Notable occurrences

• A new league dress code was put into effect at the beginning of the year by commissioner David Stern.

• The Miami Heat win their first NBA championship in franchise history. They become the third franchise (joining the 1969Boston Celticsand 1977 Portland Trail Blazers, later joined by the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers) to win the NBA Finals after losing the first two games. They are also the first of the four 1988/89 expansion franchises to win a championship.

• 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 caused byHurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Hornets played 32 regular season games in the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, 6 games atLSU‘s Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and just 3 games at the New Orleans Arena inNew Orleansin March.^[1]Due to the split, the team was 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 LakersguardKobe Bryantscored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors. This was the second-highest single game scoring total in league history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962.

• Scottie Pippen (Bulls), Karl Malone (Jazz), and Reggie Miller (Pacers) had their numbers retired by 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, andWizardsall took part by wearing throwback jerseys for select games.

• On the last day of the regular season, Ray Allen broke the single season record for most three-pointers, at 269.^[2]

• The NBA Finals was jokingly referred to as the “American Airlines” series since both competing teams played in an arena sponsored by the same airline. The Miami Heat play their games at American Airlines Arena while theDallas Mavericksreside in the American Airlines Center.

• All five teams in the Central Division made the playoffs, marking the first time all teams in a division made the playoffs since the entire Midwest Division made it20 years before.

• The Los Angeles Clippers made it back to the playoffs for the first time since 1997 and won their first playoff series since 1976 when they were still known as the Buffalo Braves.

• TheLos Angeles Lakersand Minnesota Timberwolves sport a patch in their warmups in memory of Hall of Fame player George Mikan, who died June 1, 2005 at the age of 80.

• On June 20, 2006, the Miami Heat clinched the NBA Finals, with Wade being the Finals MVP, averaging the third highest points per game in finals history, at 34.7, the highest points per a four-game stretch in finals history, at 39.3, and the highest PER in finals history, at 33.8.

Coaching changes

Final standings

By division

By conference

• z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs

• c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs

• x – Clinched playoff spot

• y – Clinched division title

Playoffs

Statistics leaders

Awards

Yearly awards

• Most Valuable Player:Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns

• Defensive Player of the Year:Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons

• Rookie of the Year:Chris Paul, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets

• Sixth Man of the Year:Mike Miller, Memphis Grizzlies

• Most Improved Player:Boris Diaw, Phoenix Suns

• Coach of the Year:Avery Johnson,Dallas Mavericks

• Executive of the Year:Elgin Baylor, Los Angeles Clippers

• Sportsmanship Award:Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers

Players of the month

Rookies of the month