The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. 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 club 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 relocating to Long Island, New York, 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, all of whom remain in the league to this day.
Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat since June 2009. Mourning played most of his 15-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career for the Heat.
Julius Winfield Erving II, commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player in that league when it merged into the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1975–1976 season.
Ernest Maurice "Kiki" VanDeWeghe III is a German-born American-Canadian former professional basketball player, coach and executive who is an advisor for the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, he was a two-time NBA All-Star.
The 1978 NBA draft was the 32nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1978, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York, before the 1978–79 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Indiana Pacers won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Kansas City Kings, who obtained the New Jersey Nets' first-round pick in a trade, were awarded the second pick. The Pacers then traded the first pick to the Portland Trail Blazers before the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. Before the draft, five college underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule. These players had applied and gave evidence of financial hardship to the league, which granted them the right to start earning their living by starting their professional careers earlier. Prior to the start of the season, the Buffalo Braves relocated to San Diego and became the San Diego Clippers. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 202 players.
Rory Darnell Sparrow is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the inaugural season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association. Several years after local developer and banker Jim Hewitt began promoting the idea of an NBA franchise in Florida, he was awarded the "Orlando Magic". The Magic, along with the Minnesota Timberwolves, joined the NBA as expansion teams in 1989. Hewitt's first move was to hire Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Pat Williams; together, the two convinced the NBA to give Orlando, Florida a franchise after local fans made $100 deposits on season-ticket reservations. The Magic revealed a new primary logo, which showed a silver star as the letter "A" in the team name "Magic", along with a blue basketball with silver shooting stars. The team also added new pinstripe uniforms, adding blue, black and silver to their color scheme.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Nets' 31st season in the National Basketball Association, and 22nd season in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Nets had the seventh overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and selected Tim Thomas out of Villanova University, but soon traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for top draft pick Keith Van Horn from the University of Utah, Lucious Harris, Michael Cage and Don MacLean, then signed free agent Sherman Douglas on the first day of the regular season, which began on October 31, 1997. The Nets had a new look as the team changed their primary logo, and added new uniforms adding dark navy to their color scheme. A youth movement began to pay off as the Nets won their first four games, and played above .500 for the entire season, holding a 27–21 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded David Benoit, Kevin Edwards and Yinka Dare to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Rony Seikaly and second-year forward Brian Evans. Despite a 7-game losing streak between February and March, the Nets made the playoffs by finishing third in the Atlantic Division with a 43–39 record.
The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time, and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The New Orleans Hornets, who had a 13.70 percent probability of obtaining the first selection, won the NBA draft lottery on May 30. The Charlotte Bobcats and the Washington Wizards were second and third, respectively. This draft marked the first time that the first two players selected were from the same school. It also set a record of having six players from one school (Kentucky) being selected in the two rounds of the draft and was the first draft to have the first three selections be college freshmen all from the same conference. Bernard James was the oldest player drafted in an NBA draft, being 27 years old at the time of the draft.
The 1990–91 NBA season was the Clippers' 21st season in the National Basketball Association, and their 7th season in Los Angeles. Finishing near the bottom of the NBA continued to leave the Clippers with high draft choices, selecting Bo Kimble out of Loyola Marymount with the 8th pick, and Loy Vaught from the University of Michigan with the 13th pick in the 1990 NBA draft. Through the first six weeks, the Clippers were sailing around .500. with a 10–10 record. However, they would struggle losing 12 of their next 13 games, as Ron Harper only played just 39 games due to a knee injury. At midseason, Benoit Benjamin was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Olden Polynice. Despite winning five straight games in late March, the Clippers finished sixth in the Pacific Division with a 31–51 record, topping 50 losses for the tenth consecutive season.
The 1993–94 NBA season was the Lakers' 46th season in the National Basketball Association, and 34th in the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers received the twelfth overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft, and selected George Lynch from the University of North Carolina, and also selected Nick Van Exel from the University of Cincinnati with the 37th overall pick. During the off-season, the team acquired Sam Bowie from the New Jersey Nets, and re-signed free agent and former Lakers forward Kurt Rambis. The Lakers continued to struggle as they lost 9 of their first 12 games, and held a 18–29 record at the All-Star break. Head coach Randy Pfund was fired after a 27–37 start, and was replaced with interim Bill Bertka for the next two games.
The 2014–15 Brooklyn Nets season was the franchise's 48th season, its 39th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its third season playing in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets finished the regular season with a 38–44 record, securing the eighth seed. In the playoffs, they met the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the First Round, losing in six games.
Bruce Brown Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected 42nd overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2018 NBA draft. He has also played for the Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers. In 2023, he was a key member of the Nuggets' championship team. Despite being undersized, Brown plays the small forward and both guard positions.
The 2018–19 Brooklyn Nets season was the 43rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), 52nd season overall, and its seventh season playing in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.
The 2019–20 Brooklyn Nets season was the 44th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), 53rd season overall, and its eighth season playing in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Six players from the 2018–19 team, including D'Angelo Russell, became free agents.
The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The NBA draft returned to Brooklyn after last year's draft was held through videoconferencing at ESPN Studios in Bristol, Connecticut due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the first overall pick, the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham. The NBA used a "ceremonial pick" for the late Terrence Clarke, between the 14th and 15th pick of the draft.
The 2020–21 Brooklyn Nets season was the 45th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), 54th season overall, and its ninth season playing in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. On September 3, 2020, the Nets hired Steve Nash as their new head coach.
The 2021–22 Brooklyn Nets season was the 46th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), 55th season overall, and its 10th season playing in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. On April 2, 2022, the Nets clinched a spot in the play-in tournament. On April 12, the Nets clinched a playoff spot after winning the play-in game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, they faced the Boston Celtics, losing the series 4–0. It was the second time in three seasons that the Nets were swept in the first round of the playoffs; in the 2020 playoffs, they were swept by the Toronto Raptors.
