First NBA Season

The 1949-50 National Basketball Association season was the first season under the NBA’s name. When looking at what is cited as “NBA history” the league and its records began during the 1946-47 season as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). This photograph was taken amidst the first NBA season and depicted a scene from a 79-73 game from 1950 (Jan 1, 1950 Box Score). 

The NBA referee in this image is sporting the league’s new logo and appears to be holding the player back as he makes a call. While not depicting the game itself, this image holds importance due to the fact it captures NBA history during a time when the NBA was without a broadcast deal (Fischer, 2024). This moment in history from the first NBA season is reduced to a still image, without the companion of film, but rather only lends itself to an oral retelling of its events. Since this game holds no major meaning in NBA history, the viewer is left to fill in the blanks with their own mind. A testament to the visual realities of the first NBA season and a piece that demonstrates how early basketball stories have been lost to time, this photo is a moment in the league’s long-lost early history.