First NBA game was played 75 years ago today in Toronto

There was no three-point line, no shot clock, and Michael Jordan wouldn’t even be born for another 17 years.

November 1st is a monumental moment, not only in Canadian history, but for all sports history for it was on this day 75-years-ago, the NBA’s first game was held at Maple Leafs Gardens between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knickerbockers.

The Huskies played only one season in the league before they folded, finishing with a 22-38 record, but Canada’s legacy in the league goes far beyond that one game and one season.

“I will tell you that is something that all Canadians should be proud of,” NBA Canada’s Managing Director Leah MacNab told CityNews about Canada’s impact on the NBA and the sport of basketball. “From the fact the game was invented by Canadian Dr. James Naismith to some of the iconic moments of Steve Nash, there are a lot of great Canadian moments.”

To help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first NBA game, NBA Canada is launching the ‘NBA 75th Shop.’

“The NBA 75 shop is a celebration of all of the iconic moments in NBA history that have a tie to Canada,” MacNab said. “So things that Canadian fans should be proud of, things that they can take home literally, you can buy a piece of history.”

What kind of history? To start, they are releasing just 75 units of a three-pack mini court set that are replicas of what the first court looked like in 1946 when they played at Maple Leafs Gardens and then how it evolved to the Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies courts. All of them were made with a piece of the hardwood that is from the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.

Monday will mark the 75th anniversary of the 1st ever #NBA game, held in Toronto (Maple Leaf Gardens). Also marks the 1st https://t.co/Cx47ogKynq drop – mini courts ft. the original designs from the Raptors, Grizzlies and 1st game in ‘46. Only 75 sets on sale #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/kXOueQKofO

— Ashton Lawrence (@Ashton_Lawrence) October 28, 2021

“We will have 13 different drops throughout the year, this is the first. You can get them by registering to hear about the products at 75thShop.ca, and we send you an email about when they are going to be available online and you just have to be first in line.”

While the Huskies lasted just one season, basketball would return 48-years later in the form of the Toronto Raptors.

“Reflecting on my time playing in Canada, I was fortunate to witness the passion that Canadians fans have for basketball and the NBA,” former Raptors guard and current Boston Celtics assistant coach Damon Stoudamire said in a press release. “It’s an honor to be recognized among this group of iconic players and Canadian basketball moments, and I hope fans across the country share my excitement around this ‘mighty’ piece of history.”

In October the NBA named the 75 greatest players to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the league. Current Brooklyn Net’s Head Coach Steven Nash, who was born in South Africa but moved to Regina, Saskatchewan with his family when he was just 18-months old before finally settling in British Colombia, is one of a handful of Canadians who have made their impact on the league.

“It’s actually pretty wide-ranging how big their legacy is in the NBA,” Sportsnet’s Raptors Radio play-by-play Eric Smith told CityNews.

“From Toronto being one of the original teams of the first tip-off to then having to wait all those years to get a franchise back in ‘95 and then going through the lumps that they took for so many years to then ultimately going out on that run in the playoffs for 10 years. I think their legacy is the way the sport originated in this country and then the foundation that the Raptors have set for the future of basketball in this country, whether it be Vince Carter who turned into Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson to Kelly Olynyk. Let alone the kids that are watching the DeRozan’s and the Lowry’s that played for the Raptors that are just going to springboard the future of basketball lovers for generations to come.”

Along with the online NBA Canada Digital shop, they also launched NBA Films For Fans which is a short film program featuring five Canadian filmmakers and basketball fans designed to celebrate Canada’s connection to the game. The first film released is “Born Identities” and is available to watch at NBA.com/FilmsForFans.

The mini court replicas will go on sale at 2 pm ET.