- The NBA makes its return to Charlotte as the Charlotte Bobcats become the league's 30th franchise. They play their first season at the Charlotte Coliseum .
- This season also makes the first year of the NBA's new divisional alignments, separating the league into six divisions of five teams instead of the previous four divisions of varying numbers of teams.
- The NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20 , 2005 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado , with the East winning 125-115. Philadelphia's Allen Iverson was named the MVP of the game.
- During All-Star Weekend Quentin Richardson won the Three-point Shootout , Steve Nash won the Skills Challenge , and Diana Taurasi , Dan Majerle and Shawn Marion won the Shooting Stars competition -- all ]]Phoenix Suns]] victories. Amare Stoudemire made it to the final round of the Slam Dunk Contest but failed to complete the sweep for the Suns.
- Prior to the start of this season, Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat after his reported fallout with former Laker teammate Kobe Bryant . Fans sensed this, along with the Pistons championship, as a possible end of dominance by the Western Conference.
- The Memphis Grizzlies play their first game at the FedEx Forum .
- An early regular season game between Detroit and Indiana at The Palace Of Auburn Hills was disrupted with 45.9 seconds to go as a Major Riot broke out between players and fans. This resulted in record breaking suspensions, most notable of which was Ron Artest who received the longest suspension in NBA history (73 games). The NBA also overhauled its security policy league-wide.
z - Conference Champion
y - Division Champion
x - Qualified for Playoffs
- NBA Champions
- Steve Nash , Phoenix Suns
- Emeka Okafor , Charlotte Bobcats
- Ben Wallace , Detroit Pistons
- Ben Gordon , Chicago Bulls
- Bobby Simmons , Los Angeles Clippers
- Mike D'Antoni , Phoenix Suns
- ---F - Tim Duncan , San Antonio Spurs
- ---F - Dirk Nowitzki , Dallas Mavericks
- ---C - Shaquille O'Neal , Miami Heat
- ---G - Allen Iverson , Philadelphia 76ers
- ---G - Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
- ---F - LeBron James , Cleveland Cavaliers
- ---F - Kevin Garnett , Minnesota Timberwolves
- ---C - Amare Stoudemire , Phoenix Suns
- ---G - Dwyane Wade , Miami Heat
- ---G - Ray Allen , Seattle Supersonics
- ---F - Tracy Mcgrady , Houston Rockets
- ---F - Shawn Marion , Phoenix Suns
- ---C - Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons
- ---G - Kobe Bryant , Los Angeles Lakers
- ---G - Gilbert Arenas , Washington Wizards
- ---C - Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons
- ---F - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
- ---G - Bruce Bowen , San Antonio Spurs
- ---F - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
- ---G - Larry Hughes , Washington Wizards
- '''All-NBA Defensive Second Team
- ---F - Tayshaun Prince , Detroit Pistons
- ---C - Marcus Camby , Denver Nuggets
- ---G - Chauncey Billups , Detroit Pistons
- ---F - Andrei Kirilenko , Utah Jazz
- ---G - Jason Kidd , New Jersey Nets
- ---G - Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat
- ---Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats
- --- Dwight Howard , Orlando Magic
- ---Ben Gordon, Chicago Bulls
- --- Andre Iguodala , Philadelphia 76ers
- --- Al Jefferson , Boston Celtics
|
