What Are the Oldest and Youngest Franchises in NBA History?

It’s been nearly 20 years since the NBA last added an expansion team.

It's a good moment to review the 30 active organisations' past as rumours about potential new franchises in Seattle, Las Vegas, and perhaps Mexico City are circulating.

What is the youngest NBA franchise?

With their 2002 NBA league entry, the New Orleans Pelicans are the NBA's youngest franchise. The team relocated from Charlotte to New Orleans that year, officially making the 2002 New Orleans Hornets an expansion franchise, before giving the 2004 Charlotte Bobcats expansion franchise their history back.

The Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors, two Canadian organisations, were expansion franchises in the NBA in 1995. In 2002, the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis.

A Few Years Later, the Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic were added in 1988, 1989, and 1990, respectively.

The Hornets played in Charlotte from 1988 to 2002, then rejoined the league as the Bobcats before returning to the Hornets name in 2014.

What are the Oldest NBA Franchise.?

As the oldest NBA team, the Sacramento Kings hold the title. The semi-professional Sacramento Kings were first known as the Rochester Seagrams and spent more than 20 years playing in New York before entering the National Basketball League in 1945 and the NBA in 1948. They have been known as the Sacramento Kings since 1985.

The only other team established before the NBA was established in 1946 is the Detroit Pistons.

From 1937 through 1941, the FortWayne-Pistons were a semi-pro outfit before competing in the NBL from 1942 to 1948. They moved to Detroit in 1957 after joining the NBA in 1949.

In 1946, the first five franchisees were established. The NBA's first season featured the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia Warriors, while the Chicago Blackhawks and Syracuse Nationals competed in the NBL until joining the NBA in 1949.

The Warriors ultimately relocated to San Francisco in 1962, and in 1971 they changed their name to the Golden State Warriors. In 1951, the Blackhawks relocated from Illinois to Milwaukee and adopted the name Hawks.

The Hawks had only four seasons in Milwaukee before leaving and playing from 1955 to 1968 in St. Louis before relocating to Atlanta.

The Nationals were based in Syracuse from 1949 until 1963, when they relocated to Philadelphia and changed their name to the 76ers.

The Minneapolis Lakers were established in 1947. Up until the Lakers moved west to Los Angeles in 1960 and brought their five championships with them, they played in Minnesota.

________

nbcwashington.com