<P> The Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada . On November 1 , 1946 , in Toronto , Ontario , Canada , the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens , in a game the NBA now refers to as the first played game in NBA history . The first basket was made by Ossie Schectman of the Knickerbockers . Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues , including the American Basketball League and the NBL , the BAA was the first league to attempt to play primarily in large arenas in major cities . During its early years , the quality of play in the BAA was not significantly better than in competing leagues or among leading independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters . For instance , the 1948 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won that league 's 1948 title , and the 1948 NBL champion Minneapolis Lakers won the 1949 BAA title . Prior to the 1948 -- 49 season , however , NBL teams from Fort Wayne , Indianapolis , Minneapolis , and Rochester jumped to the BAA , which established the BAA as the league of choice for collegians looking to turn professional . </P>
who has the oldest team in the nba
New York Knickerbockers