The NBA is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world, with a global audience that stretches far beyond the United States. For newcomers, though, its structure can look confusing: Eastern and Western conferences, a play-in tournament, a salary cap with multiple “aprons” and a draft lottery that seems to reward losing.
This guide explains how the National Basketball Association is organised, how a season unfolds from October to June, and how a team ultimately wins the Larry O’Brien Trophy. If you are in the UK or elsewhere and want to follow the league with confidence, this is a good place to start.
What Is the NBA?
The National Basketball Association is the top professional men’s basketball league in North America. It was formed in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America and became the NBA after merging with the National Basketball League in 1949. Today, it consists of 30 teams: 29 in the United States and one in Canada, the Toronto Raptors.
The league is known for its star players, fast pace and global reach. It also runs the WNBA, the women’s league, and the NBA G League, its developmental league.
Teams, Conferences and Divisions
The 30 teams are split into two conferences, each with 15 teams.
The Eastern Conference
Divided into the Atlantic, Central and Southeast divisions, with five teams each. Notable franchises include the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Western Conference
Divided into the Northwest, Pacific and Southwest divisions. This includes the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Geography affects scheduling and travel, but divisions matter less than they once did. Playoff seeding is based on conference record rather than division titles, although division winners still receive banners and some tiebreaker advantages.
How the Regular Season Works
Each team plays 82 games: 41 at home and 41 away. Teams play opponents in their own division four times, other teams in their conference three or four times, and teams in the opposite conference twice.
The season usually starts in October and runs until mid-April. In February, there is an All-Star break featuring the All-Star Game, a showcase for the league’s best players that has seen format changes in recent years.
The NBA Cup
Since the 2023-24 season, the NBA has run an in-season tournament, now called the NBA Cup. Teams are placed into groups and play designated group games during the regular season, followed by a knockout stage and a final in Las Vegas. The group games count in the regular-season standings, while the knockout games do not. The champion earns prize money and a trophy, but not a place in the playoffs.
Playoff Qualification and the Play-In Tournament
At the end of the regular season, teams are ranked within their conference by win-loss record.
- Seeds 1-6: qualify directly for the playoffs.
- Seeds 7-10: compete in the play-in tournament for the last two playoff places.
How the Play-In Works
- The 7th seed hosts the 8th seed. The winner earns the 7th playoff seed.
- The 9th seed hosts the 10th seed. The loser is eliminated.
- The loser of the 7 vs 8 game hosts the winner of the 9 vs 10 game. The winner earns the 8th playoff seed.
The play-in was introduced to discourage tanking, where teams lose deliberately for better draft positions, and to keep more teams in contention late in the season. Fans generally find it exciting, though some players and coaches have mixed views about the added games.
The NBA Playoffs
Sixteen teams reach the playoffs, eight from each conference. The format is a standard knockout bracket:
| Round | Teams Remaining | Format |
|---|---|---|
| First Round | 16 | Best-of-seven |
| Conference Semifinals | 8 | Best-of-seven |
| Conference Finals | 4 | Best-of-seven |
| NBA Finals | 2 | Best-of-seven |
The first team to win four games advances. Higher seeds have home-court advantage, meaning they host more games, typically in a 2-2-1-1-1 pattern. In the Finals, home-court advantage is based on regular-season record, regardless of conference.
The long series format rewards consistency. A team can lose a single game due to a bad night, but over seven games, depth, strategy and star power tend to prevail. This is one reason upsets are less common in the NBA than in sports such as American football or football’s knockout cups.
The NBA Finals and the Championship Trophy
The winner of the Eastern Conference Finals plays the winner of the Western Conference Finals in the NBA Finals, usually held in June. The champion receives the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, while the Finals Most Valuable Player receives the Bill Russell Trophy.
Historically, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers dominate the all-time list, with the Celtics holding 18 championships after their 2024 title and the Lakers with 17. The Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2025 title after defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games. For the most recent champion, check the NBA’s official website.
The NBA Draft
Young players, mostly from US colleges and international leagues, enter the league through the NBA Draft, held in June. It has two rounds, with 30 picks in each, so 60 players in total.
The Lottery
The 14 teams that miss the playoffs enter the draft lottery. The lottery determines the top selections, using weighted odds that favour the worst records but do not guarantee the first pick. Rules were revised in 2019 to reduce the incentive to tank.
Teams that make the playoffs pick in reverse order of their records, so champions pick last.
Rookie Contracts
First-round picks sign rookie-scale contracts, with salaries determined by pick position. Teams usually have options to extend these deals, creating a cheap way to build a competitive roster. Second-round picks and undrafted players may sign other types of contracts, including two-way deals that let players split time between the NBA and the G League.
The Salary Cap and Roster Rules
The NBA uses a soft cap, meaning teams can exceed the cap in certain circumstances, such as re-signing their own players, using exceptions or making trades.
Luxury Tax and Aprons
Teams that spend above a set threshold pay a luxury tax. Under the 2023 collective bargaining agreement, two additional thresholds, known as the first and second aprons, introduced stricter restrictions on teams with high payrolls. These limit tools such as trade exceptions and sign-and-trade deals. Their purpose is to promote competitive balance, so that wealthy teams cannot easily stack rosters. Exact figures change every year with league revenue, so they should be checked on official league resources.
Roster Size
Teams carry 15 players on standard contracts, plus two-way players. Only 13 can be active on game day, with fewer in some situations.
Minimum Games for Awards
Players generally must appear in a set number of games, currently 65, to be eligible for major awards such as MVP, though there are exceptions in special circumstances.
How Players Move Between Teams
Free Agency
When a player’s contract ends, they can become a free agent and sign with any team, subject to cap rules. Free agency usually opens at the start of July.
Trades
Teams can trade players, draft picks and sometimes cash. Trades must satisfy salary-matching rules in many situations, which makes them complex. There is a trade deadline in February, after which trades are not allowed until the offseason.
Restricted vs Unrestricted Free Agents
A restricted free agent can receive offers from other teams, but their original club can match any offer. An unrestricted free agent has no such restriction and can move freely.
Understanding the Rules on the Court
The basics are straightforward:
- Each team has five players on court.
- Games consist of four 12-minute quarters (NBA basketball is longer than the 10-minute quarters used in FIBA competitions).
- A standard field goal is worth two points, and a shot from beyond the three-point line is worth three.
- Free throws are worth one point each.
- A shot clock gives teams 24 seconds to attempt a shot.
- Teams get a limited number of timeouts, with extra rules in the final minutes.
- Overtime lasts five minutes and repeats until there is a winner.
Fouls
Players are disqualified after six personal fouls. Teams also enter the “bonus” once they exceed a certain number of team fouls in a quarter, giving opponents free throws for any further fouls.
How the NBA Differs From European Football Leagues
For UK fans used to football, the NBA’s structure feels different in several ways:
| Feature | NBA | Premier League |
|---|---|---|
| Promotion/relegation | None | Yes |
| Season format | Regular season + playoffs | League only |
| Champion decided by | Playoff series | League points |
| Player acquisition | Draft | Transfer market |
| Salary cap | Yes | No (but profit rules) |
The draft and salary cap exist to maintain competitive balance, while the playoffs create a high-stakes finish that European football leagues do not have.
How to Watch the NBA From the UK
Broadcasting rights vary and change, so check current providers. In recent years, the NBA has been available to UK viewers through a mix of broadcasters and the league’s own NBA League Pass streaming service. Game times can be late at night in the UK due to the time difference, so many fans rely on highlights and replays.
The NBA also hosts occasional games in London as part of its international series, which have been popular with British audiences.
Recent Developments
The league has been evolving off the court. In 2025-26, a new media rights agreement with several major partners began, changing how games are distributed in the US. Discussions about expansion, with cities such as Seattle and Las Vegas frequently mentioned, have been widely reported, but it is best to treat any claims about expansion as unconfirmed unless the league announces them.
Conclusion
The NBA may look complicated at first, but its structure follows a logical pattern. Thirty teams play an 82-game season, the best qualify for the playoffs, a play-in decides the final spots, and four best-of-seven rounds determine the champion. Around that framework sit the draft, salary cap and trade rules, designed to keep the league competitive and unpredictable.
For new fans, the best approach is to pick a team, follow the storylines and learn the details gradually. Once you understand how the season, playoffs and roster rules fit together, every game, trade and playoff series makes a lot more sense.
