On November 1st of 1946,
the first NBA game was held as the New York Knickerbockers face the Toronto Huskies. 7,090 fans were in the stands at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
The Huskies would have the two leading scorers of the game, with 18 and 16 point performances from their stars. However, it was Leo Gottlieb who would score 14 points to lead New York to victory. He was supported by Ossie Schectman, who made the first bucket in NBA history and added 11 points for the Knickerbockers.
What may be most surprising for the NBA fans of today are the prices and promotional ads featured in that game. Anyone taller than Toronto’s big man would would be granted free admission. Otherwise, seats were sold for as little as 75 cents, $1.25, $2.00 and $2.50!
Allan Houston would lead the charge in scoring for New York, with 28 points. He was followed by John Starks (22 points) and Patrick Ewing (18 points.) For Toronto, Damon Stoudamire would go for 28 points as well, with Doug Christie right behind him scoring 24 points.
The final score was 107–99 in favor of the Knicks.
