| 1952–53 NBA season | |
| League: | National Basketball Association |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Duration: | October 31, 1952 – March 17, 1953 March 17 – April 2, 1953 (Playoffs) April 4–10, 1953 (Finals) |
| No Of Games: | 69-71 |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Draft: | Draft |
| Draft Link: | 1952 NBA draft |
| Top Pick Link: | List of first overall NBA draft picks |
| Picked By: | Baltimore Bullets |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Top Seed: | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Top Scorer: | Neil Johnston (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs: | Playoffs |
| Playoffs Link: | 1953 NBA playoffs |
| Conf1: | Eastern |
| Conf1 Link: | Eastern Division (NBA) |
| Conf1 Champ: | New York Knicks |
| Conf1 Runner-Up: | Boston Celtics |
| Conf2: | Western |
| Conf2 Link: | Western Division (NBA) |
| Conf2 Champ: | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Conf2 Runner-Up: | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Finals: | Finals |
| Finals Link: | 1953 NBA Finals |
| Finals Champ: | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Finals Runner-Up: | New York Knicks |
| Seasonslist: | List of NBA seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | NBA |
| Prevseason Link: | 1951–52 NBA season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1951–52 |
| Nextseason Link: | 1953–54 NBA season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1953–54 |
The 1952–53 NBA season was the seventh 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 1 in the NBA Finals.
| Team | 1951–52 coach | 1952–53 coach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Hawks | Doxie Moore | Andrew Levane | |
| In-season | |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach | |
| Baltimore Bullets | Chick Reiser | Clair Bee | |
| 1952-53 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 | Municipal Auditorium | 12,000 | |
| Syracuse Nationals | Syracuse, New York | Onondaga War Memorial | 6,230 | |
| Western | Fort Wayne Pistons | Fort Wayne, Indiana | War Memorial Coliseum | 10,000 |
| 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: 1953 NBA playoffs.
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 1,564 | ||
| Rebounds | 1,007 | ||
| Assists | 547 | ||
| FG% | Neil Johnston | Philadelphia Warriors | .452 |
| FT% | Boston Celtics | .850 | |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
Don Meineke, Fort Wayne Pistons