3,344 articles
NBA Finals
NBA Finals: annual best-of-seven NBA championship series since 1947 (first won by Philadelphia Warriors over Chicago Stags). 2-2-1-1-1 format since 2014; Celtics and Lakers lead with 17 titles each; Knicks won 2026.
NBA G League
NBA G League: the NBA's official minor league, founded 2001 as the NBDL, renamed 2017 with Gatorade. 31 teams, 30 NBA affiliates, two-way contracts, call-ups, and rule testing.
NBA G League Ignite
NBA G League Ignite, the G League's owned-and-operated developmental team for elite NBA Draft prospects, launched April 2020, based in Henderson, Nevada; produced 13 draft picks including Jalen Green and Scoot Henderson before ending in March 2024 amid NIL changes.
NBA high school draftees
NBA high school draftees are basketball players drafted directly out of high school, from Reggie Harding in 1962 to a 1995–2005 wave including Garnett, Kobe, and LeBron.
NBA in-season tournament
NBA in-season tournament, also called the Emirates NBA Cup, is the NBA's annual mid-regular-season competition: 30 teams in conference group play, then an eight-team single-elimination knockout for the NBA Cup, with $500,000 per champion player; Lakers, Bucks, and Knicks have won.
NBA Jam
NBA Jam is Midway's 1993 two-on-two arcade basketball game, the first licensed sports coin-op, created by Mark Turmell. It grossed about $1 billion, omitted Michael Jordan over likeness rights, and EA last released a series game in 2011.
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
NBA Most Valuable Player Award (Michael Jordan Trophy), annual regular-season honor since 1955-56; first won by Bob Pettit; voted by 100 media members on a 10-7-5-3-1 ballot; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won a record six; eight straight international winners through Gilgeous-Alexander.
NBA playoffs
NBA playoffs: the league's 16-team, eight-per-conference postseason, all best-of-seven series in 2-2-1-1-1 format, with a Play-In Tournament (since 2020, full-time since 2022) deciding the 7th and 8th seeds; 2026 champion New York Knicks.
NBA salary cap
NBA salary cap: soft cap on team player payroll, set at $164.961 million for 2026-27, derived from Basketball Related Income, with luxury tax ($200.428M) and first/second apron spending limits under the 2023 CBA.
NBA Summer League
NBA Summer League: annual July off-season tournament, main event in Las Vegas (UNLV Thomas & Mack Center), all 30 teams, 76 games, modified rules, used to evaluate rookies and test rule changes.
NC State Wolfpack men's basketball
The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team is the program of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, an ACC member that won NCAA titles in 1974 and 1983.
NCAA basketball tournament selection process
NCAA basketball tournament selection process: the Division I men's and women's committees pick, seed, and bracket 76-team fields using the NET, quadrants, WAB, Torvik, 32 automatic bids, and 44 at-large selections.
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, March Madness: single-elimination college championship since 1939; 68 teams through 2026, expanding to 76 (32 automatic, 44 at-large) in 2027.
NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, also called women's March Madness, is the annual 68-to-76-team single-elimination NCAA championship for Division I women's college basketball, first held in 1982 with 32 teams, run by a 12-member committee, and broadcast by ESPN under a $920 million deal.
NCAA Season 102 basketball tournaments
NCAA Season 102 basketball tournaments (Philippine NCAA), hosted by San Beda University, opened September 13, 2026 at Mall of Asia Arena; weekday schedule, Group A/B format, PlayTime and CIgnal partners, San Beda defending Season 101 crown.
Nebojsa Popovic
Nebojša Popović (Небојша Поповић) names several Balkan athletes: a handballer born 1947, Olympic gold 1972 with Yugoslavia, and a basketball pioneer 1923–2001, founder of KK Crvena zvezda.
Nedim Remili
Nedim Remili (born 1995, Créteil) is a French handball right back and centre back for One Veszprém HC; 2017 world champion, Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist, and MVP of Euro 2024, withdrawn injured from Euro 2026.
Nell Angloma
Nell Angloma, French basketball forward (born 2006, Évreux), Lattes Montpellier product, 2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket MVP, drafted 12th overall 2026 by the Connecticut Sun.
Nelli Feryabnikova
Nelli Feryabnikova (Нелли Васильевна Ферябникова, née Bilmayer), Soviet basketball forward born 1949 in Vorkuta; two Olympic golds (1976, 1980), two world and five European titles with Spartak Moscow region.
Nemanja Bjelica (Немања Бјелица)
Nemanja Bjelica (Немања Бјелица), born 1988 in Belgrade, Serbian power forward; 2014-15 EuroLeague MVP with Fenerbahçe, 2010 draft pick 35, seven NBA seasons, 2022 champion with Golden State; retired March 2024.
Nenê
Nenê (Maybyner Rodney Hilário), Brazilian NBA center born 1982 in São Carlos; 2002 seventh pick, 17 seasons, 10,909 points, .548 FG; Denver, Washington, Houston; 2008 testicular cancer survivor.
Nerlens Noel
Nerlens Noel, born in 1994, is an American professional basketball center who played ten NBA seasons, known for shot blocking with Philadelphia, Dallas, the Knicks, and later stops.
Netball
Netball: seven-a-side court sport derived from 1890s women's basketball, with zoned positions and a footwork rule; 20+ million players in 70+ countries, governed by World Netball, with a Netball World Cup since 1963 and Commonwealth Games status since 1998.
New Orleans Buccaneers
New Orleans Buccaneers, ABA charter franchise 1967-1970, coached by Babe McCarthy, reached the first ABA Finals losing to Pittsburgh in 1968, then moved to Memphis as the Memphis Pros.
New South Philadelphia Arena
New South Philadelphia Arena: planned NBA/NHL/WNBA arena on the former Spectrum site in Philadelphia's South Philadelphia Sports Complex, a 50-50 HBSE-Comcast Spectacor joint venture announced January 2025 after the 76ers abandoned the Center City 76 Place plan; targeted to open in 2030.
New York Knicks
New York Knicks, NBA founding franchise (1946) at Madison Square Garden; three championships (1970, 1973, 2026), the 2026 title under Leon Rose, Mike Brown, and Jalen Brunson ending a 53-year wait.
New York Liberty
New York Liberty, WNBA Eastern Conference team founded 1996 as a charter franchise; won first game in league history June 21, 1997; six Finals appearances; first WNBA championship in 2024 under Joe Tsai ownership at Barclays Center.
Nick Calathes
Nick Calathes (Καλάθης), born 1989 in Casselberry, Florida, is a Greek-American point guard, EuroLeague all-time assists (1,684) and steals leader, 2018-19 single-season assists record holder (286), 2011 EuroLeague champion, ex-NBA Grizzlies player, now with PAOK through 2028.
Nick Collison
Nick Collison (born 1980), "Mr. Thunder", an Iowa Falls, Iowa-born forward-center who played his entire 15-year NBA career with the SuperSonics/Thunder, first Thunder player with a retired number (No. 4, 2019).
Nick Kerr
Nick Kerr (Nicholas Zwicker Kerr), American basketball coach, son of Steve Kerr; former Santa Cruz Warriors G League head coach 2023-2025, now Golden State Warriors assistant coach; ex-walk-on at Cal.