Basketball Rules Player Positions Basketball Strategy Basketball Glossary

Back to Sports
Back to Basketball

How many players are on an NBA team?

Each NBA team has fifteen players. Twelve players are considered part of the active roster and can dress out to play in a game. The other three are inactive or in reserve. Five players play per team at a time. There aren't any special positions by rule in the NBA. Positions are more through different roles played on the court as set up by the coach.

How many NBA teams are there?

There are currently 30 teams in the NBA. The league is divided up into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. The Eastern conference has three divisions called Atlantic, Central, and Southeast. The Western conference also has three divisions, which are the Northwest, Pacific, and Southwest. Each division has 5 teams.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic

• Boston Celtics
• New Jersey Nets
• New York Knicks
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Toronto Raptors

Central

• Chicago Bulls
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Detroit Pistons
• Indiana Pacers
• Milwaukee Bucks

Southeast

• Atlanta Hawks
• Charlotte Hornets
• Miami Heat
• Orlando Magic
• Washington Wizards

Western Conference

Northwest

• Denver Nuggets
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Portland Trail Blazers
• Utah Jazz

Pacific

• Golden State Warriors
• Los Angeles Clippers
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Phoenix Suns
• Sacramento Kings

Southwest

• Dallas Mavericks
• Houston Rockets
• Memphis Grizzlies
• New Orleans Pelicans
• San Antonio Spurs

Fun Facts about NBA Teams

• The most championships by an NBA team is 17 by the Boston Celtics (as of 2010).
• Los Angeles has two NBA teams and two NFL teams.
• The Chicago Bulls have won all 6 of the NBA championships they have played.
• The Lakers' teams with Magic Johnson were called "show time".
• The San Antonio Spurs have the best all time winning percentage followed by the Lakers and the Celtics (2021). Of the current teams, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Los Angeles Clippers have the worst records.
• The most points scored by a team in a game was 186 by the Detroit Pistons.
• The best record ever by a NBA team was 73-9 by the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors.

More Basketball Links:

Rules Basketball Rules Referee Signals Personal Fouls Foul Penalties Non-Foul Rule Violations The Clock and Timing Equipment Basketball Court	Positions Player Positions Point Guard Shooting Guard Small Forward Power Forward Center	Strategy Basketball Strategy Shooting Passing Rebounding Individual Defense Team Defense Offensive Plays
Drills/Other Individual Drills Team Drills Fun Basketball Games Statistics Basketball Glossary	Biographies Michael Jordan Kobe Bryant LeBron James Chris Paul Kevin Durant	Basketball Leagues National Basketball Association (NBA) List of NBA Teams College Basketball

Back to Basketball

Back to Sports