Grammy Award

. Today, the NBA has reached 30 franchises and continues to evolve as one of the premier sports leagues in the world. Years reflect the year in which the awards were presented, for music released in the previous year. 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. World. The NBA is now televised in 212 nations in 42 languages. Traditional Pop. 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.

Spoken. Initially, many of these players, such as 1994 NBA MVP Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria, first played NCAA basketball to enhance their skills. Surround Sound. A growing number of NBA star players also began coming from other countries. Rock. The 1992 Olympic basketball Dream Team, the first to use current NBA stars, featured Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. Reggae. The 1990s also saw greater globalization.

Rap. During the 1990s, Jordan went on to lead the Bulls to six titles. R&B. By 1989, further expansion had raised the number of teams in the league to 27. Production and engineering. Michael Jordan, entered the league in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls, providing an even more popular star to support growing interest in the league. Pop. Bird went on to lead the Celtics to three titles, and Johnson went on to lead the Lakers to five.

Polka. 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. Packaging and notes. The league added the ABA's innovative three-point field goal beginning in 1979 to open up the game. New Age. 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. Music Video. The NBA expanded rapidly during this period, one purpose being to tie up most viable cities.

Musical Show. The ABA also succeeded in signing a number of major stars, including Julius Erving, in part because it allowed teams to sign college undergraduates. Latin. 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. Jazz. 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. Historical. The leagues engaged in a bidding war for talent.

Gospel. In 1967, the league faced a new external threat with the formation of the American Basketball Association. Folk. 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. Film/TV/Media. Russell's rivalry with Chamberlain became one of the great individual rivalries in the history of team sports. Disco. Center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league in 1959 and became the dominant individual star of the 1960s, setting new records in scoring and rebounding.

Dance. 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. Country. To liven up play, the league introduced the 24 second shot clock in 1954. Composing and arranging. During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships and established themselves as its first dynasty. Comedy. 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.

Classical. Louis; the Royals from Rochester to Cincinnati, the Pistons from Fort Wayne to Detroit. Children's. The Hawks shifted from "Tri-Cities" to Milwaukee and then to St. Blues. While contracting, the league also saw its smaller city franchises move to larger cities. Alternative. 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).

Béla Fleck has been nominated in more categories than any other musician, namely country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, and spoken word, as well as composition and arranging. 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. Christopher Cross (Grammy Awards of 1981) and Norah Jones (Grammy Awards of 2003) are the only artists to receive the "Big Four" (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) in a single ceremony. 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. The most Grammys won in a single night is eight -- a record shared by Michael Jackson (1984), and Carlos Santana (2000). 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. Conductor Sir Georg Solti holds the record for most Grammys won, having won a total of thirty-eight awards before his death in 1997. 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.

Soul and R&B legend Aretha Franklin has won 11 awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, including 8 consecutive (and the first 8 ever awarded) awards in the category:. 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. Legendary Opera Diva Leontyne Price has won 18 awards. 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. Session drummer Hal Blaine played on six consecutive records which won Record of the Year:. 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. Metheny, as of the 2004 Grammy Awards, holds the record for Grammy wins in the most different categories:. Each player and major contributor, including coaches and the general manager, on the winning team receive a championship ring.

Pat Metheny and the Pat Metheny Group have won 16 Grammys in total, including six consecutive awards for six consecutive albums. The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. . 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 Grammys are currently broadcast on CBS. For the final round (NBA Finals), the series follows a 2-3-2 pattern. So, for example, John Lennon & Yoko Ono's album Double Fantasy was released in November, 1980, a month-and-a-half too late to qualify for the 1981 Grammys, and thus eligible for the 1982 awards (it eventually won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year). 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.

Unlike the Academy Awards, for which the eligibility period begins January 1, the eligibility period for the Grammys begins October 1, which results in September being considered the Christmas sales period for the music industry (in which artists generally release big albums to qualify for the next year's Grammy). 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. Of the "big three" music awards shows, the Grammys are the highest rated. Thus, all but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. In fact, many artists who are placed in high regard, artistically, by many fans and critics (such as Elvis Presley, Mariah Carey, Garth Brooks, Pink Floyd, Kenny Rogers, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, ) have been awarded very few Grammys. In the next round, the successful team plays against another advancing team of the same conference. Hence, the Grammys are not taken seriously by some musicians and music fans. 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.

Some feel that because Grammy voters tend to vote conservatively, and are marketed to by record companies, the most widely-recognized Grammys tend to go to either well-established artists or those being hyped by the recording industry. The playoffs follow a tournament format. The awards ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and some of the more prominent Grammys are presented in a widely-viewed televised ceremony. Therefore, the team with the best regular season record in the league is guaranteed home court advantage in every series it plays. The awards are named for the trophy which the winner receives - a small gilded statuette of a gramophone, handcrafted by Billings Artworks. 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. Like the Oscars, the Grammys, which currently have 108 categories within 30 genres of music (such as pop, gospel, and rap), are voted upon by peers - voting members of the Recording Academy - rather than being based upon popularity (as with the AMAs) or sales and chart achievements (the BMAs). The team in each series with the better record has home court advantage, including the First Round.

However, the Grammys, usually held in February, (last of what are considered the "big three" music awards shows, including the BMA and AMA shows) are considered the approximate equivalent to the Oscars, in the music world. 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. The Grammy Awards (originally the Gramophone Awards), presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, make up the rest). Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Best Contemporary World Music Album. 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. Best Traditional World Music Album. 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.

Best World Music Album. 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. Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. 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. Best Spoken Comedy Album. The NBA Playoffs begin in late April, with eight teams in each conference qualifying for the playoffs. Best Spoken Word Album. There are also two All-Rookie teams, consisting of the top first-year players regardless of position.

Best Surround Sound Album. There are two All-Defensive teams, consisting of the top defenders at each position. Best Rock Album. There are three All-NBA teams, consisting of the top players at each position, with first-team status being most desirable. Best Rock Song. The postseason teams are the All-NBA Teams, the All-Defensive Teams, and the All-Rookie Teams; each consists of five players. Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental. 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.

Best Metal Performance. The NBA Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for that season. Best Hard Rock Performance. 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. Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The NBA Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the most improved player.

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo. The NBA Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the best rookie player. Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. The NBA Sixth Man Award is given to the best player coming off the bench (not starting for his team). Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. It is during this time that voting begins for individual awards, as well as the selection of the honorary league-wide postseason teams. Best Reggae Album. In April, the regular season ends.

Best Rap Album. Major trades are often completed right before the trading deadline, making that day a hectic time for general managers. Best Rap Song. 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. Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Shortly after the All-Star break is the league's trade deadline. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. 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.

Best Male Rap Solo Performance. The player with the best performance during the game is rewarded with a Game MVP award. Best Female Rap Solo Performance. Then, East faces West in the All-Star game. Best Rap Solo Performance. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. Best Rap Performance. 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.

Best Contemporary R&B Album. In February, the NBA regular season is interrupted to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star Game. Best R&B Album. 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. Best R&B Song. A team can therefore have a relatively easy or difficult schedule, depending on the division and conference it is located in. Best Rhythm & Blues Recording. 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.

Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Schedules are not identical for all teams. Best R&B Instrumental Performance. In the regular season, each team plays 82 games, which are divided evenly between home and away games. Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. The NBA regular season begins in the first week of November. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held.

Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male or Female. Teams have the ability to assign players with less than two years of experience to the NBA development league. Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. 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. Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Following the summer break, teams hold training camps in October. Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical. .

Producer of the Year, Classical. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey. Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. 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. Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical. The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in the fall of 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League. Best Engineered Recording - Special or Novel Effects. The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).

Best Engineered Album, Classical. 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. Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. NBA Coach of the Year Award. Best Pop Instrumental Album. NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Best Pop Vocal Album. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Best Contemporary Song. NBA Sixth Man Award. Best Pop Instrumental Performance with Vocal Coloring. NBA Most Improved Player Award. Best Pop Instrumental Performance. NBA Most Valuable Player Award, NBA Finals MVP Award. Best Performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist with Orchestra - Primarily Not Jazz or for Dancing. List of Current NBA Team Rosters.

Best Performance by an Orchestra - for Dancing. List of NBA players. Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. David Stern, Commissioner since 1984. Best Contemporary Performance by a Chorus. Larry O'Brien, Commissioner from 1975 to 1984. Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Walter Kennedy, President from 1963 to 1967 and Commissioner from 1967 to 1975.

Best Contemporary (R&R) Solo Vocal Performance - Male or Female. Maurice Podoloff, President from 1946 to 1963. Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Basketball Hall of Fame. Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Waterloo Hawks (1949–1950). Best Instrumental Performance. Washington Capitols (1946–1951).

Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus. Toronto Huskies (1946–1947). Best Performance by a Chorus. Sheboygan Redskins (1949–1950). Best Performance by a Vocal Group. Louis Bombers (1946–1950). Best Vocal Performance, Male. St.

Best Vocal Performance, Female. Providence Steamrollers (1946–1949). Best Polka Album. Pittsburgh Ironmen (1946–1947). Best Album Notes - Classical. Indianapolis Olympians (1949–1953). Best Album Notes. Indianapolis Jets (1948–1949).

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. Detroit Gems (1949–1950). Best Recording Package. Detroit Falcons (1946–1947). Best Album Cover, Photography. Denver Nuggets (original) (1949–1950). Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts. Cleveland Rebels (1946–1947).

Best Album Cover - Other Than Classical. Chicago Stags (1946–1950). Best Album Cover - Classical. Baltimore Bullets (1947–1955: last NBA team to fold). Best Album Cover. Anderson Packers (1949–1950). Best New Age Album.

Video of the Year. Best Performance Music Video. Best Concept Music Video. Best Long Form Music Video.

Best Short Form Music Video. Best Sound Track Album or Recording of Original Cast From a Motion Picture or Television. Best Musical Show Album. Best Salsa/Merengue Album.

Best Merengue Album. Best Salsa Album. Best Tejano Album. Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.

Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album. Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album. Best Latin Pop Album. Best Latin Recording.

Best Latin Jazz Album. Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Best Jazz Vocal Album. Best Original Jazz Composition.

Best Jazz Fusion Performance. Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group. Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group. Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male. Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female. Best Historical Album.

Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album. Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album. Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album.

Best Rock Gospel Album. Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. Best Inspirational Performance. Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus.

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male or Female. Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male. Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female. Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary.

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional. Best Soul Gospel Performance. Best Gospel Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus. Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Male.

Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Female. Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary. Best Gospel Performance, Traditional. Best Gospel Performance.

Best Hawaiian Music Album. Best Native American Music Album. Best Contemporary Folk Album. Best Traditional Folk Album.

Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording. Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (previously in the "composing and arranging" field). Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (previously in the "composing and arranging" field). Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

Best Disco Recording. Best Electronic/Dance Album. Best Dance Recording (previously in "Pop"). Best New Country & Western Artist.

Best Bluegrass Album. Best Country Album. Best Country Song. Best Country & Western Single.

Best Country & Western Recording. Best Country Instrumental Performance. Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Best Country Performance, Duo or Group - Vocal or Instrumental. Best Male Country Vocal Performance. Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices.

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). Best Instrumental Arrangement. Best Arrangement. Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (now in the "film/TV/media" field).

Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (now in the "Film/TV/Media" field). Best Instrumental Composition. Best Spoken Comedy Album. Best Comedy Album.

Best New Classical Artist. Best Classical Crossover Album. Best Classical Album. Best Classical Contemporary Composition.

Best Chamber Music Performance. Best Small Ensemble Performance (with or without conductor). Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra). Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra).

Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with or without orchestra). Best Choral Performance. Best Opera Recording. Best Classical Performance, Operatic or Choral.

Best Classical Vocal Performance. Best Orchestral Performance. Best Spoken Word Album for Children. Best Musical Album for Children.

Best Album for Children. Best Contemporary Blues Album. Best Traditional Blues Album. Best Alternative Music Album.

Grammy Trustees Award. Grammy Tech Award. Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Grammy Legend Award.

Grammy Hall of Fame. Best New Artist. Song of the Year. Album of the Year.

Record of the Year. 1988 - Aretha. 1986 - "Freeway of Love". 1982 - "Hold On, I'm Comin'".

1975 - "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing". 1974 - "Master of Eyes". 1973 - Young, Gifted, and Black. 1972 - "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

1971 - "Don't Play That Song". 1970 - "Share Your Love With Me". 1969 - "Chain of Fools". 1968 - "Respect".

1971 Simon & Garfunkel - "Bridge Over Troubled Water". 1970 5th Dimension - "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In". Robinson". 1969 Simon & Garfunkel - "Mrs.

1968 5th Dimension - "Up, Up and Away". 1967 Frank Sinatra - "Strangers in the Night". 1966 Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass - "A Taste of Honey". Best New Age Album (2004).

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (2001). Best Rock Instrumental Performance (1999). Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group (1998, 2000). Best Contemporary Jazz Performance/Album (1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2003).

Best Instrumental Composition (1991). Best Jazz Fusion Performance (1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990).