Today the 24 second shot clock is standard in the NBA, but in the league’s early years, the shot clock did not exist.  As a result, a team with the lead late in a game had the capability of simply passing the ball until time expired.  The result was many games that ended in an anti-climactic fashion.

On this day, December 30th, in 1954, the 24 second shot clock was introduced into professional basketball. The 24 shot clock was first introduced by the Syracuse Nationals in a scrimmage game.  The clock greatly increased the pace of the game as well as total number of shots taken.  The shot clock was first adopted into the NBA rules in the 1954-55 season.

Many credit the shot clock with saving the popularity of basketball.  Instead of being a boring, low-scoring sport, basketball became one of the most fast paced and exciting sports for fans to watch.  With the shot clock, the average score of the NBA immediately increased from 79 to 93 in its first year.