1950-51 NBA Season Standings

The NBA sharply contracted from 17 to 11 teams for 1950-51, and the last-place Washington Capitols folded outright in January 1951 after just 35 games (10-25), reducing the league to ten teams for the remainder of the season — Washington's incomplete record and unusual games-behind figure reflect this mid-season collapse. This season is historically notable as the debut of Earl Lloyd with the Capitols on October 31, 1950, breaking the NBA's color barrier as the first Black player to appear in a league game, alongside Chuck Cooper (Celtics) and Nat Clifton (Knicks) joining the league the same season. The league also held its first-ever All-Star Game in Boston. Despite finishing second in the Western Division behind Minneapolis, the Rochester Royals won the NBA championship, defeating the New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in a hard-fought Finals.

Basketball: Standings ▾

Sourcing caveat: Washington Capitols folded mid-season (Jan. 1951) after only 35 games; both Wikipedia and Basketball-Reference list their GB as 14.5 despite the worse winning percentage than Baltimore (GB 16.0), because GB is computed against games actually played, not a full schedule — this is a verified, sourced anomaly, not an error.

Eastern Conference

SeedTeamWLPCTGB
1PWPhiladelphia Warriors4026.606-
2BCBoston Celtics3930.5652.5
3NYKNew York Knicks3630.5454
4SNSyracuse Nationals3234.4858
5BBBaltimore Bullets2442.36416
6WCWashington Capitols1025.28614.5

Western Conference

SeedTeamWLPCTGB
1MLMinneapolis Lakers4424.647-
2RRRochester Royals4127.6033
3FWPFort Wayne Pistons3236.47112
4IOIndianapolis Olympians3137.45613
5TCBTri-Cities Blackhawks2543.36819

Sources

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

← All NBA standings

← Basketball · Champions list · All-time records · Finals results · All competitions · Teams · Players