One of the pioneers of the game and one of it’s first player coaches. Al Cervi made a huge impact on the game but like so many other early pioneers he has been largely forgotten by the modern fan. Cervi did something which most would consider unthinkable today, he dropped out of high school to play professional basketball. He joined the Buffalo Bisons of the newly formed National Basketball League. The Bisons are the predecessor of the modern Atlanta Hawks. Cervi played for the Bisons for only one season before playing in various other leagues the next two season. With the onset of World War II Cervi joined the Army-Air Force and served there until 1945. With the conclusion of his duties he once again began playing professional basketball. Cervi joined the Rochester Royals, now the Sacramento Kings, for their inaugural season. Cervi and the Royals experienced immediate success as they defeated the Sheboygan Redskins for the NBL title in 1946. The Royals made the finals in 1947 but lost in a decisive game 5 to the George Mikan lead Chicago American Gears, the following season the Royals once again lost to Mikan this time Mikan’s team was the Minneapolis Lakers.

In 1948 Cervi requested a pay raise of 3,500 dollars. The Royals refused and Cervi joined the Syracuse Nationals, now the Philadelphia 76ers. The Royals left the NBL to join the Basketball Association of America. Part of Cervi’s contract with the Nationals made him player coach as well.

The Nationals paired Cervi with star Dolph Schayes and the team began to become a contender for the title. In the 48-49 season Cervi was named all NBL first team and NBL coach of the year.

The following season the NBL and BAA merged to form the NBA. The Nationals become one of the leagues early successes and in their second year in the NBA made the finals only to lose to the Mikan lead Lakers.

Cervi’s numbers began to decline as he focused more on coaching than he did playing and following the 1953 season he stopped being a player-coach and focused only on coaching.

The Nationals made the NBA finals again in 1954 but once again lost to the Lakers, but the next year the team made the finals again this time against the Fort Wayne Pistons and won their franchises first NBA title. Two years later Cervi was fired as coach. He spent one more season in the NBA coaching the Philadelphia Warriors 58-59 than called it a career to become a trucking companies managers; which offered higher pay than the NBA did.

He was offered the head coaching job with the Los Angeles Lakers twice because his wife did not want to leave upstate New York. He was elected to the Basketball Hall-Of-Fame in 1985. Cervi died at age 92 in 2009.

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