NBA fans are always hungry to add a little knowledge about their fav sports. It wouldn’t be right if you don’t know much about a sport that you completely adore. How much do you know of NBA Doubleheader in its 75-year history? Now it’s time to add some little wisdom. I am sure you’ll learn interesting facts, and you’ll feel enlightened by the end of this article. Let’s go!
Did you know that the NBA became the first Basketball Association of America in 1946? And one team was named the Providence Steamrollers. It’s a squad that lasted for three seasons, with a cumulative record of 46-122.
First Basketball Team
Oh, if you thought the Raptors were Toronto’s first basketball team, you’re wrong. It’s an honor that belongs to Toronto Huskies, which were the first teams in the league. But going for 22-38, which put them out of the playoff, Huskies didn’t go for more than a season as Canada proved to be a better team.
Shortest man to play basketball
Muggsy Bogues standing at 5’3″, was a first-round pick and the smallest player to ever play in an NBA doubleheader. Bogues averaged 8.3 points and 6.6 assists in his four years at Wake Forest. In his 14 – year career since his 12th overall pick in the draft of 1987, Muggsy was a great defense threat and was a decent passer. He averaged 10-plus points three times.
Kentucky had the majority of players.
Yes, that’s right. On the premiere night for the 10th season, Kentucky had 29 players, one of the highest numbers. The schools that followed were Duke (24 players), Texas (11), North Carolina (11), UCLA (10), Washington (9). Michigan (9), and Villanova (9).
Fourteen groups of fans
There are only fourteen groups with fan participation. And the two of the most significant ones are the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets. Then the four that follow are the Cleveland, Houston Rockets, and Indiana Pacers.
Finally, in the last batch, we have Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz, giving their fans a diminished limit.
Crazy crowning
On the last day of the NBA Doubleheader’s regular season of 1977-78, the NBA scoring title got settled weirdly. David Thompson from Denver scored 73 points which warranted him for a crown. It was George Gervin who got it after scoring 63 points, 10 points less.
Two teams participated in 10 NBA finals.
In the 1980 10 NBA finals, the two participants that never missed were either Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtic. When they faced each other in 1984/85/87/. It was the Lakers that took the crown.
Wilt Chamberlain’s scores were off the charts in the 1961/62 season, and he was averaging 50.4 points over 80 games. However, his average minutes per game was over 48 minutes. This oddity was because the Philadelphia Warriors, his team, had a total play of nine overtime periods.
Why NBA Doubleheader?
Doubleheaders are not as common as in baseball. But before 1960 onwards, the NBA started playing two games in a night, while one game, including two groups, would play on a neutral court.
In the early year of 1973, CBS took the NBA doubleheader coverage. Most people didn’t know who the broadcaster was until the beginning of the week. And that turned out to be a significant thing.
The Celtics got crowned a title in the ’80s for the final MVP
I know this is a shocking fact; it turns out that Celtic got the 1981 Finals MVP Award, and neither Bird nor Paris was MVP finals. Cedric Maxwell is the one who took it after playing some courses of 3,4, and 5 games, scoring 71 points. He gave a valuable impact while outside Boston’s Big Three. That includes Lady Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale.
10-Game Win and Lose in One season
The Phoenix Suns had an interesting experience in 1996/97. When they lost 13 games in the NBA doubleheader opening season. They got Maverick’s Jason Kidd to play for them but got injured in his first game. However, he came back with a charm running to the playoffs. And that gave the team a 10-game winning streak. That’s how the Suns emerged as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
Knick’s miracles come back.
And back in 1969, November, the New York Knicks extended a series of wins to 18 games. And this happened after a supernatural rebound over the Cincinnati Royals. While trailing 105-100 with only 27 seconds left, a turnaround came over some free throws. And the two back-to-back takes at NBA doubleheader, which is a point that led to their victory as they dominated the match.
Most famous numbers in the NBA.
The most conventional pullover numbers are the Nos. 3 and 8, each worn by 21 players. At least 20 players wore the famous No. 1, and No. 0 had 18 players, Nos. 5 and 11 17 players, and Nos. 4, 9, 10, and 22, worn by 16 players.
The three NBA players that generally are capable of giving a remarkable show include Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James, Portland’s Carmelo, and Haslem. All the three are in their seventeenth season.
Kobe Bryant Wasn’t a Top-10 Pick.
Bryant was the 13th pick when he was in high school, and the guys in front of him were as follows; Lorenzen Wright, Samaki Walker, Kerry Kittles, Erick Dampier, Vitaly Potapenko, and Todd Fuller. Can you now see how screwed up that selection was? I wonder how the GMs explained that?
In Conclusion, these general NBA doubleheader facts may seem like common knowledge. Right? But try asking a few NBA fans if LeBron James was the first favorite high school prospect to play in the NBA? Most of them will say yes. It is Moses Malone, a center/forward, who ended up with a great career despite not playing any college ball after spending 19 years in the league.