1949–50 NBA season
| 1949–50 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration |
|
| Games | 62-68 |
| Teams | 17 |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Howie Shannon |
| Picked by | Providence Steamrollers |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Syracuse Nationals |
| Top scorer | George Mikan (Minneapolis) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Syracuse Nationals |
| Eastern runners-up | New York Knicks |
| Central champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Central runners-up | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Western champions | Anderson Packers |
| Western runners-up | Indianapolis Olympians |
| Finals | |
| Venue | |
| Champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Runners-up | Syracuse Nationals |
The 1949–50 NBA season was the inaugural season of the National Basketball Association, after the merger of the 3-year-old BAA and 12-year-old NBL. The 1950 NBA playoffs ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Syracuse Nationals in 6 games in the NBA Finals.
1949–50 is counted as the fourth season in league history, as it recognizes the three BAA seasons (1946–47, 1947–48 and 1948–49) as part of its own history, sometimes without comment. As for the previous 12 seasons involving the NBL, with scant few exceptions involved, the NBA would not recognize the older league's records by comparison, despite it being the more established league of the two by comparison.