Published December 26, 2022
The NBA Time Machine:
1963

The Bay
Room For Two?
After the ’62 season, investor Franklin Mieuli purchased majority shares of the Philadelphia Warriors and made the decision to relocate to California. He wanted to put a stop to the decline in fan attendance they received in their long-term home, which seemed ludicrous given the allure of Wilt Chamberlain. They settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, subsequently becoming the San Francisco Warriors.
They were the second team to be based in the The Golden State after the Los Angeles Lakers. Because of this extreme change of placement, they were moved to the NBA‘s Western Division – this was the first time a team had changed division since the Central Division was removed in 1951.
To maintain balance, the Ohio-based Cincinnati Royals switched places with the Warriors and made the Eastern Division their home. This put them in a competitive position, now head-to-head with the rising Syracuse Nationals and dynasty Boston Celtics.
Not everyone on the team was fond of the change – Paul Arizin took it as an opportunity to retire after a fruitful ten-year career, and Tom Gola insisted on being traded to the New York Knicks. This hurt the Warriors greatly, as they had now lost two perennial All-Stars. The offense was never more dependent on their former M.V.P., and their perimeter defense saw a laughable regression. Because of this, the franchise finished with a losing record for its first time since drafting Chamberlain.
Indecision
The Chicago Packers changed names to the Chicago Zephyrs and began playing in Chicago Coliseum. Due to sustained poor play during their inaugural year, they once again received good draft utilities and selected big man Bill McGill and eventual Rookie of the Year Terry Dischinger with two top ten picks.
Rookie Recognition
A new award was introduced – the All-Rookie Team. This was a parallel to the All-NBA Team, but exclusively for players in their first year – unlike All-NBA, it was not based on position whatsoever. This was the first newly implemented honor since the Most Valuable Player award in 1956.
Standout Players
Around the League
Team Standings
Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.