NBL Teams — 1930s
One of the NBL's original powerhouse teams, the Firestone Non-Skids
were backed by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio.
They won consecutive NBL championships in 1939 and 1940 before
disbanding after the 1940-41 season.
Goodyear's company team was another charter NBL member and captured
the league's first championship in 1938. The Wingfoots left the NBL
during World War II but continued for decades as one of America's
best-known amateur and industrial basketball teams.
This Buffalo Bisons club played in the NBL's inaugural season after
earlier competing in the Midwest Basketball Conference and as an
independent team. It should not be confused with the later Buffalo
franchise that became the Tri-Cities Blackhawks.
A short-lived Ohio entry sponsored by the Columbus Athletic Supply
Company. The club competed during the NBL's early industrial-team era
but lasted only one league season.
The Metropolitans represented Dayton during the first NBL season.
Like several of the league's earliest clubs, their stay was brief as
the young league worked to establish stable franchises.
An industrial team sponsored by General Electric, the club represented
Fort Wayne during the NBL's inaugural season. Fort Wayne would later
become one of professional basketball's most important early markets.
The Ciesar All-Americans were based in northwest Indiana and competed
for several NBL seasons. The franchise developed from the earlier
Whiting club and represented the heavily industrialized Chicago-area
basketball scene.
The Gallagher Trojans were one of the smallest-market teams in the
NBL's first season. Based in Kankakee, Illinois, they lasted only one
year in league play.
The Pirates were one of the NBL's early eastern clubs and played two
seasons before folding. They were unrelated to Pittsburgh's Major
League Baseball franchise despite using the same nickname.
The club began the season in Richmond, Indiana, where it played only
three games before being sold and relocated to Cincinnati. The renamed
Comellos completed only a short stay in Cincinnati before financial
problems ended the franchise.
The Warren Penns were part of western Pennsylvania's early
professional basketball scene. The organization later became connected
to the Cleveland White Horses and ultimately to the Detroit Eagles.
After beginning in Warren, Pennsylvania, the franchise shifted toward
Cleveland and competed as the White Horses. The same organizational
line later moved to Detroit and became the Detroit Eagles.
The Whiting version of the Ciesar All-Americans played during the
NBL's first season before the club became associated with nearby
Hammond, Indiana. The team was one of several corporate-backed clubs
from northwest Indiana.
NBL Teams — 1940s
The Bruins gave Chicago an NBL presence beginning in 1939. They
competed through the early years of World War II before the same team
organization continued under the Studebaker Flyers name.
The Flyers succeeded the Chicago Bruins and were sponsored by
Studebaker. Their roster was notable during the wartime era, when
professional basketball teams were forced to adjust to major player
shortages caused by military service.
One of the NBL's strongest mid-1940s clubs, the American Gears were
led by superstar George Mikan. Chicago won the 1947 NBL championship
before owner Maurice White removed the team from the league.
The Chase Brassmen represented Cleveland for one NBL season during
World War II. Like many wartime teams, the club operated during a
period when rosters and franchises changed rapidly.
The Allmen Transfers followed the Brassmen as Cleveland's NBL team.
The club competed for two seasons before Cleveland again disappeared
from the league.
The Eagles came to Detroit after the organization had played in
Cleveland. Although they never won the NBL title, Detroit captured the
1941 World Professional Basketball Tournament championship before
wartime conditions helped end the club.
The Gems endured a disastrous 4-40 season in Detroit, but their
franchise became enormously important to basketball history. The club
was sold and moved to Minneapolis, where it became the Lakers and
eventually today's
Los Angeles Lakers.
The Vagabond Kings began the 1948-49 season in Detroit but left the
NBL after only part of the schedule. Their place was taken by the
Dayton Rens, the NBL version of the famous New York Renaissance
organization and one of professional basketball's most important
African-American teams.
Sponsored by Dow Chemical, the team had roots as an industrial and
barnstorming club in Midland and Flint, Michigan. It briefly joined the
NBL after years of playing independent basketball.
The Zollner Pistons were one of the NBL's premier franchises, owned by
industrialist Fred Zollner. They won consecutive NBL championships in
1944 and 1945 and later joined the BAA before eventually relocating to
Detroit as today's
Detroit Pistons.
The Buccaneers were a late-era NBL team from Hammond, Indiana. Their
single season came during the league's final year before the NBL and
BAA joined together.
The Kautskys were one of professional basketball's longest-running
early clubs and a founding NBL member. After leaving the NBL they
entered the BAA as the Indianapolis Jets, giving the franchise a place
in both major pre-NBA leagues.
After relocating from Detroit, the Lakers immediately became an NBL
powerhouse behind George Mikan and won the 1948 league championship.
They moved to the BAA the following season and eventually became the
Los Angeles Lakers.
The All-Stars were one of the NBL's most stable and successful
franchises, remaining in the league for its entire existence. Oshkosh
won the 1941 NBL championship and was a frequent postseason contender.
The Raiders spent one season in the NBL, finishing 7-23. The club
continued playing in smaller leagues after leaving the NBL but never
developed into a permanent major professional franchise.
The Royals entered the NBL in 1945 and immediately won the league
championship. After three successful NBL seasons they moved to the BAA,
later won the 1951 NBA championship and eventually became today's
Sacramento Kings.
The Redskins were one of the NBL's longest-lasting small-market clubs.
Sheboygan remained in the league until its final season and became one
of the NBL teams that entered the newly formed NBA for 1949-50.
Syracuse became one of the NBL's strongest late-era franchises before
joining the NBA in 1949. The Nationals later won the 1955 NBA
championship and moved to Philadelphia in 1963 to become the
Philadelphia 76ers.
Sponsored by automobile dealer Jim White Chevrolet, Toledo competed
during the difficult wartime years of the NBL. The club was one of
several corporate-backed Ohio teams that helped keep the league
operating during World War II.
The Jeeps brought NBL basketball back to Toledo after World War II.
They competed for two seasons during the league's increasingly
competitive postwar period.
The Blackhawks evolved from the Buffalo Bisons franchise and played
their home games in the Tri-Cities area of Illinois and Iowa. They
entered the NBA in 1949 and later moved through Milwaukee and
St. Louis before becoming today's
Atlanta Hawks.
This later Buffalo Bisons team lasted only a handful of games in
Buffalo before relocating to the Tri-Cities during the 1946-47 season.
The franchise continued as the Blackhawks and ultimately became the
modern
Atlanta Hawks.
Waterloo joined the NBL for its final season and entered the NBA when
the leagues combined in 1949. The Hawks played one NBA season before
moving to the short-lived National Professional Basketball League.
The Bears represented Youngstown, Ohio, during the first two postwar
NBL seasons. They were one of several Ohio-based teams from an era in
which industrial cities formed the backbone of professional basketball.
NBL Franchises That Survive in the NBA
Although most NBL teams eventually folded, several franchise lines
survived and remain part of the NBA today.
Detroit Gems → Minneapolis Lakers → Los Angeles Lakers
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons → Fort Wayne Pistons → Detroit Pistons
Rochester Royals → Cincinnati Royals → Kansas City-Omaha Kings → Kansas City Kings → Sacramento Kings
Syracuse Nationals → Philadelphia 76ers
Buffalo Bisons → Tri-Cities Blackhawks → Milwaukee Hawks → St. Louis Hawks → Atlanta Hawks
Why the NBL Matters
The NBL is an essential part of professional basketball history.
Teams such as Rochester, Minneapolis, Fort Wayne and Syracuse brought
some of the best players in the country into professional basketball,
while corporate teams such as Firestone, Goodyear and Zollner helped
finance the sport before major arenas and national television made the
NBA a profitable national league.
The NBL also helped establish professional basketball in smaller
Midwestern markets that rarely appear in modern major-league sports.
Cities such as Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Anderson, Waterloo, Kankakee and
Youngstown all played a role in building the professional game.
