Month: March 2022

Michael Jordan retired from the NBA having won six rings, or six NBA Championships.

He won rings in the following seasons – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998.

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Michael Jordan’s first NBA Ring

Jordan’s first NBA three-peat

Jordan’s first NBA ring after retirement

Jordan’s second three-peat and last NBA ring

Michael Jordan’s first NBA ring

Jordan was a four-time NBA scoring champion before the 1990-91 NBA season. However, no matter how hard he tried he never seemed to get to the NBA Finals.

In fact, in the three prior seasons his Bulls team was eliminated by the Detroit Pistons.

In the 1991 NBA Playoffs, Jordan – who was once again scoring champion – took care of business against the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The Chicago Bulls swept the Pistons to setup an NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers, led by their star Magic Johnson, came prepared to fight a young Bulls team led by a 27-year-old Jordan.

The Bulls proved to be the better team throughout, beating the Lakers in five games and giving Jordan his first NBA ring.

Jordan’s first NBA three-peat

Jordan and his Bulls were now the two-time reigning NBA champions. They had finished the 1992-93 NBA season with 57 wins – the second best record in the Eastern Conference.

They won their first two series in the 1993 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers fairly easily, sweeping the Hawks 3-0 and the Cavaliers 4-0.

The 1993 NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Bulls and their arch rivals the New York Knicks did not go as per Jordan’s plans.

The New York Knicks came blazing out of the gate winning the first two games. Jordan and the Bulls had not lost two playoff games back-to-back since the 1990 NBA playoffs.

However, the team and Jordan jumped back with stunning performances and won four games straight.

They then beat the Phoenix Suns – led by regular season MVP Charles Barkley – in six games to give Jordan is third NBA ring and first NBA three-peat.

Jordan’s first NBA ring returning from retirement

Jordan retired for the first time in 1993 after finding out about the tragic passing of his father. He went to play baseball – a sport his father had encouraged him to play.

However, in 1995, Jordan chose to return to the NBA halfway through the season. The 1995 season did not end as per Jordan’s or the Bulls’s expectations as they lost to the Orlando Magic in six games in the 1995 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The next season – 1995-96 – Jordan and the Bulls came back with a vengeance.

They won a record 72-games, and Jordan once again led the NBA in scoring.

The NBA Playoffs were just as entertaining as Jordan and the Bulls lost just three out of fifteen games to put NBA ring no. 4 on Jordan’s hand. Tis was Jordan’s most emotional championship since it was his first NBA championship without his father around.

Jordan’s second three-peat and last NBA ring

By the 1997-98 season, Jordan had played 12 seasons in the NBA. He had won five rings, and was the scoring champion for nine seasons.

However, at the start of the season there were rumblings that the team might be dismantled at the end of the season.

There was buzz that Phil Jackson would be replaced, and Jordan and some of the key Bulls members such as Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were sure they did not want to play for anyone else.

The Bulls ownership stood steadfast in their decision. Jordan and Bulls decided to make one last run at the championship.

They finished the regular season with 62 wins – tied with the Utah Jazz for the best record in the NBA.

The 1998 NBA Playoffs started well for the Bulls – they swept the New Jersey Nets and beat the Charlotte Hornets in five games.

However, the Indian Pacers gave Jordan and the Bulls a hard time. They took them to a Game 7, but eventually lost.

Bulls then went on to play the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals for the second time in two seasons. Jordan and the Bulls beat the Jazz in six games, giving Jordan his second career three-peat and NBA ring No. 6.

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Andrew Bynum is the youngest player to have ever played in an NBA game. He was 17 years and 244 days old when he suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2005-06 NBA season.

Jalen Duren, who is 18 years and 335 days, is the youngest NBA player actively playing in the 2022-23 season. He is a center for the Detroit Pistons.

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Youngest NBA player ever

Youngest NBA player in the 2022-23 NBA season

Youngest NBA player to start an NBA game

Youngest NBA player to win an MVP

Youngest NBA player to win an NBA Finals MVP

Youngest NBA player to win an NBA championship

Youngest NBA player ever

Andrew Bynum was drafted with the 10th overall pick in Round 1 of the 2005 NBA Draft. He was 17 years and 244 days old on the day.

The Los Angeles Lakers were looking for a gifted big man, and Bynum seemed to their answer. He averaged 22 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks as a senior in high school. The Lakers franchise felt they could repeat the success they had with another high school player named Kobe Bryant.

Bynum did no play much his first season. Between battling injuries and his inexperience he played just 46 games and finished with averages of 1.6 points and 1.7 rebounds.

It wasn’t until the 2011-12 season that he played and started in 60 games and finished with career highs of 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds.

An injury sdielined him for the whole of next season and Bynum was never the same.

He retired in 2014 with career averages of 11.5 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Youngest NBA player in the 2022-23 NBA season

Jalen Duren, 18 years, was picked 13th overall in Round 1 of the 2022 NBA Draft. He was 18 years and 335 days old at the draft.

A 6’10” center, Duren attended the University of Memphis for one season before declaring for the NBA Draft.

The Pistons are looking to build a contender around their 2021 NBA Draft star – Cade Cunningham.

Duren opened the 2022-23 NBA Preseason with a 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks in a win against the No.1 pick Paolo Banchero and his Orlando Magic.

Youngest NBA player to start a game

The late great Kobe Bryant was the youngest NBA player to start a game.

Bryant, a 6’8″ guard, was just shy of his 18th birthday (17 years and 312 days) when he was picked 13th overall in Round 1 by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1996 NBA Draft.

On January 28, 1997, Bryant started the game against the Dallas Mavericks. He finished the game with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

Bryant retired after the 2015-16 season after winning five championships, and finishing with a career total of 33,643 points scored.

Youngest NBA player to win MVP

Derrick Rose, a 6’2″ point guard, was the youngest NBA player to win an MVP Trophy at the age of 22 years and 191 days.

Rose was the 1st pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and was everything the Chicago Bulls hoped he would be.

In the 2010-11 season, finished with a career high 25.0 points per game, while also averaging 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game.

He led the Bulls to 62 wins – the best record in the NBA – and wins in Round 1 and Round 2 of the 2011 NBA playoffs.

Youngest NBA player to win an NBA Finals MVP

Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson is the youngest NBA player to win the NBA Finals MVP trophy. He was 20 years old.

Johnson, a 6’9″ guard, was the first pick in the 1979 NBA draft. He was believed to be way ahead of his time – a 6’9″ player running and playing point was non-existent in the NBA at the time.

In the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, Johnson and the Lakers were up 3-2 after Game 5. In that game, their best player – the center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – suffered a badly sprained ankle in the third quarter. While Jabbar finished the game after receiving some treatment, he was unable to travel to Philadelphia for Game 6.

Johnson, a 20-year-old rookie at the time, bravely agreed to start and the play the game at the center position.

He blew away everyone, finishing with a game high 42 points and 15 rebounds, and bringing home the NBA championship and the NBA Finals MVP Trophy.

Youngest NBA player to win an NBA championship

This may come as a shock to most NBA fans, but the youngest NBA player to win a championship is Darko Milicic.

Milicic, a 7’0″ forward, was a phenom in Europe. He was drafted with the 2nd pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He was picked ahead of players such as Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade.

While Milicic never lived up to the hype, he was fortunate enough to be part of a Detroit Pistons team that had put together a contender with players such as Chauncey Billups, Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton, and Ben Wallace.

The Pistons upset the three-time reigning champions, the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the 2004 NBA Finals, making Milicic the youngest NBA champion at the age 18 years and 361 days.

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Basketballbaba.com is a free-to-read resource on the NBA. You may consider showing your appreciation by buying something from Baba’s store. It is a combination of affiliate links to basketball books and gear, and also some exclusive BasketballBaba merchandise. for every purchase you make, 5% of the profits go towards the Dribble Academy Foundation.

An NBA game has 48 minutes of playing time. It is divided into four quarters of 12 minutes each.

An NCAA game has 40 minutes of playing time. It is divided into two halves of 20 minutes each.

A FIBA-regulation game has 40 minutes of playing time. It is divided into four halves of 10 minutes each.

There is a break of two (2) minutes between the 1st & 2nd quarter, and between the 3rd and 4th quarter, while halftime at an NBA game is 15 minutes long.

Incase a game goes into overtime, each overtime period is 5 minutes with a break of two (2) minutes between each overtime period.

Basketball is a stoppage-time game, i.e. the clock stops when there is a foul, or the ball goes out of bounds. Due to this, modern NBA games last up to two and a half (2.5) hours including breaks and entertainment, while an overtime game can last up to three (3) hours.

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How long was the first basketball game?

College basketball vs. the NBA – Two halves vs. Four quarters

How long is a live NBA game?

What was the longest NBA game ever played?

How long was the first basketball game?

Dr. James Naismith, who invented the game of basketball, decided that a game should be no more that 35 minutes long.

A basketball was divided into two halves of 30 minutes each, and a five (5) minute break between the halves.

12. The time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between.

Rules of basket ball – Dr. James Naismith, inventor of basketball

Since the game was invented to his students active, he felt 35 minutes of activity was long enough for his students to get a good workout, yet short enough so they did not get too bored.

College basketball vs. the NBA – Two halves vs. Four quarters

Basketball was soon adopted by colleges as a part of their sports calendar.

They increased the length of each half to be twenty minutes. The five (5) minute break in between remained the same. This took the total playing time to forty minutes and a full game to forty five minutes.

When the BAA or Basketball Association of America (as the NBA was called at the time) it decided to increase the length of a full game experience to two hours. They felt two (2) hours was the perfect amount of time for a fan and his or her family to enjoy a game of basketball.

To do this, the BAA decided to:

One, divide the game into four quarters instead of two halves.
Two, increase the length of each quarter to twelve minutes.
Three, keep a break of two minutes between the 1st & 2nd, and the 3rd & 4th quarters.
Four, to increase the halftime break to 15 minutes.

That took the total playing time to 48 minutes, and the length of a full game to 1 hour 7 minutes including breaks.

However, since in basketball is a stoppage game, i.e. the time stops when the ball goes out of bounds or a foul is committed. This takes the total time from the opening tip-off to the final whistle to about two (2) hours.

How long is a live NBA game?

The length of a full NBA game has not changed.

It is still four quarters of 12 minutes each with two minute break between quarters and a 15-minute break between halves.

However, as the NBA grows, it has a host of partners and entertainment events during live games.

In the arena, fans are entertained with team dancers, mascots, partner or sponsor activity, and popular performers and music artists.

For the fans watching at home, they get to see advertisements, and sometimes the entertainment at the venue as mentioned above.

This has taken the total time of a modern NBA game to two and a half hours.

In addition to what was discussed above, the modern NBA game also allows fans to watch pre-game warmups, and an elaborate player introduction.

In case an NBA game goes into overtime, the a modern NBA game can last up to three (3) hours.

The longest NBA game ever played

The Indianapolis Olympians and the Rochester Royals hold the record for the longest game ever played. It was game that lasted six overtimes, and finished with a score of 75-74. In fact the teams shot more free throws (75) than they made field-goals (34).

The contest was among a handful that convinced the NBA that something needed to be done about the duration of games. It led to the discussion about a “shot” clock in 1953, and eventually the introduction of the 24-second shot clock in 1954.

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Basketballbaba.com is a free-to-read resource on the NBA. You may consider showing your appreciation by buying something from Baba’s store. It is a combination of affiliate links to basketball books and gear, and also some exclusive BasketballBaba merchandise. for every purchase you make, 5% of the profits go towards the Dribble Academy Foundation.