Sport Basketball Eastern runners-up New York Knicks Western runners-up Rochester Royals Start date 1948 Number of teams 12 | Eastern champions Washington Capitols Western champions Minneapolis Lakers Champion Los Angeles Lakers Number of games 60 Finals champion Los Angeles Lakers | |
League Basketball Association of America Top scorer George Mikan (Los Angeles Lakers) Similar 1946‑47 BAA season, 1965–66 NBA season, 1968–69 NBA season | ||
The 1948–49 BAA season was the third and final season of the Basketball Association of America. (Later that year the BAA and National Basketball League merged to create the National Basketball Association or NBA.) The postseason tournament at its conclusion, the 1949 BAA Playoffs, ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the BAA Championship, beating the Washington Capitols 4 games to 2 in the BAA Finals.
Contents
The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history, sometimes without comment, so BAA 1948–49 is sometimes considered the third NBA season.
Notable occurrences
Four National Basketball League teams (Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Rochester) joined the BAA for the 1948–49 season.
Statistics leaders
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.