| 1946–47 BAA season | |
| League: | Basketball Association of America |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| No Of Games: | 60-61 |
| No Of Teams: | 11 |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Top Seed: | Washington Capitols |
| Top Scorer: | Joe Fulks (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs: | Playoffs |
| Playoffs Link: | 1947 BAA Playoffs |
| Conf1: | Eastern |
| Conf1 Link: | Eastern Division (NBA) |
| Conf1 Champ: | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Conf1 Runner-Up: | New York Knicks |
| Conf2: | Western |
| Conf2 Link: | Western Division (NBA) |
| Conf2 Champ: | Chicago Stags |
| Conf2 Runner-Up: | Washington Capitols |
| Finals: | Finals |
| Finals Link: | 1947 BAA Finals |
| Finals Champ: | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Chicago Stags |
| Seasonslist: | List of NBA seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | BAA/NBA |
| Nextseason Link: | 1947–48 BAA season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1947–48 |
The 1946–47 BAA season was the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America. The league launched with 11 teams playing a 60-game schedule. The postseason tournament (the 1947 BAA Playoffs) at its conclusion, ended with the Philadelphia Warriors becoming the first BAA Champion, beating the Chicago Stags 4 games to 1 in the BAA Finals.
Following its third, the 1948–49 season, the BAA and National Basketball League merged to create the National Basketball Association or NBA.[1] The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history, sometimes without comment,[2] so the 1946–47 BAA season is sometimes considered the first NBA season.
By 1951, only three original BAA teams were still in the NBA: the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Philadelphia Warriors (now in San Francisco as the Golden State Warriors). All members of the inaugural Western Division had folded by 1950, with three of them lasting one season (Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Cleveland Rebels). In addition, the Toronto Huskies also folded following the season, making a total of four teams folding before the BAA's second season.
| 1946-47 Basketball Association of America | ||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Arena Boston Garden | 5,000 13,909 |
| New York Knicks | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 18,496 | |
| Philadelphia Warriors | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Arena | 5,526 | |
| Providence Steamrollers | Providence, Rhode Island | Rhode Island Auditorium | 5,300 | |
| Toronto Huskies | Toronto, Ontario | Maple Leaf Gardens | 15,000 | |
| Washington Capitols | Washington, D.C. | Uline Arena | 8,000 | |
| Western | Chicago Stags | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Stadium | 17,000 |
| Cleveland Rebels | Cleveland, Ohio | Cleveland Arena | 11,000 | |
| Detroit Falcons | Detroit, Michigan | Detroit Olympia | 15,000 | |
| Pittsburgh Ironmen | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Duquesne Gardens | 6,500 | |
| St. Louis Bombers | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Arena | 15,000 | |
See main article: article and 1947 BAA playoffs. There were no byes. Western and Eastern champions Chicago and Washington immediately played a long semifinal series with Washington having home-court advantage. Chicago won the sixth game in Washington one day before Philadelphia concluded its two short series with other runners-up.[6]
| Category | Player | Team | Stat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 1,389 | |||
| Assists | 202 | |||
| FG% | .401 | |||
| FT% | Washington Capitols | .811 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.