| 1951–52 NBA season | |
| League: | National Basketball Association |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Duration: | November 1, 1951 – March 16, 1952 March 18 – April 8, 1952 (Playoffs) April 12–25, 1952 (Finals) |
| No Of Games: | 66 |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Draft: | Draft |
| Draft Link: | 1951 NBA draft |
| Top Pick Link: | List of first overall NBA draft picks |
| Picked By: | Baltimore Bullets |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Top Seed: | Rochester Royals |
| Top Scorer: | Paul Arizin (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs: | Playoffs |
| Playoffs Link: | 1952 NBA playoffs |
| Conf1: | Eastern |
| Conf1 Link: | Eastern Division (NBA) |
| Conf1 Champ: | New York Knicks |
| Conf1 Runner-Up: | Syracuse Nationals |
| Conf2: | Western |
| Conf2 Link: | Western Division (NBA) |
| Conf2 Champ: | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Conf2 Runner-Up: | Rochester Royals |
| Finals: | Finals |
| Finals Link: | 1952 NBA Finals |
| Finals Champ: | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Finals Runner-Up: | New York Knicks |
| Seasonslist: | List of NBA seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | NBA |
| Prevseason Link: | 1950–51 NBA season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1950–51 |
| Nextseason Link: | 1952–53 NBA season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1952–53 |
The 1951–52 NBA season was the sixth season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
| Team | 1950–51 coach | 1951–52 coach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Bullets | Walt Budko | Fred Scolari | |
| Fort Wayne Pistons | Murray Mendenhall | Paul Birch | |
| Indianapolis Olympians | Wally Jones | Herm Schaefer | |
| In-season | |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach | |
| Baltimore Bullets | Fred Scolari | Chick Reiser | |
| 1951-52 National Basketball Association | ||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Baltimore Bullets | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Coliseum | 4,500 |
| Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 13,909 | |
| New York Knicks | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 18,496 | |
| Philadelphia Warriors | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Arena | 7,000 | |
| Syracuse Nationals | Syracuse, New York | Onondaga War Memorial | 6,230 | |
| Western | Fort Wayne Pistons | Fort Wayne, Indiana | North Side High School Gym | 3,000 |
| Indianapolis Olympians | Indianapolis, Indiana | Hinkle Fieldhouse | 15,000 | |
| Milwaukee Hawks | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Milwaukee Arena | 10,783 | |
| Minneapolis Lakers | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Minneapolis Auditorium | 10,000 | |
| Rochester Royals | Rochester, New York | Edgerton Park Arena | 4,200 | |
x – Clinched playoff spot
See main article: 1952 NBA playoffs.
| Category | Player | Team | Stat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 1,674 | |||
| Rebounds | 880 | |||
| Assists | Philadelphia Warriors | 539 | ||
| FG% | Paul Arizin | Philadelphia Warriors | .448 | |
| FT% | .904 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.