The ‘opening night’ for the new NBA season, the American basketball league, is scheduled for Tuesday, October 22. For an entire year, the best teams will compete for one of the most coveted prizes in basketball, with several individual awards also up for grabs. Read all about it in this article.
NBA
The National Basketball Association was founded in 1946 and is one of the most prestigious basketball leagues in the world, as well as one of the four major sports leagues in North America. The NBA also includes one Canadian team, the Toronto Raptors. The league is divided into two Conferences: the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference. These are further split into three Divisions of five teams each: the Atlantic, Central, and Southeast Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Northwest, Pacific, and Southwest Divisions in the Western Conference.
After the regular season, the top eight teams from each Conference—comprising the three division winners and the five best other teams—compete in the playoffs for the ultimate championship. Last year, the Boston Celtics secured the title. They will kick off the new season on Tuesday, October 22, against the New York Knicks, with the final scheduled for June 17, 2025.
Favorite Teams
It’s always interesting to keep an eye on the defending champions: this year, that’s the Boston Celtics. The Celtics dominated the Eastern Conference last season, and with their full squad returning, they are strong contenders once again. Last year, they had the best offense and the second-best defense, clearly showing their high quality. In total, they won 64 games in the regular season and finished 16-3 in the playoffs. While there are some concerns about Kristaps Porzingis’ health, the Celtics still boast a strong team with players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
On the other side of the U.S., the Oklahoma City Thunder won the Western Conference. They fought convincingly for the top spot but faltered in the playoffs, finishing in the Conference semifinals. However, their young team shows a lot of promise, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Oklahoma City Thunder claims the championship this year.
The Denver Nuggets are also aiming to return to the top of the NBA, though expectations come with some questions. After being eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in last year’s Conference Semifinals, the 2023 champions face the challenge of maintaining their status as contenders. Their core team, led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, remains the strongest foundation for their ambitions, but everything needs to go right.
The same goes for the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves, having been mentioned as the Nuggets’ opponent in the Conference Semifinals, may be poised to take a few steps further this year. However, for any of these teams to lift the trophy, everything must fall into place.
Key Players
Last year, Nikola Jokic was named MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the NBA season for the third time in four years by the NBA Awards, cementing his position as one of the biggest basketball stars today. Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets since 2014, and two years ago, the team became NBA champions for the first time. The Serbian star now joins an elite group of just 9 players who have won at least 3 MVP awards, including LeBron James (4), Michael Jordan (5), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6).
At the same awards, Rudy Gobert was named Defensive Player of the Year. The 31-year-old Gobert has won this award a total of four times, and last year, he averaged 12.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. His dominance was especially evident when teammate Anthony Edwards emerged as a strong guard. Gobert is the oldest player ever to win this award.
The award for Rookie of the Year, given to the NBA’s top newcomer, went to Victor Wembanyama. The Frenchman averaged 21.4 points per game, totaling more than 1,500 points, fulfilling expectations for his debut season. Notably, he received all the votes from the jury, making him the first unanimous winner since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015-2016.
As always, keep an eye on Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and has won four NBA championships. This year, Curry also became the first player to score 3,600 three-pointers in his career. A similar milestone can be noted for LeBron James: the Los Angeles Lakers star became the first player ever to score over 40,000 points.
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