NBA Teams and Conferences

The National Basketball Association consists of 30 professional teams located across the United States and Canada. These teams are organized into two conferences — the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.
Each conference contains 15 teams, and the league structure also includes six divisions that help organize scheduling and regional competition.
Teams compete within their conference throughout the regular season while also playing games against teams from the opposite conference. At the end of the season, the top teams from each conference qualify for the NBA playoffs.
The tables below explain how NBA teams are organized into conferences and divisions across the league.

Contents
How Many NBA Teams Are There?
NBA Teams Overview
NBA Conferences
NBA Divisions
NBA Game Guide
Explore More NBA Coverage

How Many NBA Teams Are There?

NBA Structure Details
Total NBA Teams 30 teams
Conferences 2
Teams in Eastern Conference 15 teams
Teams in Western Conference 15 teams
Total Divisions 6
Teams per Division 5 teams

NBA Teams Overview

NBA Structure Details
Total NBA Teams 30 teams
Conferences 2 (Eastern and Western)
Teams per Conference 15
Divisions 6 total (3 per conference)

NBA Conferences

Conference Number of Teams Divisions
Eastern Conference 15 Atlantic, Central, Southeast
Western Conference 15 Northwest, Pacific, Southwest

NBA Divisions

Conference Division Teams
Eastern Atlantic 5 teams
Eastern Central 5 teams
Eastern Southeast 5 teams
Western Northwest 5 teams
Western Pacific 5 teams
Western Southwest 5 teams

NBA Game Guide

NBA Topic Key Question What You’ll Learn Guide
NBA Game Length How long is an NBA game? Breakdown of total game time including quarters, halftime, timeouts, and overtime. View Guide
NBA Season Format How many games are in an NBA season? Explanation of the regular season structure and the total number of games played. View Guide
NBA Quarters Explained How long are NBA quarters? Details on quarter length, game clock rules, and how the four-quarter format works. View Guide
NBA Halftime Length How long is halftime in the NBA? Overview of halftime duration and what happens during the break in NBA games. View Guide
NBA Overtime Rules How long is NBA overtime? Explanation of overtime periods and what happens when NBA games are tied. View Guide
NBA Playoff Format How do NBA playoffs work? Structure of playoff rounds, best-of-seven series, and how teams advance. View Guide
NBA Teams and Conferences How many teams are in the NBA? Overview of NBA teams, conferences, divisions, and league organization. View Guide
NBA Season Timeline When does the NBA season start and end? Timeline of preseason, regular season, play-in tournament, playoffs, and Finals. View Guide
NBA Standings Explained How do NBA standings work? How teams are ranked during the season and how playoff positions are determined. View Guide
NBA Play-In Tournament What is the NBA Play-In Tournament? Explanation of the play-in format and how teams qualify for the postseason. View Guide

Explore More NBA Coverage

Explore NBA teams, arenas, cities, tickets, and postseason coverage across the league.

Browse the full NBA schedule, explore all NBA teams, discover arenas and cities across the league, and follow postseason coverage through the NBA Playoffs.

  • NBA Hub - a central hub for NBA schedules, teams, arenas, cities, and postseason coverage across the league.
  • NBA Schedule — View the full NBA season schedule, including upcoming games and matchups.
  • NBA Teams — Explore all NBA teams, home arenas, and upcoming games.
  • NBA Arenas — Browse arenas hosting NBA games across the United States and Canada.
  • NBA Cities — Discover NBA games and arena locations by city.
  • NBA Playoff Tickets — Browse ticket availability for NBA Playoff games and postseason matchups.
  • NBA Tickets and VIP Packages — Browse upcoming NBA games and ticket availability across the league.
Explore More Nba Coverage