As much so as the games, players, and teams themselves, the history of basketball is a history of American labor politics

Everyone remembers the franchise legends but when those great ones departed, either to retire or join a different team, who were the unsung heroes taking their place in the lineup?

Utilized to seed the roster of new franchises, expansion drafts have been staged 11 times in NBA history, starting with the Chicago Packers in 1961 and most recently with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004. These are the most notable selections in expansion draft history, from flops to revivals to impending franchise cornerstones.

Looking for help in finishing your daily Immaculate Grid? Consider these 10 players a Rosetta Stone, especially to some of the more difficult team combinations.

As part of our Totally ’80s series, we explore the 80 most monumental, controversial, influential, unforgettable, and indescribable basketball moments from the 1980s.

Three or more superstars teaming up together as a “super team” has produced some of the greatest results in NBA history, but there have been some spectacular failures as well, especially in the last few years.

With the 2023 free agency period about to began, we take a look back at the most notable free agent signings that had a major effect on the player, the teams, and/or the league itself.

It’s now a regular occurrence, with players like Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Chris Paul adding their name recently to the list, but here we review 15 previous legendary players who changed franchise affiliations not just once but two or more times.

Whether they were scooped off waivers, lured from retirement, or snatched from a secondary pro league, these nine players were signed late in the season and then came up huge for a team on its way to an NBA championship.

The star players on this list are indelibly linked with a single franchise where they built their legend, but closed out their career looking not-quite-right in a different jersey.

Normally these two long-time rivals would never dream of exchanging players, but in three rare cases they came together to make a deal.

Going back to the invention of the game in 1891, we take a look at the 75 innovations, signings, mergers, rule changes, lawsuits, agreements, disagreements, trades, hirings, draft picks, and other off-court events that shaped the course of NBA history.

Some of the greatest “what if” scenarios in NBA history have been trades that were rumored, agreed to in principle, and maybe even finalized then vetoed, but never happened. Here, we detail 19 of them that would have certainly changed the destiny of the franchises involved, if not the entire league.

With the season typically about one-third finished, and teams starting to settle into understanding their potential and limits, late December is typically a busy time for trades, releases, free agency signings, and coaching changes.

In some cases players are so unstoppable that the rule implemented to slow them down is named after them, and in other cases players sign contracts so unfair that their namesake regulation changes free agency forever.

As the trade deadline approaches for 2019, we take a look back at eight examples where a mid-season trade provided one or more key assets that helped put a contender over the top into championship glory.