When I first started researching the origins of the NBA championship, I expected to find a straightforward answer. But the truth is, the story of basketball's first professional championship is far more complex and fascinating than most fans realize. As someone who's spent years studying basketball history, I've come to appreciate how the inaugural 1947 championship fundamentally shaped what would become the modern NBA. The Philadelphia Warriors' victory wasn't just about winning a trophy—it was about establishing what professional basketball could become.
The Basketball Association of America, which would later become the NBA after merging with the National Basketball League in 1949, launched its first season in 1946 with eleven teams. What many people don't realize is that the league struggled tremendously during that inaugural season. Teams folded mid-season, attendance was often dismal, and players were paid what would be considered poverty wages today. The Philadelphia Warriors, led by player-coach Joe Fulks, emerged as the standout team with a 35-25 record in the regular season. Fulks himself was revolutionary—he essentially invented the jump shot at a time when most players still used two-handed set shots. Watching grainy footage of those early games, I'm always struck by how different the game looked yet how familiar the competitive spirit feels.
The playoff format that first year was brutal by today's standards. Teams played series rather than single elimination games, and the Warriors had to battle through multiple rounds against the St. Louis Bombers and New York Knicks before reaching the finals against the Chicago Stags. This brings me to something crucial that modern fans often misunderstand about early professional basketball. The physical demands were extraordinary, especially considering most players held second jobs. I remember talking to an old-timer who played in those early years, and he described the schedule in terms that remind me of that quote from your knowledge base: "It's not like the local tournaments we play where you can stick to a specific seven and then you get to rest 4-5 days before the next game. Here, every game you play and you're expected to play with anyone who's put inside the court." That mentality defined the 1947 playoffs—no load management, no carefully managed minutes, just basketball at its most raw and demanding.
The championship series itself was a best-of-seven affair that saw the Warriors defeat the Stags four games to one. The clinching game on April 22, 1947, drew just over 7,000 fans to Philadelphia's Convention Hall—a modest crowd by today's standards but respectable for the era. What fascinates me most about that final series is how it showcased basketball's evolution. The Warriors' victory wasn't just about superior talent; it was about a more modern approach to the game. They understood spacing before it had a name, moved without the ball in ways that confused defenders, and leveraged Fulks' unprecedented scoring ability. In many ways, that first championship series demonstrated the template for modern professional basketball—fast-paced, high-scoring, and built around star players.
Looking back at the statistics from that inaugural championship season reveals how much the game has changed. The Warriors averaged just 68.6 points per game as a team—a number that would be embarrassing for a single quarter in today's NBA. Joe Fulks led the league with 23.2 points per game, which seems modest until you realize the next highest scorer averaged just 16.8. The style of play was fundamentally different too—fewer possessions, more deliberate offensive sets, and defense that would be considered overly physical by contemporary standards. Yet despite these differences, the core elements that make basketball compelling were already present: dramatic comebacks, clutch performances, and the emergence of players who could capture the public's imagination.
The legacy of that first championship extends far beyond the trophy itself. The Warriors' success helped stabilize a struggling league at a critical moment. Without that initial proof that professional basketball could draw fans and generate excitement, the entire enterprise might have collapsed. Personally, I believe the 1947 championship represents one of the most important underappreciated moments in sports history. It established professional basketball as a viable spectator sport at a time when college basketball dominated the landscape. The financial details from that season are murky, but best estimates suggest the Warriors players earned about $2,000 each for their championship run—roughly $28,000 in today's money when adjusted for inflation. Hardly life-changing wealth, but enough to plant the seed for what would become a multi-billion dollar industry.
Reflecting on that first NBA championship through the lens of modern basketball reveals both how much has changed and how much remains the same. Today's players fly on private jets and have entire medical staffs dedicated to their recovery, but the core challenge remains identical to what those 1947 Warriors faced: the relentless grind of competing night after night with whoever's available. The romanticism of early professional basketball sometimes obscures how difficult those conditions really were—inadequate facilities, long bus rides between cities, and the constant pressure to prove the sport deserved attention. Yet somehow, through all those challenges, the Philadelphia Warriors and the BAA created something enduring. The championship banner that hangs in Golden State's Chase Center today traces its lineage directly back to that 1947 team, connecting modern dynasties to basketball's humble beginnings in a way that still gives me chills when I think about it.