The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the major professional basketball league in the world， with teams from the United States and Canada. With the addition of the Toronto Raptors and the ancouver Grizzlies prior to the 1995～ 1996 season， the NBA expanded①to 29 teams competing in two conferences， the Eastern and Western， in four separate divisions. Each team conducts a training camp in October to determine its 12-player roster. Training camp allows each team to evaluate players， especially rookies (first-year players)， to assess the team’s strengths and weaknesses， and to prepare players for the upcoming season through a series of on-court drills and practice of offensive and defensive strategy. After a series of exhibition games， the NBA begins its 82-game regular season in the first week of November.
In the second week of February， the NBA interrupts its season to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star game， featuring the game’s best players as selected by the general balloting of fans throughout the United States and Canada. After the NBA season concludes in the third week in April， a total of 16 teams qualify for the playoffs(8 teams from each conference). In each conference the two division winners are guaranteed a playoff spot. The remaining playoff spots in each conference are awarded on the basis of win-loss records to the six next-best teams， regardless of division. The playoffs start with the teams with better records playing the teams with worse records in a best-of-five series， in which the winner is the first team to win three games. In subsequent rounds best-of-seven series are played， with the first team to earn four victories winning the round. The playoffs continue in this elimination②scheme until a conference champion is crowned. The champions from the Eastern and Western conferences then meet in a best-of-seven series to determine the NBA champion.
Every June the league conducts its amateur③draft④， in which each team obtains the rights to the professional services of the best collegiate and international players. Any player who has graduated from high school and is at least 17 years old qualifies for the NBA draft if that player renounces intercollegiate eligibility. To determine the draft order the NBA uses a draft lottery， introduced in 1985. Those teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs the previous season are eligible for the lottery. The lottery determines the first three teams to select in the draft. The remaining teams draft according to their win-loss record of the previous season， so that teams with poorer records draft higher than those with better records. The NBA draft consists of only two rounds， with a total of 58 players chosen. Those players not selected in the draft can be invited to try out for a team and are sometimes signed to playing contracts.
The NBA’s official development league is the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The league was founded in 1946 and now features 12 teams playing in two conferences. Many players， coaches， executives⑤， and referees have honed their skills in the CBA before going on to NBA careers.
① expandv. 扩大，扩充，发展
② eliminationn. 淘汰
③ amateuradj. 外行的，不熟练的
④ draftn. (职业运动的)选拔制度
⑤ executiven. 执行者，行政官，高级官员
篮球运动员的殿堂
国家篮球协会(NBA)是世界上主要的职业篮球联盟，由美国和加拿大的球队组成。由于在1995～1996年赛季之前多伦多猛龙队和温哥华灰熊队的加入，NBA扩大到29支球队，比赛分东、西两个区各4个组举行。每支球队在10月份举办一个训练营以确定它的12名运动员名单。训练营允许每队评估运动员，特别是新手(第一年参赛运动员)；评价球队的优缺点；并通过一系列的场上训练以及攻防策略的实践，使运动员为即将到来的赛季作好准备。在一系列的表演赛之后，NBA于11月的第一周开始它82场比赛的常规赛季。
在2月的第2周，NBA中断赛季比赛，以便举行每年一度的NBA全明星比赛。该比赛的特点在于参赛运动员皆是由整个美国和加拿大球迷投票选出的最佳运动员。NBA常规赛季于4月的第3周结束。之后共有16支球队(每区各选出8支球队)有资格参加决赛。在每一个分会中，两个组区的第一名可稳操决赛的入场券。每个区的其余的决赛入场券则不分组别，根据球队的比赛成绩，给予其次的6支最好的球队。决赛先由成绩较好的球队与成绩较差的球队对阵，采取5局3胜制，先获得3场比赛胜利的球队出线。接下来的每轮比赛均采用7局4胜制，即先获得4场胜利的球队出线。这种淘汰制一直进行到决出分区的冠军。东、西分区的两支冠军队然后进行7局4胜制比赛，决出NBA的总冠军。
每年6月联盟进行其业余选秀。每支球队有权吸收大学和国际上最好的运动员为专业运动员。任何高中毕业年满17周岁的选手如果宣布放弃校际比赛资格即可参加NBA选秀。NBA采用1985年引入的抽签形式决定其选秀顺序。上个赛季未进入决赛的那些球队首先抽签选秀。由抽签决定哪3支球队首先选秀。其他球队按照前一赛季的比赛成绩决定先后，这样成绩较差的球队比成绩较好的球队先进行选秀。NBA选秀只有两轮，共有58名运动员供选。没有入选的选手可以接受邀请到某一球队试训，有时会与球队签约参赛。
NBA的官方开发联盟是大陆篮球协会(CBA)。该联盟于1946建立，现有12支球队，分为两个分会。很多运动员、教练、执行官和裁判在转入NBA职业比赛之前，已在CBA经过了磨练。
