National Basketball Association

Today, the NBA has reached 30 franchises and continues to evolve as one of the premier sports leagues in the world. The leak created considerable amount of protest from the gay community and other liberal groups. In 1996 the NBA created a women's league, the Women's National Basketball Association, and in 2002 created an affiliated minor league, the National Basketball Development League. Bush made a deal: the Salvation Army would support Bush's push on faith based initiatives if Bush made sure that the Salvation Army would be exempt from local and state legislations that prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. The NBA is now televised in 212 nations in 42 languages. According to that document, the Salvation Army and President George W. An increasing number, though, have moved directly from playing elsewhere in the world to starring in the NBA, such as 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year Pau Gasol of Spain, 2002 first pick in the NBA Draft Yao Ming of China, and 2004 Olympic Tournament MVP Manu Ginobili of Argentina. In July 2001, The Washington Post published a Salvation Army internal memo.

Initially, many of these players, such as 1994 NBA MVP Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria, first played NCAA basketball to enhance their skills. The Salvation Army opposes this policy and has threatened to close its soup kitchens and shelters across New York. A growing number of NBA star players also began coming from other countries. The State of New York has proposed legislation that requires businesses to offer health benefits to same-sex partners of employees. The 1992 Olympic basketball Dream Team, the first to use current NBA stars, featured Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. Other issues in the lawsuit by 19 current and former employees are still under consideration by the trial court. The 1990s also saw greater globalization. In a recent case, the New York Federal Court ruled that organization could use religious criteria in its hiring; that ruling is being appealed by the New York Civil Liberties Union.

During the 1990s, Jordan went on to lead the Bulls to six titles. The Army's position is that because it is a church, Section VII of the US Civil Rights Act of 1964 explicitly guarantees its rights to discriminate in hiring. By 1989, further expansion had raised the number of teams in the league to 27. Despite the tax breaks it receives as a registered charity, and its government funding (about 11 percent of total revenues, in the form of grants and payments for services), it has a stated policy of "discrimination" against applicants and employees whose faith or sexual orientation are not acceptable to The Salvation Army. Michael Jordan, entered the league in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls, providing an even more popular star to support growing interest in the league. The Salvation Army in the USA has come under attack for what some people see as discrimination in hiring and for its requirements on how employees should behave. Bird went on to lead the Celtics to three titles, and Johnson went on to lead the Lakers to five. Essentials.

That same year, rookies Larry Bird and Magic Johnson joined the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively, initiating a period of significant growth in fan interest in the NBA throughout the country and the world. Calling a generation to dynamic faith, radical lifestyle, adventurous mission and a fight for justice.. The league added the ABA's innovative three-point field goal beginning in 1979 to open up the game. Mission Statement. Following the 1976 season, the leagues reached a settlement that provided for the addition of four ABA franchises to the NBA, raising the number of franchises in the league at that time to 22. ALOVE Image
. The NBA expanded rapidly during this period, one purpose being to tie up most viable cities. Its purpose is to free the youth of the church and their communities to express themselves, and their faith in their own way.

The ABA also succeeded in signing a number of major stars, including Julius Erving, in part because it allowed teams to sign college undergraduates. In the new millennium, The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom created a sub-brand of itself for the youth, called Alove, The Salvation Army for a new generation. However, the NBA's leading scorer, Rick Barry jumped to the ABA, as did four veteran referees -- Norm Drucker, Earl Strom, John Vanak and Joe Gushue. Adventure Corps serves boys in 1st through 8th grade. The NBA landed the most important college star of the era, Kareem Abdul Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), who together with Oscar Robertson led the Milwaukee Bucks to a title in his second season, and who later played on five Laker championship teams. In the United States these internal youth groups for girls are known as Girl Guards (older) and Sunbeams (younger). The leagues engaged in a bidding war for talent. Some territories have Salvation Army Guards and Legions Association (SAGALA).

In 1967, the league faced a new external threat with the formation of the American Basketball Association. The Salvation Army has a number of youth groups associated with it, mainly its Sunday schools and Scout and Guide pack. Through this period, the NBA continued to strengthen with the shift of the Minneapolis Lakers to Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco, and the Syracuse Nationals to Philadelphia, as well as the addition of its first expansion franchises. dollars. Russell's rivalry with Chamberlain became one of the great individual rivalries in the history of team sports. Most of the donated coins are worth several hundred U.S. Center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league in 1959 and became the dominant individual star of the 1960s, setting new records in scoring and rebounding. This started in 1982, in Crystal Lake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

In 1956, rookie center Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics, who already featured guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, and went on to lead the club to eleven NBA titles in thirteen seasons. A tradition has developed in the U.S., where, in some places, gold coins are anonymously inserted into the kettles that the bell ringers collect donations in. To liven up play, the league introduced the 24 second shot clock in 1954. This campaign is conducted also across North America every year, and generates several million dollars. During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships and established themselves as its first dynasty. In many countries The Salvation Army is most recognized during the Christmas season with its volunteers who stand outside of businesses and play/sing Christmas carols, or ring bells to inspire passersby to give donations of cash and checks to the kettles. 1950 also saw the NBA integrate, with the addition of African American players by several teams including Chuck Cooper with the Boston Celtics, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton with the New York Knicks, and Earl Lloyd with the Washington Capitols. The ARC's are located all over the world, are work and Bible based and are usually long term residential facilities.

Louis; the Royals from Rochester to Cincinnati, the Pistons from Fort Wayne to Detroit. Thrift stores provide the revenue to run the Adult Rehabilitation Centers known as ARC's. The Hawks shifted from "Tri-Cities" to Milwaukee and then to St. The Salvation Army has a history of free rehabilitation from alcohol and drug abuse. While contracting, the league also saw its smaller city franchises move to larger cities. The Salvation Army is well-known for its network of Thrift stores, which raise money for its charitable and religious activities by selling donated used goods such as clothing, housewares, etc. In 1950, the NBA consolidated to eleven franchises, a process that continued until 1954, when the league reached its smallest size of eight franchises, all of which are still in the league (the Knickerbockers, Celtics, Warriors, Lakers, Royals/Kings, Pistons, Hawks, and Nationals/76ers). One soldier kept a blog of Hurricane Katrina relief, discussing the spiritual impetus behind the work.

Following the 1949 season, the BAA agreed to merge with the NBL, expanding the rechristened National Basketball Association to seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities, as well as large arenas and smaller gymnasiums and armories. Trained volunteers, employees, officers, and soliders perform the disaster relief work of the Salvation Army. For instance the 1947 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won its 1948 title, followed by the 1948 NBL champion Minneapolis Lakers who won the 1949 BAA title. Most recently they have helped the victims of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. During its early years, though, the quality of play in the BAA was not obviously better than those other leagues or among leading independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters. Later in 2005 they responded to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues, including the American Basketball League and the National Basketball League, the BAA was the first league to attempt to play primarily in large arenas in major cities. In August of 2005 they supplied drinking water to poor people affected by the heat wave in the US.

The Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by the owners of major sports arenas in the Northeast and Midwest, most notably Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Sallies were prominent among relief organizations after Hurricane Hugo and Hurricane Andrew and other such natural disasters in the US. There has been only one exception to date: Jerry West won the award in 1969 (the award's first season) even though his Los Angeles Lakers did not win the championship. Since then they have helped rebuild homes and construct new boats for people to recover their livelihood. In addition, the league awards an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, which nearly always goes to a member of the winning team, though not by rule. After the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, they arrived immediately at some of the worst disaster sites to help retrieve and bury the dead. Each player and major contributor, including coaches and the general manager, on the winning team receive a championship ring. They have worked to alleviate suffering and help people rebuild their lives.

The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. The Salvation Army is one of the largest non-governmental relief agencies and is usually among the first to arrive with help after natural or man-made disasters. The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the NBA Finals, and it is held annually in June. The Salvationists' nationwide appeals for financial and material donations yielded tremendous support, enabling the Army to provide assistance to many thousands of affected individuals. For the final round (NBA Finals), the series follows a 2-3-2 pattern. The Salvation Army's first major forays into Disaster Relief resulted from the tragedies of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. In every round except the NBA Finals, the best of seven series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3, 4, and 6. Some members of The Salvation Army are keen to re-emphasise their role as a Christian church.

Since the NBA does not re-seed teams, the playoff bracket in each conference uses a traditional design, with the winner of the series matching the 1st and 8th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 4th and 5th seeded teams, and the winner of the series matching the 2nd and 7th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 3rd and 6th seeded teams. It is now seen externally to be mainly a social services charity and/or thrift shop. Thus, all but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Often classified within the taxonomy of Christian denominations as a Methodist faith community, The Salvation Army has always seen itself primarily as a Christian church, but this has been eroded in the public's perceptions over the years. In the next round, the successful team plays against another advancing team of the same conference. Doctrines:. Each team plays a rival in a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four games advancing into the second round, while the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. Mottos:.

The playoffs follow a tournament format. Mission statement:. Therefore, the team with the best regular season record in the league is guaranteed home court advantage in every series it plays. Strawberry Field closed in 2005. This means that, for example, if the team who receives the 6 (six) seed has a better record than the team with the 3 (three) seed (seeded thus by virtue of a divisional championship), the 6 seed would have home court advantage, even though the other team has a higher seed. The Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever" was inspired by the Salvation Army's Strawberry Field Childrens' home in Liverpool, England. The team in each series with the better record has home court advantage, including the First Round. The song Silver Bells, first sung by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in the movie The Lemon Drop Kid, was inspired by the imagery of Salvation Army bellringers standing outside department stores every Christmas season.

Since the first seed plays the eighth seed, the second seed plays the seventh seed, the third seed plays the sixth seed, and the fourth seed plays the fifth seed in the playoffs, having a higher seed generally means you will be facing a weaker team. Current bands like New Zealand's Moped and The Lads, England's Electralyte, Australia's Soteria, and America's TransMission, carry on this Salvation Army tradition. Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Another popular band is The Insyderz, an American ska-core group in the 1990s and early 2000s. Although the playoff brackets are not reseeded, home-court advantage is based strictly on regular-season record, without regard to whether a team won its division. The Army's Joy Strings were a hit pop group in the 1960s and early 1970s in the UK and beyond, reaching the charts and being featured on national television. However, the seeding system has one feature that is unusual in North American sports; division champions do not necessarily have home-court advantage in the playoffs. The Army tradition in music is to use popular idiom of the day to reach people for Jesus.

The remaining five seeds are determined by taking the five teams with the next-best records from among the non-division winning teams in the conference. Depending on the size, sometimes Salvation Army corps (churches) have brass bands that enhance Sunday services by accompanying the congregation in the singing of hymns and/or during "Praise and Worship" times set aside during the service. The top three seeds for each conference are determined by taking the winners of the conference's three divisions and ranking them by regular season record. Philip Smith, principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic, who still plays and records with the Army's New York Staff Band). The NBA Playoffs begin in late April, with eight teams in each conference qualifying for the playoffs. Some professional brass players and contesting brass band personnel have come up through The Salvation Army, and in some cases continue to maintain links (e.g. There are also two All-Rookie teams, consisting of the top first-year players regardless of position. The standard of playing is high and the Army operates bands at the international level, such as the International Staff Band, which are the equal of professional ensembles, though they do not participate in the brass band contest scene.

There are two All-Defensive teams, consisting of the top defenders at each position. The Premier Songster Brigade in the Salvation Army is the International Staff Songsters (ISS). There are three All-NBA teams, consisting of the top players at each position, with first-team status being most desirable. The Salvation Army also has choirs, these are known as Songster Brigades, and these normally comprise of the traditional SATB (Soprano, Alto Tenor and Bass) singers. The postseason teams are the All-NBA Teams, the All-Defensive Teams, and the All-Rookie Teams; each consists of five players. Across the world, the brass band has been an integral part of the Army’s ministry, and an immediately recognizable symbol to Salvationists and non-Salvationists alike. Additionally, The Sporting News awards an unofficial (but widely recognized) NBA Executive of the Year Award to the general manager who is adjudged to have done the best job for his franchise. Their musical groups, usually a brass band or smaller collection of brass instruments, are seen in public at Army campaigns, as well as at other festivals, parades and at Christmas.

The NBA Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for that season. The tradition of having musicians available continued, and eventually grew into the creation of true bands. The NBA Coach of the Year Award is awarded to either the best coach in the league or the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team. A family of musicians, named the Frys, began working with the Army as their "bodyguards" and played music to distract the crowds. The NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. As the popularity of the organization grew and Salvationists worked their way through the streets of London attempting to convert individuals, they were sometimes confronted with unruly crowds. The NBA Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the most improved player. Additionally, there are millions of volunteers.

The NBA Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the best rookie player. According to the 2006 Salvation Army Year Book, in the United States there are 85,148 Senior Soldiers and 28,377 Junior Soldiers, 17,396 Adherents and around 60,000 employees. The NBA Sixth Man Award is given to the best player coming off the bench (not starting for his team). See: High Council of The Salvation Army. It is during this time that voting begins for individual awards, as well as the selection of the honorary league-wide postseason teams. He will take office on April 1, 2006. In April, the regular season ends. On January 28, 2006 the High Council elected Shaw Clifton as the next General.

Major trades are often completed right before the trading deadline, making that day a hectic time for general managers. Larsson will be retiring in 2006. After this date, teams are not allowed to exchange players with each other for the remainder of the season, although they may still sign and release players. It is led by General John Larsson, who has held this position since 2002. Shortly after the All-Star break is the league's trade deadline. Its membership includes more than 17,000 active and more than 8700 retired officers , around 100,000 other employees and more than 4.5 million volunteers. Other attractions of the All-Star break include the got milk? Rookie Challenge game, which pits the best rookies and the best second-year players against each other; the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, a competition between players to see who is the best 3-point shooter; and the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk contest, to see which player dunks the ball in the most entertaining way. In addition to community centers and disaster relief, the organization does ongoing work in refugee camps, especially among displaced people in Africa.

The player with the best performance during the game is rewarded with a Game MVP award. After the United Nations, the Salvation Army is the world's largest provider of social aid, with expenditures of $2.6 billion in 2004, helping more than 30 million people. Then, East faces West in the All-Star game. Each of these Territories is led by a Territorial Commander who receives orders from the Salvation Army's International Headquarters in London. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. For example, Japan is one territory, the United States is divided into four Territories: Eastern, Southern, Central, and Western while Germany & Lithuania together are one territory. Fans are balloted throughout the United States, Canada and through the Internet, and the top vote-getters at each position in each conference are given a starting spot on their conference's All-Star team. Likewise, each Division has a Divisional Headquarters (DHQ).

In February, the NBA regular season is interrupted to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star Game. Each Territory has an administrative hub known as Territorial Headquarters (THQ). Following the recent changes to the National Hockey League's scheduling format, the NBA is now the only major league in which all the teams play each other during the regular season, and where a season ticket holder can see every team in the league come to town in any one season. For administrative purposes, the organization divides itself geographically into Territories, which are then sub-divided into Divisions. A team can therefore have a relatively easy or difficult schedule, depending on the division and conference it is located in. The Salvation Army operates in 111 countries and provides services in 175 different languages. A team faces opponents in its own division four times a year, teams from the other two divisions in its conference either three or four times, and teams in the other conference twice apiece. The Salvation Army believes, as stated in their first doctrinal statement, that only these scriptures, "constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.".

Schedules are not identical for all teams. This mandate is based on the Army's interpretation of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. In the regular season, each team plays 82 games, which are divided evenly between home and away games. The mission of The Salvation Army is to win the world for Jesus. The NBA regular season begins in the first week of November. Opponents, grouped under the name of the Skeleton Army, disrupted Salvation Army meetings and gatherings, the usual tactics being the throwing of rocks, rats, and tar, and physically assaulting members of The Salvation Army. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held. As The Salvation Army grew rapidly in the late 1800s, it generated opposition in England.

Teams have the ability to assign players with less than two years of experience to the NBA development league. Any member of the public is welcome to attend their church services. Training camps allow the coaching staff to evaluate players (especially rookies), scout the team's strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the rigorous regular season, and determine the 12-man active roster (and a 3-man inactive list, if needed) with which they will begin the regular season. Soldiers only wear these to attend worship services, not in every day life. Following the summer break, teams hold training camps in October. Its soldiers wear a uniform tailored to the country they work in; they can be white, grey, navy, fawn and are even styled like a sari in some areas. . Among the other long-established beliefs of The Salvation Army are that its members should completely refrain from drinking alcohol (teetotalism), smoking, taking illegal drugs and gambling.

NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey. They felt that much of what passed for Christianity in their day was primarily an observance of outward ritual. The league's several international and individual team offices are directed out its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. William and his wife Catherine Booth believed in the teachings of Apostle Paul, that salvation came solely from the grace of God personally received by faith. The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in the fall of 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League. As a result of Booth's pragmatic approach to ministry, they decided not to include the use of sacraments (mainly baptism and Holy Communion) in the Army's form of worship, believing that many Christians had come to rely on the outward signs of spiritual grace rather than on grace itself. The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The Salvation Army's main converts were at first alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes and other "undesirables" of society with whom the Church refused to have any association.

The National Basketball Association, more commonly referred to as the NBA, is the world's premier men's professional basketball league and one of the major professional sports leagues of North America. On March 10, 1880, Commissioner George Scott Railton and seven young women landed in the USA and began operations. NBA Coach of the Year Award. In 1878, the name was changed to The Salvation Army and a quasi-military outlook was adopted. NBA Rookie of the Year Award. After starting the work outside the East End, the name changed to The Christian Mission. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. It then changed its name to East London Christian Mission.

NBA Sixth Man Award. The Salvation Army was founded by William and Catherine Booth in London in 1865 as an Evangelical movement called the Christian Revival Association. NBA Most Improved Player Award. . NBA Most Valuable Player Award, NBA Finals MVP Award. The Army's headquarters are located in London and there are thousands of branches around the world. List of Current NBA Team Rosters. It is structured as a hiearchical organization, with a large number of staff and volunteers.

List of NBA players. It is sometimes affectionately referred to as the "Sally Ann" in Canada, "Sally Army" in the UK and New Zealand, and the "Salvos" in Australia. David Stern, Commissioner since 1984. The Salvation Army is a Protestant evangelical Christian denomination and, more famously, a charity and social services organization, with international headquarters at 101 Queen Victoria Street, London. Larry O'Brien, Commissioner from 1975 to 1984. Social Action: Giving a voice to the voiceless.
. Walter Kennedy, President from 1963 to 1967 and Commissioner from 1967 to 1975. Mission: Going into the world to find Jesus and point him out.
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Maurice Podoloff, President from 1946 to 1963. Discipleship: Getting into Jesus and his community.
. Basketball Hall of Fame. Worship: Giving our lives and world back to God.
. Waterloo Hawks (1949–1950). We Believe in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general judgment at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the endless punishment of the wicked. Washington Capitols (1946–1951). (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Toronto Huskies (1946–1947). We Believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sheboygan Redskins (1949–1950). We Believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ. Louis Bombers (1946–1950). We Believe that we are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and that he that believes has the witness in himself. St. We Believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration (being born again) by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation.

Providence Steamrollers (1946–1949). We Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has, by his suffering and death, made an atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved. Pittsburgh Ironmen (1946–1947). We Believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocence, but by their disobedience they lost their purity and happiness, and that in consequence of their fall all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God. Indianapolis Olympians (1949–1953). We Believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the divine and human natures are united, so that he is truly and properly God and truly and properly man. Indianapolis Jets (1948–1949). We Believe that there are three persons in the Godhead - the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost - undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

Detroit Gems (1949–1950). We Believe that there is only one God who is infinitely Perfect - the Creator, Preserver and Governor of all things - and who is the only proper object of religious worship. Detroit Falcons (1946–1947). We Believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God; and that only they constitute the divine rule of Christian faith and practice. Denver Nuggets (original) (1949–1950). Cleveland Rebels (1946–1947).

Chicago Stags (1946–1950). Baltimore Bullets (1947–1955: last NBA team to fold). Anderson Packers (1949–1950).