8 frequently asked questions
The NBA has 30 teams split into 2 conferences (Eastern and Western), each with 3 divisions of 5 teams.
Each team plays 82 regular-season games — 41 home and 41 away. The season runs from October to April, with playoffs from April to June.
The top 6 seeds in each conference qualify directly. Seeds 7-10 enter the Play-In Tournament. The playoffs are a best-of-7 format through 4 rounds, culminating in the NBA Finals.
The 2025-26 NBA MVP race is led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.4 PPG) of OKC Thunder, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic as close contenders.
The 2025-26 NBA salary cap is approximately $141 million, with a luxury tax threshold around $172 million. Teams exceeding the cap face luxury tax penalties.
An NBA game consists of four 12-minute quarters (48 minutes of game time). With stoppages, timeouts, and halftime, real-time duration averages about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
The Boston Celtics and LA Lakers are tied with 17 NBA championships each. The Golden State Warriors have 7, and the Chicago Bulls have 6.
A triple-double occurs when a player accumulates double-digit numbers in 3 of 5 statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) in a single game.