Top 6 Interesting Facts About National Basketball Association (NBA) You Probably Don’t Know About
Explore the top six most interesting and fascinating facts about the National Basketball Association (NBA) that you might not know about.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is often hailed as the pioneer of basketball. Established in 1946, the National Basketball Association (NBA) features a total of thirty teams segregated into Eastern and Western Conferences. Over the years, the NBA has introduced numerous prominent basketball players to the world, including Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and many others.
The action-packed games, thrilling rivalries, dynamic matches, clutch shots and stellar dunks attract millions of viewers throughout the globe, establishing the National Basketball Association (NBA) as one of the most popular and prominent basketball leagues on a global level.
While a majority of basketball aficionados are well aware of the rules and regulations of the National Basketball Association (NBA), they generally remain unaware of the interesting and fascinating facts that outline the rich historical past of the league.
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In this article we will take a look at the top six interesting and exciting facts about the National Basketball Association (NBA) that you probably have no idea about.
Top 6 Interesting Facts About NBA You Probably Don’t Know About
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Air Jordans were Banned in the NBA Games
One of the biggest shoe brands in the world, Nike manufactured their “Air Jordans” edition especially for National Basketball Association (NBA) players with the rookie and legendary NBA player Michael Air Jordan. The Air sneakers by Nike faced a lot of backlash and criticism and were ultimately banned in the NBA matches for their high-contrast red colour.
According to the rules and regulations of the NBA, basketball players are allowed to wear shoes that match with their team uniform. Although the “banned shoes” failed to make their impact on the basketball court, Nike continued promoting their Air Jordans edition as one of the most premium shoe segments under their brand name.
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A majority of NBA players Go Broke After a Span of Five Years
While the glitzy lifestyle of NBA players attracts an insane amount of attention from the fans throughout the world, only a few know about the ground reality of their lives. According to the financial reports and statistics, an average of 60 percent of NBA players go broke after a span of five years owing to their sky-scraping expenses.
From luxurious apartments to super cars, the NBA players spend a lot on levelling up their lifestyles, as a consequence of which most of them end up going bankrupt a few years down the line.
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Women’s National Basketball Association (NBA)
Although the National Basketball Association (NBA) was established in 1946, it was only in 1996 that women basketball players were included in the format to compete for the trophy. The revolutionary move to include women in the NBA league was acknowledged and appreciated by supporters throughout the world and was hailed to be a milestone in achieving and promoting gender equality in the sport.
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Christmas Eve & NBA Games
Although the National Basketball Association (NBA) has an illustrious history that spans over decades, only two games so far have been played on Christmas Eve in the past seventy-eight years.
As the world already knows, Christmas Eve is hailed as one of the biggest festivals in western countries and is commemorated by millions of people, including the NBA players and organising committees. Therefore, the roster of the National Basketball Association (NBA) league is designed with a specification to deliberately skip Christmas Eve while curating the match schedule.
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The Iconic Shaq vs Hakeem NBA Rivalry
Although the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has witnessed its share of thrilling rivalries, the tussle between Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon stands forth as one of the most fuming moments in the history of the NBA. In 1995, Hakeem Olajuwon managed to beat Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando Magic leaving the American professional basketball player frustrated.
Right after the defeat, Shaquille O’Neal openly challenged Hakeem Olajuwon for a one-on-one match, which generated a lot of controversy and speculation among NBA fans. While the basketball aficionados were thrilled to witness the spine-chilling face off between the two legendary players, the match never materialised on the basketball court.
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The Tallest and Shortest NBA Players
The Washington Bullets squad of the NBA league in 1987 created history by featuring the tallest and shortest NBA players in the same team.
Former American professional basketball player Muggsy Bogues with a height of 1.06m and former Sudanese-American professional basketball player and political activist Manute Bol with a height of 2.31 m played together for the Washington Bullets in 1987. The height difference of the two players that was largely assigned to the victory of the Washington Bullets squad garnered a lot of attention from NBA fans throughout the world.