The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Barclays Center. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the New York Knicks. The team was established in 1967 as a charter franchise of the NBA's rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans during their first season, before moving to Long Island in 1968 and changing their name to the New York Nets. During this time, the Nets won two ABA championships. In 1976, the ABA merged with the NBA, and the Nets were absorbed into the NBA along with three other ABA teams.
Paul Douglas Westphal is an American retired basketball player and a former head coach with several National Basketball Association (NBA) and college teams. Westphal has had a storied career in the NBA, both as a player and as a coach. As a player, he won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in the 1974 NBA Finals. In addition to being a five-time All-Star selection, from 1977 to 1981, Westphal earned three All-NBA First Team selections and one Second Team honor. Later, he returned to the Finals in 1993 as head coach of the Phoenix Suns. He was also head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics and the Sacramento Kings. He returned to his home state of California when he was the men's basketball head coach at Pepperdine University from 2001 to 2006.
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach was an American basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and the Boston Celtics. After he retired from coaching, he served as president and front office executive of the Celtics until his death. As a coach, he won 938 games and nine National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in ten seasons. As general manager and team president of the Celtics, he won an additional seven NBA titles, for a grand total of 16 in a span of 29 years, making him one of the most successful team officials in the history of North American professional sports.
Daniel Ray Ainge is an American basketball executive and former professional basketball and baseball player. Ainge is currently the general manager and President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The American Basketball League (ABL) was an early professional basketball league. During six seasons from 1925–26 to 1930–31, the ABL was the first attempt to create a major professional basketball league in the United States. Joseph Carr, who was, in 1925, the president of the recently founded, three year old National Football League, organized the ABL from nine of the best independent pro teams from the East and the Midwest. George Halas of the NFL Chicago Bears was the owner of the Chicago Bruins, and department store magnate Max Rosenblum, a part owner of the NFL's Cleveland Bulldogs, financed the Cleveland Rosenblums. Future NFL owner George Preston Marshall, the owner of a chain of laundries, was owner of the Washington Palace Five. Other teams were the Boston Whirlwinds, Brooklyn Arcadians, Buffalo Bisons, Detroit Pulaski Post Five, Fort Wayne Caseys, and Rochester Centrals. With the exception of 1927–28, the ABL season was divided into two halves, with the winner of the first half playing the winner of the second half for the championship. Five games into the 1926–27 season, the Original Celtics were admitted to replace the Brooklyn franchise, and won 32 of the remaining 37 games, then shifted to New York the following season.
Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American former professional basketball player who played for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Known for his intensity, defensive ability, and versatility, Garnett is considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time. He is one of four NBA players to win both the Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the Year awards. In high school, Garnett was a 1995 McDonald's All-American at Farragut Career Academy and won a national player of the year award. He entered the 1995 NBA draft, where he was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves and became the first NBA player drafted directly out of high school in 20 years.
The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional American basketball team. At various times in their existence, the team played in the American Basketball League, the Eastern Basketball League and the Metropolitan Basketball League. The team has no relation to the modern Boston Celtics. The franchise as a whole was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959.
Paul Anthony Pierce, nicknamed "The Truth", is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Henry G. "Dutch" Dehnert was an American basketball player whose career lasted from 1915 to 1935.
Elmer H. Ripley was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball at seven different schools and for several professional teams.
John "Honey" Russell was an American basketball player and coach born in Brooklyn, New York. He turned professional after his sophomore year of high school, and for the next 28 years he played for numerous early 20th century pro teams, including many in the American Basketball League. His career included over 3,200 pro games. He was the first coach of the NBA's Boston Celtics (1946–1948).
Barney Sedran was an American professional basketball player in the 1910s and 1920s who is in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Atlantic Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division consists of five teams, the Boston Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors. All teams, except the Raptors, are located on the East Coast of the United States. However, Toronto sports teams have over the years enjoyed rivalries with teams in the Northeastern United States.
John J. O'Brien was an American basketball referee and administrator. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was involved in organizing several early professional basketball leagues. In 1925, he founded Metropolitan Basketball League, which featured Original Celtics. From 1928 to 1953 he was an executive with American Basketball League, serving as president and, later, as chairman of the board. He was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 1961.
The history of basketball began with its invention in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith as a less injury-prone sport than football. The game became established fairly quickly and grew very popular as the 20th century progressed, first in America and then throughout the world. After basketball became established in American colleges, the professional game followed. The American National Basketball Association (NBA), established in 1946, grew to a multibillion-dollar enterprise by the end of the century, and basketball became an integral part of American culture.
Tyler Paul Zeller is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the nephew of former NBA player Al Eberhard, and the brother of fellow NBA players Cody Zeller and Luke Zeller.
Jack "Dutch" Garfinkel was an American basketball player.
Kenneth Neil Atkinson is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the Director of Player Development for the Houston Rockets in 2007–08. Born in Huntington, New York, Atkinson played college basketball for University of Richmond, where he led the Spiders to a Sweet Sixteen berth in 1988.
The 2014–15 Brooklyn Nets season was the franchise's 48th season, its 39th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its 3rd season playing in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets finished the regular season with a 38–44 record, securing the 8th seed. In the playoffs, the met the top seeded Atlanta Hawks in the First Round, losing in six games. This would be the most recent playoff berth for the Brooklyn Nets as of the 2017–18 season.
