Published January 4, 2023
The NBA Time Machine:
1964
New to Northeast
Baltimore, Philly
With the Warriors’ relocation to California, Philadelphia was devoid of an NBA team. Investors Irv Kosloff and Ike Richman saw this as a significant opportunity, opting to purchase the Syracuse Nationals and get them established in Philly. Syracuse had the smallest market of any team in the league, and clearly lacked sustainability for a professional basketball franchise – thus came the Philadelphia 76ers, who retained their history.
The Chicago Zephyrs also continued to struggle with their identity. Ownership eventually settled in Maryland and re-branded as the Baltimore Bullets, paying homage to the championship-winning franchise of the league’s infancy. This version of the Bullets was considered entirely separate and did not claim the 1948 trophy.
With these movements, all teams besides the San Francisco Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers were now based in their own independent state.
Walter Kennedy
For the first time in league history, the NBA saw a change in presidency. Maurice Podoloff had led the professional basketball hotspot since its conception, but his retirement led to the appointing of Walter Kennedy.
Kennedy was noticeably upfront and strict regarding behavioral issues – he fined Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach in a pre-season game for inappropriate conduct.
Don’t Forget the Coaches!
Coaches began to receive accolades for their leadership, with the new Coach of the Year award being integrated into the NBA. The inaugural winner was Alex Hannum of the San Francisco Warriors, who led the team to the first seed in the Western Division and a seventeen-win improvement.
Standout Players
Around the League
Team Standings
Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.