Of the all leagues and tournaments that comprise the world basketball, the National Basketball Association or the NBA is considered to be the most popular as well as the most fun and exciting of all. It is well-known not only in the United States but in all over the world and it is not surprising to commonly see jersey shirts of different players worn by fans and critics alike.

Aside from the exciting games and the cool hard-court moves, the NBA is also a good place to bet and earn money from. This is in comparison to other sports which has so many limitations. Betting on NBA odds is much easier as the teams involved are much smaller and you don’t have to take the weather into account as basketball is usually played indoors unlike other types of sports. However, there are still so many things to watch out for in order to be successful in betting on NBA odds.

The willingness to bet is also one way of showing your support for your favorite teams. However, this doesn’t mean that you will follow only their progress. Remember that there are always two sides in every matches and knowledge of the status of the other side is also important in order to win all your hard – earned bets. This is why it is recommended to always be updated on the latest news that is happening on the NBA. Each of the many transactions that happens everyday, from injuries to trades, can really affect the NBA odds of winning for the different teams. By being updated, you can be confident on where to place your bet especially if the current NBA odds of them winning are really high.

Also, it doesn’t always mean that you will have to bet for your favorite teams to win always. This is because there are lots of different ways to bet. Aside from the usual way of betting for the winning team, you can also bet on which team will lose and on how much. Aside from that you can also disregard the results and bet on the total score of both teams. You can bet on the NBA odds that the estimated total score will be either higher or lower than the actual score and if what you bet on is the result them then you will emerge as the winner. Other variations of this type of include the total scores on every quarter as well as during halftime. These other variations are common especially during the playoffs and the championships where every second of every game counts a lot in deciding the outcome that will result.

One thing that can help a lot in deciding your bets is to keep tab of the various NBA odds makers that exist both in sports channels and websites. Most of the time, the NBA odds that they create can prove to be really accurate predictions which comes true. However, these should also be coupled with your own personal knowledge and gut instinct if ever you want to be successful in betting for NBA basketball.

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Association’s (NBA) thirty teams (29 in the United States and one in Canada) can select young players who wish to join the league. These players usually come from college level, but in recent drafts a greater number of international and high school players have been drafted. As of the 2006 NBA Draft high school players gain eligibility for draft selection one year after their graduating class has finished high school, but only if they also are at least 19 years of age as of the end of the calendar year of the draft.

The NBA draft is currently divided into two rounds, with thirty picks per round. The order of selections is based on several rules. The first picks of the draft belong to the fourteen teams that did not enter the playoffs in that year’s season. These teams participate in a lottery to determine the order of the first three picks. Each team is assigned a number of chances based upon season standings to ‘win’ the lottery. After these three teams have been determined, the remaining picks are given out based on regular season record with the worst teams getting the highest remaining picks. This lottery assures each team can drop no more than 3 positions from its projected draft position. The lottery also prevents teams from throwing the season to ensure a top draft pick.

The next sixteen spots in the draft are reserved for the teams that made it into that season’s playoffs. The order of these sixteen teams’ selection is determined by their regular-season win-loss record, going from worst to best. Therefore, the team with the best record selects last. The team with the best record is not necessarily the champion; for example, in the 2004 NBA Draft, the last pick did not go to the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons, but rather to the Indiana Pacers (this is unlike the NFL Draft, in which the Super Bowl champion always draws the final selection of the first round).

The order of selections in the second round are also based upon season standings, with the worst team picking first and the best picking last. There is no lottery for the second round. Teams are allowed to trade future draft picks (first and second round) as they would current players.

League rules prohibit a team from trading away their own future first-round picks in consecutive years. This rule was created partially as a reaction to the practices of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the early 1980s. Ted Stepien, who owned the team from 1980 to 1983, made a series of trades for players of questionable value that cost the team several years of first-round picks. The trades nearly destroyed the franchise; the NBA pressured Stepien into selling out, and in order to get a solid local owner (Gordon Gund), the league had to sweeten the deal by giving the Cavaliers several future bonus draft picks.

All U.S. players are automatically eligible upon the end of their college eligibility. Through 2005, U.S. players were also allowed to declare eligibility for the draft at any time between high school graduation and the completion of college eligibility. International players could declare eligibility in the calendar year of their 18th birthday, or later.

Starting with the 2006 NBA Draft, the eligibility rules have changed:

• All players, regardless of nationality, must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft.

• A U.S. player must also be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class.
This age limit for draftees is part of the new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players union.

The NBA has established two draft declaration dates. All players who wish to be drafted, and are not automatically eligible, must declare their eligibility on or before the first declaration date.

After this date, prospective draftees may attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions. A player may withdraw his name from consideration from the draft at any time before the final declaration date, which is one week before the draft. A player who declares for the draft will lose his college eligibility, even if he is not drafted, if any of the following is true:

• The player signs with an agent.

• The player has declared for and withdrawn from the draft in any previous year.

When a player is selected in the first round of the draft, the team that selected him is required to sign him to at least a one-year contract. Players selected in the second round are “owned” by the team for three years, but the teams are not required to sign them.

Players chosen earlier in the draft are generally regarded as better prospects than those selected later, but there is always a level of uncertainty around the selections. Past drafts are filled with examples of late-pick superstars and early-pick busts. Perhaps the most famous example of the uncertainty of the draft came in 1986, when Karl Malone was selected by the Utah Jazz with the thirteenth pick, but went on to become the second-leading scorer in NBA history and win multiple MVP awards. His teammate, John Stockton, was selected sixteenth the year before, but went on to become the all-time NBA leader in assists and steals.

When he retired at the age of 42, he took with him records for most points scored by an NBA player, most blocked shots, most MVP awards, most appearances in All-Star games, and most seasons played. To put it simply, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar composed the most impressive personal and team accomplishments in the history of the NBA! He was named Rookie of the Year, was a member of 6 NBA championship teams, was a six-time NBA MVP, was named NBA Finals MVP twice, was selected the All-Star team 19 times, league scoring champion twice, and selected as a member of the NBA 35th and 50th Anniversary All-Time Teams. And, no one was too amazed as Kareem had been a dominant force in basketball since his high school days.

Kareem’s first or original name was Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor (he would later change it to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). He went by Lew Alcindor. His basketball dominance began in high school, where he led Power Memorial High School to a 72 game winning streak and an overall record of 96 and 6. As a sophomore at Power Memorial, he averaged 19 points and 18 rebounds for an undefeated team. His high school team was unbeaten in Alcindor’s junior season as well. The next year, for the first time in 72 games, they lost a game to DeMatha Catholic High School (of Maryland), 46-43. It was the only loss for Power in 3 years. In 1965 Lew Alcindor finished his high school career with 2,067 points and 2,002 rebounds, both of which are New York City records. Kareem was the greatest high school basketball player of his time.

He chose UCLA to continue with his basketball development, and once again, he was a dominant force in college. Back in those days, freshmen were not eligible to play varsity, but in a exhibition game, with 31 points, 21 rebounds and 7 blocked shots Alcindor led his freshman team to a victory over UCLA’s 2- time NCAA Championship varsity team, 75-60. During his first ever varsity game (66-67), Lew Alcindor set a UCLA scoring record with 56 points. He averaged 29 points and 15.5 rebounds with a .667 shooting percentage for the year as UCLA went 30-0. They would end the season with a victory in the NCAA Championships against University of Dayton, 79-64. Lew Alcindor would go on to lead UCLA to 2 more NCAA Championships; he won a national title every year in varsity basketball in college! Alcindor finished his UCLA career with 3 National Championships, Named 1st Team All-American 3 Times (67,68 & 69), selected as Player of the Year in 1967 and 1969 by The Sporting News, United Press International, the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Named Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament in 1967, 1968 and 1969. Finished lording over the NCAA he then took his game to the NBA.

He was drafted as the first pick in the 1969 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks were a young team in only in it’s second season. In his first year Alcindor averaged 28.8 points (2nd in the NBA) and 14.5 rebounds (3rd) to lead the Bucks to an improved record of 56-26. They would reach the Eastern Division finals only to be beaten by the Knicks. Lew was awarded the League’s Rookie of the Year Award.

After acquiring the legendary Oscar Robertson, the Milwaukee Bucks went on to become a dominant team and recorded 66 victories in the 70-71 season. Alcindor was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and his first NBA Scoring Title. The Bucks went on to dominate in the playoffs, going 12 and 2. They swept the Baltimore Bullets in 4 games in the NBA finals. He had won his first NBA title and was named NBA Finals MVP. It was after this series that he announced that his legal name was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which translates to “noble, servant of the powerful one”.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player award during the 71-72, and 72-73 seasons. In 1974 the Bucks were once again in the NBA Finals, but would lose to the Boston Celtics. Kareem asked for a trade during the 74-75 season. In 1975, the Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and reserve center Walt Wesley from the Bucks for center Elmore Smith, guard Brian Winters, and rookies Dave Meyers and Junior Bridgeman.

Kareem won the MVP award in the 75-76 season, but the Lakers failed to reach the playoffs. He again was named MVP in 76-777 when the Lakers made the playoffs, only to be stopped by the eventual champion Portland Trail Blazers. In 1979 the Lakers drafter Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and this would begin a run of Championships. The Lakers would go on to win the 5 NBA titles in the next 10 years. All the while Kareem was putting up dominant performances game in ad game out.

When Kareem retired in 1989, it marked the end of a dominating era in the NBA. Kareem left the game as the NBA’s all-time scorer (38,387 points / 24.6 ppg), 17,440 rebounds (11.2 rpg), 3,189 blocks, and a .559 field-goal percentage in a career over 20 years and 1,560 games. He had scored in double figures in 787 straight games. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had cemented his name in history as the greatest center in the history of the NBA and more than likely, of all time!

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