It’s been nearly 20 years since the NBA last added an expansion team.
With rumors swirling about potential new franchises in Seattle, Las Vegas and even Mexico City, it’s a good time to look back at the history of the 30 active organizations.
Undoubtedly, the value of all NBA teams has ballooned in recent years. Prices will only increase when expansion arrives, as the league will funnel in more cash from sponsors, fans and media partners.
Here’s a look at the youngest and oldest NBA franchises:
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What is the youngest NBA franchise?
The New Orleans Pelicans are the youngest franchise in the NBA, having joined the league in 2002. The team moved from Charlotte to New Orleans that year and then gave the 2004 Charlotte Bobcats expansion franchise its history back, technically making the then-New Orleans Hornets an expansion franchise in 2002.
In 1995, two Canadian teams joined the NBA as expansion franchises: the Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors. The Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2002.
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Just a few years earlier, the NBA introduced four new teams over a two-year period. The Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets were added in 1988, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic in 1989. The Hornets played in Charlotte from 1988 to 2002, took two years off when the team moved to New Orleans, then rejoined the league as the Bobcats before returning to the Hornets name in 2014.
What is the oldest NBA franchise?
The Sacramento Kings wear the crown as the oldest NBA franchise. Founded in 1923 as the Rochester Seagrams, the semi-professional team played in New York for over 20 years before joining the National Basketball League in 1945 and NBA in 1948. They’ve played in a number of locations under a variety of names: the Rochester Seagrams, Rochester Pros, Rochester Royals, Cincinnati Royals, K.C.-Omaha Kings, Kansas City Kings and, since 1985, Sacramento Kings.
The Detroit Pistons are the only other franchise that was formed before the NBA was founded in 1946. Then the Fort Wayne Pistons, the team was semi-professional from 1937 to 1941 before playing in the NBL through 1948. They joined the NBA in 1949 and moved to Detroit in 1957.
Five current franchises were formed in 1946. The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Philadelphia Warriors were part of the NBA’s inaugural season, while the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and Syracuse Nationals played in the NBL before entering the NBA in 1949.
The Warriors eventually moved to San Francisco in 1962, then became the Golden State Warriors in 1971. The Blackhawks moved from Illinois to Milwaukee in 1951, changing their name to the Hawks. After just four seasons in Milwaukee, the Hawks moved to St. Louis from 1955 to 1968 before settling in Atlanta. Syracuse was home to the Nationals from 1949 through 1963, when the franchise moved to Philadelphia and became the 76ers.
The Minneapolis Lakers were founded in 1947, playing one season in the NBL and then entering the NBA. They played in Minnesota until 1960, when the Lakers moved west to Los Angeles and took their five championships with them.
