1946-47 BAA Season Standings
The Basketball Association of America (BAA) — direct ancestor of the modern NBA — played its inaugural season in 1946-47 with 11 teams in two divisions across a 60-game schedule. The Philadelphia Warriors, led by high-scoring forward Joe Fulks, won the first-ever BAA championship, defeating the regular-season Western Division champion Chicago Stags 4 games to 1 in the Finals, despite Washington's Capitols (coached by Red Auerbach) posting the league's best regular-season record at 49-11. Several charter franchises from this founding season — the Toronto Huskies, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Cleveland Rebels, and Detroit Falcons — folded within one or two years and have no connection to later teams of similar names. Boston's Celtics endured a rough first season at 22-38, well before the Auerbach-Cousy-Russell dynasty of the 1950s-60s.
Sourcing caveat: League was officially named the Basketball Association of America (BAA), not the NBA, in 1946-47. The Toronto Huskies, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Cleveland Rebels, and Detroit Falcons are distinct, now-defunct BAA charter franchises unrelated to any later team of a similar name.
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WCWashington Capitols | 49 | 11 | .817 | - |
| 2 | PWPhiladelphia Warriors | 35 | 25 | .583 | 14 |
| 3 | NYKNew York Knicks | 33 | 27 | .550 | 16 |
| 4 | PSProvidence Steamrollers | 28 | 32 | .467 | 21 |
| 5 | BCBoston Celtics | 22 | 38 | .367 | 27 |
| 6 | THToronto Huskies | 22 | 38 | .367 | 27 |
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CSChicago Stags | 39 | 22 | .639 | - |
| 2 | SLBSt. Louis Bombers | 38 | 23 | .623 | 1 |
| 3 | CRCleveland Rebels | 30 | 30 | .500 | 8.5 |
| 4 | DFDetroit Falcons | 20 | 40 | .333 | 18.5 |
| 5 | PIPittsburgh Ironmen | 15 | 45 | .250 | 23.5 |
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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