Brooklyn Nets are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team competes in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Nets play in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.
The Nets originated in 1967-1968 as the New Jersey Americans of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The team changed its name the next season to the New York Nets. In 1976-1977, the team joined the NBA as the New York Nets. The following season they became the New Jersey Nets. In 2012, the franchise moved to Brooklyn as the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets struggled in the NBA, with only 7 winning seasons in their first 25 years. During the 1980’s, the Nets did feature some stars, such as guards Otis Birdsong and Michael Ray Richardson, forward Buck Williams, and center Darryl Dawkins. In the late 1990’s, the team began to rebuild with the addition of such players as forward Keith Van Horn and guards Stephon Marbury and Kerry Kittles.
The Nets surprised the league in 2001-2002, winning the Eastern Conference after posting a record of only 26 victories and 56 defeats the previous season. The turnaround was largely attributed to the acquisition of guard Jason Kidd, who had been traded for Stephon Marbury. The Nets also won a conference championship in the 2002-2003 season, led by Kidd and forward Kenyon Martin. Kidd, with forwards Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson, also led the team to division titles in 2003-2004 and 2005-2006.
The Nets became a favorite to win an NBA title after star players Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined the team in 2019. The Nets signed guard James Harden in 2021, forming one of the most talented trios in league history. However, injuries and Irving’s refusal to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as required by league rules prevented the trio from playing many games together. The Nets, after failing to achieve lasting success, traded each of the three stars to other teams by the end of the 2022-2023 season.
