With 44 countries represented last season, the NBA has grown into the most diverse league in sports history.
In 1949, the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League merged to form a 17-team league known as the National Basketball Association. Sixty-seven years later, the NBA and its 30 franchises generated nearly $8B in annual revenue.
Between then and now, much has obviously changed—including the NBA outgrowing its very name. Despite its continued basis in the United States and Canada, the NBA has become increasingly international throughout the years. To date, an unparalleled 80 countries and territories have been represented on an NBA roster, while the league’s foreign viewership has skyrocketed.