View source for 1959–60 NBA season

{{short description|14th NBA season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox sports season
| title            = 1959–60 NBA season
| league           = [[National Basketball Association]]
| sport            = [[Basketball]]
| duration         = October 17, 1959 – March 10, 1960<br/>March 11–26, 1960 (Playoffs)<br/>March 27 – April 9, 1960 (Finals)
| no_of_games      = 75
| no_of_teams      = 8
| TV               = [[NBA on NBC|NBC]]
| draft            = Draft
| draft_link       = 1959 NBA draft
| top_pick_link    = List of first overall NBA draft picks
| top_pick         = [[Bob Boozer]]
| picked_by        = [[Cincinnati Royals]]
| season           = Regular season
| top_seed         = [[Boston Celtics]]
| MVP              = [[Wilt Chamberlain]] ([[Philadelphia Warriors|Philadelphia]])
| MVP_link         = NBA MVP
| top_scorer       = [[Wilt Chamberlain]] ([[Philadelphia Warriors|Philadelphia]])
| playoffs         = Playoffs
| playoffs_link    = 1960 NBA playoffs
| conf1            = Eastern
| conf1_link       = Eastern Division (NBA)
| conf1_champ      = [[Boston Celtics]]
| conf1_runner-up  = [[Philadelphia Warriors]]
| conf2            = Western
| conf2_link       = Western Division (NBA)
| conf2_champ      = [[St. Louis Hawks]]
| conf2_runner-up  = [[Minneapolis Lakers]]
| finals           = Finals
| finals_link      = 1960 NBA Finals
| finals_champ     = [[Boston Celtics]]
| finals_runner-up = [[St. Louis Hawks]]
| seasonslist      = List of NBA seasons
| seasonslistnames = NBA
| prevseason_link  = 1958–59 NBA season
| prevseason_year  = 1958–59
| nextseason_link  = 1960–61 NBA season
| nextseason_year  = 1960–61
}}
The '''1959–60 NBA season''' was the 14th season of the [[National Basketball Association]].  The season ended with the [[Boston Celtics]] winning their 2nd straight NBA title, beating the [[St. Louis Hawks]] 4 games to 3 in the [[1960 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]].

== Notable occurrences ==
* On November 7, 1959, in a game between the [[Boston Celtics]] and the [[Philadelphia Warriors]], [[Bill Russell]] and [[Wilt Chamberlain]] played the first game of their 10-year professional rivalry.
* The [[1960 NBA All-Star Game]] was played in [[Philadelphia]], with the East beating the West 125–115. Rookie Wilt Chamberlain of the local Philadelphia Warriors won the game's MVP award.
* The [[Minneapolis Lakers]] played their final season in the [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul|Twin Cities]]. There would not be another NBA team in Minnesota until the [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] in [[1989–90 NBA season|1989–90]].
* In an interesting quirk in the schedule, the Philadelphia Warriors and Minneapolis Lakers play a two-game series in California on January 31 – February 1, 1960, with the first game being played in San Francisco (the Warriors' future home) and the second in Los Angeles (the Lakers' future home).
* The NBA schedule was expanded from 72 games per team to 75.

{| class="wikitable" border="1" style="text-align: center"
|+Coaching changes
! colspan="3"|Offseason
|-
! Team
! 1958–59 coach
! 1959–60 coach
|-
| [[Philadelphia Warriors]]
| [[Al Cervi]]
| [[Neil Johnston]]
|-
! colspan="3"|In-season
|-
! Team
! Outgoing coach
! Incoming coach
|-
| [[Detroit Pistons]]
| [[Red Rocha]]
| [[Dick McGuire]]
|-
| [[Minneapolis Lakers]]
| [[John Castellani]]
| [[Jim Pollard]]
|-
| [[New York Knicks]]
| [[Andrew Levane]]
| [[Carl Braun (basketball)|Carl Braun]]
|}

==Teams==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:auto"
|-
| bgcolor="#0047AB" align="center" colspan="5"|'''<span style="color:white;">1959-60 National Basketball Association</span>'''
|-
! Division || Team || City || Arena || Capacity
|-
! rowspan="4" | Eastern
| [[Boston Celtics]]
| [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]
| [[Boston Garden]]
| 13,909
|-
| [[New York Knicks]]
| [[New York City|New York]], [[New York (state)|New York]]
| [[Madison Square Garden]]
| 18,496
|-
| [[Philadelphia Warriors]]
| [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]]
| [[Philadelphia Civic Center|Municipal Auditorium]]
| 12,000
|-
| [[Syracuse Nationals]]
| [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]], [[New York (state)|New York]]
| [[Onondaga War Memorial]]
| 6,230
|-
! rowspan="4" | Western
| [[Cincinnati Royals]]
| [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]], [[Ohio]]
| [[Cincinnati Gardens]]
| 11,000
|-
| [[Detroit Pistons]]
| [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]], [[Michigan]]
| [[Olympia Stadium]]
| 15,000
|-
| [[Minneapolis Lakers]]
| [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]]
| [[Minneapolis Armory]]
| 10,000
|-
| [[St. Louis Hawks]]
| [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Missouri]]
| [[Kiel Auditorium]]
| 9,300
|}

==Map of teams==
{{CSS crop
|Location=left
|Description=[[Image:Blue pog.svg|10px]] Eastern Division [[Image:Red pog.svg|10px]] Western Division
|bSize=965
|cWidth=500
|cHeight=350
|oLeft=425
|oTop=25
|Content=
{{Location map+ | USA Northeast
| width   = 600
| caption = 
| places  =

{{Location map~ | USA Northeast
| lat_deg = 42.37
| lon_deg = -71.06
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Boston Celtics|Boston]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA Northeast
| lat_deg = 40.75
| lon_deg = -73.99
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[New York Knicks|New York]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA Northeast
| lat_deg = 39.95
| lon_deg = -75.20
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = bottom
| label = '''[[Philadelphia Warriors|Phila-<br>delphia]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA Northeast
| lat_deg = 43.04
| lon_deg = -76.15
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Syracuse Nationals|Syracuse]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA Northeast
| lat_deg = 39.18
| lon_deg = -84.46
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Cincinnati Royals|Cincinnati]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA Northeast
| lat_deg = 42.35
| lon_deg = -83.10
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Detroit Pistons|Detroit]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA Northeast
| lat_deg = 44.98
| lon_deg = -93.26
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Minneapolis Lakers|Minneapolis]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA Northeast
| lat_deg = 38.63
| lon_deg = -90.20
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[St. Louis Hawks|St. Louis]]'''
| background=#ffe}}
}}
}}

{{Clear}}

==Final standings==

===Eastern Division===
{{1959–60 NBA East standings}}

===Western Division===
{{1959–60 NBA West standings}}

'''x''' – clinched playoff spot

==Playoffs==
{{main|1960 NBA playoffs}}
{{excerpt|1960 NBA playoffs|Bracket|bold=yes|hat=no}}

==Statistics leaders==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ 
|-
! Category !! Player || Team || Stat
|-
| Points || [[Wilt Chamberlain]] || [[Philadelphia Warriors]] || 2,707
|-
| Rebounds || Wilt Chamberlain || Philadelphia Warriors || 1,941
|-
| Assists || [[Bob Cousy]] || [[Boston Celtics]] || 715
|-
| FG% || [[Kenny Sears]] || [[New York Knicks]] || .477
|-
| FT% || [[Dolph Schayes]] || [[Syracuse Nationals]] || .893
|-
|}

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

==NBA awards==
*'''Most Valuable Player:''' [[Wilt Chamberlain]], [[Philadelphia Warriors]]
*'''[[NBA Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]]:''' Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors
{{colbegin|colwidth=25em}}
*'''[[All-NBA First Team]]:'''
**F – [[Elgin Baylor]], [[Minneapolis Lakers]]
**F – [[Bob Pettit]], [[St. Louis Hawks]]
**C – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors
**G – [[Bob Cousy]], [[Boston Celtics]]
**G – [[Gene Shue]], [[Detroit Pistons]]
*'''All-NBA Second Team:'''
**F – [[Dolph Schayes]], [[Syracuse Nationals]]
**F – [[Jack Twyman]], [[Cincinnati Royals]]
**C – [[Bill Russell (basketball)|Bill Russell]], Boston Celtics
**G – [[Richie Guerin]], [[New York Knicks]]
**G – [[Bill Sharman]], Boston Celtics
{{colend}}

==See also==
* [[List of NBA regular season records]]

==References==
*[https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1960.html 1959–60 NBA Season Summary] ''basketball-reference.com''. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
{{Reflist}}

{{NBA seasons|1960}}
{{1959–60 NBA season by team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1959-60 NBA season}}
[[Category:1959–60 NBA season| ]]


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