the first-ever NBA game (technically BAA at the time) tipped off.
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Location: Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada
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Matchup: Toronto Huskies vs. New York Knickerbockers (today’s Knicks)
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Final Score: New York 68, Toronto 66
Fun twist: tickets were offered for just 75 cents to $2.50—a far cry from the hundreds or even thousands fans might pay for big games today.
Surprising Facts About That First Game
Here are some fascinating nuggets you might not know:
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Attendance experiment: The promoters offered free admission to anyone taller than Toronto Huskies’ center George Nostrand (6 feet 8 inches). Imagine lining up to prove your height at the door!
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No three-pointers: The shot that would later revolutionize basketball didn’t exist yet. Scoring relied heavily on close shots and free throws.
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Different ball and court: The basketball itself was slightly larger, and games were played with much less flash—no high-flying dunks or halftime shows.
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Low scoring: 68–66 might sound like a low-scoring battle compared to today’s NBA shootouts, where teams often score well over 100.
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Forgotten heroes: The first points in NBA history were scored by Ossie Schectman of the Knicks—a name most casual fans have never heard.
How The Game Looked Back Then
The first NBA game was worlds apart from the modern spectacle:
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Shorter shorts, simpler uniforms—players wore plain, practical gear.
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Tiny crowds compared to today—only about 7,000 fans attended.
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Slow pace—teams passed the ball around deliberately, with a lot of mid-range shots.
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Limited media coverage—no instant replays, no global broadcasts. You either attended in person or read about it the next day in the paper.
It wasn’t glamorous, but it planted the seed for what would grow into a global cultural force.
The Road To Stardom
After that first game, the NBA slowly expanded and transformed:
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The league introduced the 24-second shot clock in 1954, which sped up play and made games more exciting.
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The ABA merger in 1976 brought flash, color, and the three-point line to the NBA.
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Stars like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James turned the league into an international phenomenon.
From one game in Toronto, basketball evolved into a worldwide spectacle watched by millions each season.
Why That First Game Still Matters
You could argue that November 1, 1946, was just another cold night in Toronto with a few thousand fans watching a basketball experiment. But it was much more than that. Without it, the NBA might not exist—or at least not in the form we know today.
That single night connected to everything from the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty to Steph Curry’s jaw-dropping three-pointers. The game showed that professional basketball could attract fans, setting the stage for the sport’s rise to global dominance.
Personal Insight
I’ll admit—I’ve always been a sucker for “origin stories.” There’s something grounding about knowing the NBA’s glitz and glamour started with a scrappy game in Canada where the big marketing gimmick was “free entry if you’re taller than the tallest player.” It makes the modern league feel even more impressive, like watching a seed grow into a forest.
Conclusion
So, when is the first NBA game? It was on November 1, 1946, when the Toronto Huskies faced the New York Knicks in a modest but historic matchup. From that night, a sports empire was born, shaping basketball culture across the globe.
Now I’m curious—if you could time travel to that very first game, would you go just to witness history, or would you be tempted to shout out some modern strategies to shock the 1946 crowd?