The 2021–22 NBA season was the 76th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 19, 2021, and ended on April 10, 2022. For the first time since the 2018–19 season, the NBA returned to its usual October to April regular season schedule after the previous two seasons were shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 NBA All-Star Game was played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on February 20, 2022. The play-in tournament was held on April 12–15, 2022. The 2022 NBA playoffs then began on April 16, and ended on June 16 with the Golden State Warriors defeating the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.
75th anniversary promotions On July 7, 2021, the NBA announced that it would commemorate its 75th anniversary throughout the 2021–22 season. A 75th-anniversary diamond jubilee logo is featured in promotions across all NBA properties during the season, including on merchandise, digital and social media, and painted on the courts. It also announced its 75th anniversary team, honoring the greatest players in NBA history, as chosen by a panel of media, current and former players, coaches, general managers, and team executives. All NBA uniforms feature the Nike (Association, Icon, and City uniform) and Jordan Brand (Statement and Charlotte Hornets uniform) logos in a diamond embellishment, while the normal NBA logo on the back was modified to also feature diamond embellishments and the NBA mark replaced by the number 75.
The City edition for this season featured uniforms incorporating various design cues from different decades, with 27 of the 30 teams wearing these uniforms. The only teams not to participate were the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, and Utah Jazz. The Suns and Jazz wore last season's City uniforms, while the Pelicans wore a more standard City uniform as a tribute to the city of New Orleans. The Classic edition uniform for this season would be donned by the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, and New York Knicks, the NBA's three surviving franchises from its first season. Both the Celtics and Knicks wore modern-day versions of the uniforms they wore from 1946, while the Warriors wore uniforms based on the designs they wore as the Philadelphia Warriors from 1946 to 1962. The classic Nike wordmark-and-swoosh logo appears on the Classic uniforms.
The NBA also unveiled a new set of awards to honor division and conference championship winners, and the MVPs of the conference finals. The division championships were named after Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton (Atlantic Division), Wayne Embry (Central Division), Earl Lloyd (Southeast Division), Willis Reed (Southwest Division), Sam Jones (Northwest Division), and Chuck Cooper (Pacific Division). The previously unnamed conference championship trophies were rebranded in honor of Bob Cousy (Eastern Conference) and Oscar Robertson (Western Conference), while the top performer of each conference finals will now receive awards named after Larry Bird (Eastern) and Magic Johnson (Western), respectively. In addition, the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy was redesigned to feature the top circular disk engraving the first 75 NBA champions, and the bottom disk representing the next 25 champions.
Also, each team had an honorary celebrity captain to help celebrate the 75th anniversary.
The celebrity captains were:
Usher - Atlanta Hawks Donnie Wahlberg - Boston Celtics Olivia Rodrigo - Brooklyn Nets Ric Flair - Charlotte Hornets Common - Chicago Bulls Drew Carey - Cleveland Cavaliers Pentatonix - Dallas Mavericks Joe Sakic - Denver Nuggets Kid Rock - Detroit Pistons Guy Fieri - Golden State Warriors Travis Scott - Houston Rockets David Letterman - Indiana Pacers Billy Crystal - Los Angeles Clippers Snoop Dogg - Los Angeles Lakers Jerry Lawler - Memphis Grizzlies DJ Khaled - Miami Heat Aaron Rodgers - Milwaukee Bucks Jesse Ventura - Minnesota Timberwolves Anthony Mackie - New Orleans Pelicans Michael Rapaport - New York Knicks Darci Lynne Farmer - Oklahoma City Thunder Bubba Watson - Orlando Magic Will Smith - Philadelphia 76ers Alice Cooper - Phoenix Suns K.D. Lang - Portland Trail Blazers Greta Gerwig - Sacramento Kings Shawn Michaels - San Antonio Spurs Anne Murray - Toronto Raptors Donny Osmond - Utah Jazz Wolf Blitzer - Washington Wizards
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Retirement On July 6, 2021, Ian Mahinmi announced his retirement from the NBA. Mahinmi played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning one championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. On July 18, 2021, Omri Casspi announced his retirement from professional basketball. Casspi played for seven teams during his 10-year NBA career. On July 21, 2021, Amile Jefferson announced his retirement from the NBA. Jefferson played two seasons with the Orlando Magic. On August 7, 2021, Jarrett Jack was hired as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns, ending his playing career. Jack played for nine teams during his 13-year NBA career. On August 11, 2021, J. R. Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University with plans to join the Aggies golf team, effectively ending his career in the NBA. Smith played for five teams during his 16-year NBA career, winning an NBA championship in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and another one in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers. On August 12, 2021, Kyle Korver joined the Brooklyn Nets as a player development coach, effectively ending his playing career in the NBA. Korver played for six teams during his 17-year NBA career. On August 15, 2021, J. J. Barea joined the Dallas Mavericks as a player development coach, effectively ending his career in the NBA. Barea played for two teams during his 14-year NBA career, winning one championship with the Mavericks in 2011. On August 24, 2021, Jared Dudley announced his retirement from the NBA while accepting a role as an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks. Dudley played for seven teams during his 14-year NBA career, winning an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. On September 20, 2021, Luis Scola joined Pallacanestro Varese as chief executive officer, ending his playing career. Scola played for five teams during his 10-year NBA career. On September 21, 2021, JJ Redick announced his retirement from the NBA. Redick played for six teams during his 15-year NBA career. On September 28, 2021, it was announced that Tyson Chandler joined the Dallas Mavericks as a player development coach over the summer, effectively ending his playing career. Chandler played for eight teams during his 19-year NBA career, winning one championship with the Mavericks in 2011. On October 5, 2021, Pau Gasol announced his retirement from professional basketball. Gasol played for five teams during his 19-year NBA career, winning back-to-back NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010. On October 16, 2021, the Beijing Royal Fighters announced Sun Yue's retirement from professional basketball. Sun won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009, during his only season with the team. On October 20, 2021, Mike Hall announced his retirement from professional basketball. Hall played two games for the Washington Wizards in 2007. On October 22, 2021, Gerald Green announced his retirement from the NBA and joined the Houston Rockets coaching staff as a player development coach. Green played for eight teams during his 15-year playing career. On October 27, 2021, David Andersen announced his retirement from professional basketball. Andersen played for three teams during his two-year NBA career. On November 11, 2021, Damjan Rudež announced his retirement from professional basketball. Rudež played for three teams during his three-year NBA career. On November 26, 2021, Alexis Ajinça announced his retirement from professional basketball. Ajinça played for four NBA teams during his 13-year professional career. On November 27, 2021, Beno Udrih announced his retirement from professional basketball after being a development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans for the past two seasons. Udrih played for eight teams during his 13-year NBA career. On January 18, 2022, Chandler Parsons announced his retirement from professional basketball. Parsons played for four teams during his nine-year NBA career. On March 9, 2022, Jeff Teague joined the Atlanta Hawks as a scout, effectively ending his NBA career. Teague played for five teams during his 13-year NBA career. On March 21, 2022, Jamal Crawford announced his retirement from the NBA. Crawford played for nine teams during his 20-year NBA career.
Free agency Free agency began on August 2, 2021; for the second consecutive year, the period for free agency was pushed back from its normal starting date in July due to COVID-19 pandemic. Notable signings included longtime Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry announcing his decision to sign with the Miami Heat on a long-term deal. Lonzo Ball announced he would be signing a four-year, $85 million deal with the Chicago Bulls, joining fellow free agency signing DeMar DeRozan. The Los Angeles Clippers re-signed Kawhi Leonard, and the Phoenix Suns re-signed Chris Paul. In the east, the Brooklyn Nets extended Kevin Durant to a four-year $198 million deal.
Coaching changes + Coaching changes Team 2020–21 season 2021–22 seasonOff-season Atlanta Hawks Nate McMillan (interim) Nate McMillan Boston Celtics Brad Stevens Ime Udoka Dallas Mavericks Rick Carlisle Jason Kidd Indiana Pacers Nate Bjorkgren Rick Carlisle New Orleans Pelicans Stan Van Gundy Willie Green Orlando Magic Steve Clifford Jamahl Mosley Portland Trail Blazers Terry Stotts Chauncey Billups Washington Wizards Scott Brooks Wes Unseld Jr.In-season Sacramento Kings Luke Walton Alvin Gentry (interim)
Off-season On June 2, 2021, the Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was promoted to president of basketball operations following the retirement of Danny Ainge. On June 4, 2021, the Portland Trail Blazers and Terry Stotts had mutually agreed to part ways after nine seasons with the team. On June 5, 2021, the Orlando Magic and Steve Clifford had mutually agreed to part ways after three seasons with the team. On June 9, 2021, the Indiana Pacers fired head coach Nate Bjorkgren after only one season with the team in which they missed the playoffs for the first time in six years. On June 16, 2021, the New Orleans Pelicans and head coach Stan Van Gundy had mutually agreed to part ways after only one season. On June 16, 2021, the Washington Wizards and head coach Scott Brooks part ways after five seasons with the team. On June 17, 2021, Rick Carlisle resigned from his position as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks after the 13 seasons with the team. On June 24, 2021, the Indiana Pacers rehired Rick Carlisle back as their new head coach for his second stint with the team. On June 27, 2021, the Portland Trail Blazers hired Chauncey Billups as their new head coach. On June 28, 2021, the Boston Celtics hired Ime Udoka as their new head coach. On June 28, 2021, the Dallas Mavericks hired Jason Kidd as their new head coach. On July 7, 2021, the Atlanta Hawks hired Nate McMillan as full-time head coach. On July 11, 2021, the Orlando Magic hired Jamahl Mosley as their new head coach. On July 17, 2021, the Washington Wizards hired Wes Unseld Jr. as their new head coach. On July 22, 2021, the New Orleans Pelicans hired Willie Green as their new head coach.
In-season On November 21, 2021, the Sacramento Kings fired head coach Luke Walton and named Alvin Gentry as their interim head coach.
COVID-19 restrictions