In the second week of February, the NBA interrupts its season to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star game, featuring the game"s best players as selected by the general balloting of fans throughout the United States and Canada. After the NBA season concludes in the third week in April, a total of 16 teams qualify for the playoffs11(8 teams from each conference). In each conference the two division winners are guaranteed a playoff spot. The remaining playoff spots in each conference are awarded on the basis of win-loss records to the six next-best teams, regardless of division. The playoffs start with the teams with better records playing the teams with worse records in a best-of-five series, in which the winner is the first team to win three games. In subsequent rounds best-of-seven series are played, with the first team to earn four victories win ning the round. The playoffs continue in this elimination scheme until a conference champion is crowned. The champions from the Eastern and Western conferences then meet in a best-of-seven series to determine the NBA champion.

　　Every June the league conducts its amateur draft, in which each team obtains the rights to the professional services of the best collegiate and international players. Any player who has graduated from high school and is at least 17 years old qualifies for the NBA draft if that player renounces intercollegiate eligibility. To determine the draft order the NBA uses a draft lottery, introduced in 1985. Those teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs the previous season are eligible for the lottery. The lottery determines the first three teams to select in the draft. The remaining teams draft according to their win-loss record of the previous season, so that teams with poorer records draft higher than those with better records. The NBA draft consists of only two rounds, with a total of 58 players chosen. Those players not selected in the draft can be invited to try out for a team and are sometimes signed to playing contracts.

　　The NBA"s official development league is the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The league was founded in 1946 and now features 12 teams playing in two conferences. Many players, coaches, executives, and referees have honed their skills in the CBA before going on to NBA careers.

國家籃球協會(NBA)是世界上主要的職業籃球聯盟，由美國和加拿大的球隊組成。由于在1995～1996年賽季之前多倫多猛龍隊和溫哥華灰熊隊的加入，NBA擴大到29支球隊，比賽分東、西兩個區各4個組舉行。每支球隊在10月份舉辦一個訓練營以確定它的12名運動員名單。訓練營允許每隊評估運動員，特別是新手(第一年參賽運動員)；評價球隊的優缺點；并通過一系列的場上訓練以及攻防策略的實踐，使運動員為即將到來的賽季作好準備。在一系列的表演賽之后，NBA于11月的第一周開始它82場比賽的常規賽季。

　　在2月的第2周，NBA中斷賽季比賽，以便舉行每年一度的NBA全明星比賽。該比賽的特點在于參賽運動員皆是由整個美國和加拿大球迷投票選出的最佳運動員。NBA常規賽季于4月的第3周結束。之后共有16支球隊(每區各選出8支球隊)有資格參加決賽。在每一個分會中，兩個組區的第一名可穩操決賽的入場券。每個區的其余的決賽入場券則不分組別，根據球隊的比賽成績，給予其次的6支最好的球隊。決賽先由成績較好的球隊與成績較差的球隊對陣，采取5局3勝制，先獲得3場比賽勝利的球隊出線。接下來的每輪比賽均采用7局4勝制，即先獲得4場勝利的球隊出線。這種淘汰制一直進行到決出分區的冠軍。東、西分區的兩支冠軍隊然后進行7局4勝制比賽，決出NBA的總冠軍。

　　每年6月聯盟進行其業余選秀。每支球隊有權吸收大學和國際上最好的運動員為專業運動員。任何高中畢業年滿17周歲的選手如果宣布放棄校際比賽資格即可參加NBA選秀。NBA采用1985年引入的抽簽形式決定其選秀順序。上個賽季未進入決賽的那些球隊首先抽簽選秀。由抽簽決定哪3支球隊首先選秀。其他球隊按照前一賽季的比賽成績決定先后，這樣成績較差的球隊比成績較好的球隊先進行選秀。NBA選秀只有兩輪，共有58名運動員供選。沒有入選的選手可以接受邀請到某一球隊試訓，有時會與球隊簽約參賽。

　　NBA的官方開發聯盟是大陸籃球協會(CBA)。該聯盟于1946建立，現有12支球隊，分為兩個分會。很多運動員、教練、執行官和裁判在轉入NBA職業比賽之前，已在CBA經過了磨練。