National Basketball League Team Logos

The National Basketball League operated from 1937 through 1949 and featured dozens of professional basketball teams throughout the United States. Many NBL franchises disappeared long ago, while others eventually became part of today's NBA. This archive features historic logos from teams that competed in the NBL.

Several modern NBA franchises can trace their histories directly to NBL teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers.

Team	NBL Years	Notes
Akron Firestone Non-Skids	1937-1941	Two-time NBL champions.
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots	1937-1942	Won the first NBL championship.
Anderson Packers	1946-1949	Won the final NBL championship in 1949 before joining the NBA.
Chicago Bruins	1939-1942	Chicago franchise owned by George Halas.
Chicago Studebaker Flyers	1942-1943	Continuation of the Chicago Bruins franchise.
Chicago American Gears	1944-1947	George Mikan led the Gears to the 1947 NBL championship.
Cleveland Chase Brassmen	1943-1944	Cleveland franchise that later became the Allmen Transfers.
Dayton Rens	1948-1949	Historic New York Renaissance franchise finished the NBL season in Dayton.
Denver Nuggets	1948-1949	Later played in the NBA during the 1949-50 season.
Detroit Eagles	1939-1941	One of several early Detroit professional basketball teams.
Detroit Gems	1946-1947	The franchise was later purchased and moved to Minneapolis, becoming the Lakers.
Flint / Midland Dow A.C.'s	1947-1948	Michigan-based NBL franchise sponsored by Dow Chemical.
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons	1941-1948	Two-time NBL champions and predecessor of the Detroit Pistons.
Indianapolis Kautskys	1937-1948	Longtime Indianapolis franchise that later became the Indianapolis Jets.
Minneapolis Lakers	1947-1948	George Mikan led Minneapolis to the 1948 NBL championship.
Oshkosh All-Stars	1937-1949	One of the NBL's longest-lasting and most successful franchises.
Rochester Royals	1945-1948	1946 NBL champions and predecessor of the Sacramento Kings.
Sheboygan Red Skins	1938-1949	1943 NBL champions and one of the league's longest-running teams.
Toledo Jeeps	1946-1948	Also competed under the Toledo Jim White Chevrolets identity.
Tri-Cities Blackhawks	1946-1949	Franchise later became the Milwaukee Hawks, St. Louis Hawks and Atlanta Hawks.
Waterloo Hawks	1948-1949	Later played in the NBA during the 1949-50 season.
Youngstown Bears	1945-1947	Ohio franchise that played two seasons in the NBL.

From the NBL to Today's NBA

Although most National Basketball League franchises eventually disappeared, several organizations survived and became part of the modern NBA. The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons became the Detroit Pistons, the Rochester Royals eventually became the Sacramento Kings, the Detroit Gems became the Minneapolis and later Los Angeles Lakers, and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks developed into today's Atlanta Hawks.

The Syracuse Nationals, another major NBL franchise, later became the Philadelphia 76ers. These surviving organizations provide a direct link between the National Basketball League and professional basketball today.

Return to the National Basketball League History Page