NBL Scoring Champions
The National Basketball League operated from 1937 through 1949 and
helped establish many of the players, teams and organizations that
later became part of the NBA.
During the NBL era, the league's scoring champion was determined by
total points scored, rather than points per game.
This distinction is especially important for the 1946-47 season.
| Season |
Player |
Team |
Points |
PPG |
| 1937-38 |
Leroy Edwards |
Oshkosh All-Stars |
210 |
16.2 |
| 1938-39 |
Leroy Edwards |
Oshkosh All-Stars |
334 |
11.9 |
| 1939-40 |
Leroy Edwards |
Oshkosh All-Stars |
361 |
12.9 |
| 1940-41 |
Ben Stephens |
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots |
265 |
11.0 |
| 1941-42 |
Chuck Chuckovits |
Toledo Jim White Chevrolets |
406 |
18.5 |
| 1942-43 |
Bobby McDermott |
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons |
316 |
13.7 |
| 1943-44 |
Mel Riebe |
Cleveland Chase Brassmen |
323 |
17.9 |
| 1944-45 |
Mel Riebe |
Cleveland Allmen Transfers |
607 |
20.2 |
| 1945-46 |
Bob Carpenter |
Oshkosh All-Stars |
473 |
13.9 |
| 1946-47 |
Al Cervi |
Rochester Royals |
632 |
14.4 |
| 1947-48 |
George Mikan
|
Minneapolis Lakers |
1,195 |
21.3 |
| 1948-49 |
Don Otten |
Tri-Cities Blackhawks |
899 |
14.0 |
1946-47 Scoring Note
The 1946-47 season can be confusing because
Al Cervi led the NBL in total scoring with
632 points, while
George Mikan
had the league's highest scoring average at
16.5 points per game.
Mikan played only 25 regular-season games for the Chicago American
Gears and scored 413 points. Because NBL scoring championships were
based on total points, Cervi is listed as the official scoring
champion for the season.
NBL Scoring Facts
-
Leroy Edwards won the first three NBL scoring titles,
leading the league from 1937-38 through 1939-40.
-
Mel Riebe won consecutive scoring championships in
1943-44 and 1944-45.
-
George Mikan scored 1,195 points in 1947-48, the
highest single-season scoring total in NBL history.
-
Mikan's 21.3 points per game in 1947-48 was also the
highest scoring average by an NBL scoring champion.
-
Don Otten of the Tri-Cities Blackhawks won the final
NBL scoring championship in 1948-49.
-
The NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America following
the 1948-49 season, helping form the modern NBA.
