The 2005-06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006. The league fielded 30 teams, separated by two conferences and six divisions. It was followed by the playoffs, which began April 22, 2006, and ended on June 20 2006. The Miami Heat were crowned NBA champions, defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, 4 games to 2.
Notable occurrences
- A new league dress code was put into affect at the beginning of the year by commissioner David Stern.
- The All-Star Game was played on February 19, 2006 at the Toyota Center in Houston with the East beating the West 122-120. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers won the game's MVP honors.
- This season marked the first season of the Charlotte Bobcats in their new arena in downtown Charlotte.
- Due to the damages brought on by Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Hornets played 32 regular season games in the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, 6 games at LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and just 3 games at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans in March.* Due to the split, the team is officially referred to as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.
- This season marked the first under the NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement, agreed upon by the owners and the player union on June 21.
- The season was marked by the 30th anniversary of the absorption of four American Basketball Association members into the league: The Indiana Pacers, the New Jersey Nets, the Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs all joined in 1976.
- On January 22, 2006, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors. This was the second-highest single game scoring total in league history, and the highest since Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962.
- Scottie Pippen (Bulls), Karl Malone (Jazz), and Reggie Miller (Pacers) had their numbers retired from their respective franchises.
- The NBA held the Hardwood Classics program for the fifth straight season. The Bulls, Rockets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Nets, Knicks, Magic, Suns, Sonics, and Wizards all took part by wearing throwback jerseys for select games.
Final standings
- x - Clinched playoff spot.
- y - Clinched division title.
- z - Clinched conference title.
- (1) – (8) - Conference standings
- C - NBA Champions
NBA awards
2005 in basketball | 2006 in basketball | National Basketball Association seasons | The NBA on ESPN | The NBA on ABC
"2005-06 NBA season"