Back National Basketball League (Estats Units) Catalan National Basketball League (Vereinigte Staaten) German National Basketball League (Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες) Greek National Basketball League Spanish NBL (Estatu Batuak) Basque National Basketball League (États-Unis) French National Basketball League Galician ליגת ה-NBL HE National Basketball League Hungarian National Basketball League (Stati Uniti d'America) Italian
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1935 (as MBC) 1937 (as NBL) |
| First season | 1935–36 |
| Ceased | August 3, 1949 (merged with BAA) |
| No. of teams | 38 |
| Country | United States |
| Last champion(s) | Anderson Packers (1st title) |
| Most titles | Akron Firestone Non–Skids Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons Oshkosh All-Stars (2 each) |
The National Basketball League (NBL) was a professional basketball league in the United States. Established in 1935 as the Midwest Basketball Conference, it changed its name to the NBL in 1937. After the 1948–49 season, its twelfth, it merged with the Basketball Association of America (BAA) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). Five current NBA teams trace their history back to the NBL: the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Sacramento Kings.