The division consists of five teams, the Boston Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Toronto Raptors.
The division was created at the start of the 1970–71 season, when the league expanded from 14 to 17 teams with the addition of the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers.
[3] Beginning with the 2021–22 season, the Atlantic Division champion has received the Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton Trophy.
As with the other division championship trophies, it is named after one of the African American pioneers from NBA history.
Nathaniel Clifton was one of the first African American players to sign an NBA contract when he joined the New York Knicks in 1950.