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About the PBLA
The Professional Basketball League of America was
formed in 1947 as an ambitious rival to the established professional
basketball leagues of the era. The league included 16 teams spread
across two divisions.
The PBLA's best-known team was the Chicago American Gears,
who entered the league after winning the 1947 National Basketball
League championship. Led by George Mikan, Chicago
started the PBLA season with an 8-0 record.
The league folded in November 1947, less than a month after beginning
play. Because the season ended so quickly, PBLA records are based on
a very small number of games.
Most Points in One Game — Individual
| Rank |
Player |
Team |
Points |
Opponent |
Date |
| 1 |
George Mikan |
Chicago |
31 |
New Orleans |
November 7, 1947 |
| 2 |
Colby Gunther |
Atlanta |
30 |
St. Joseph |
October 30, 1947 |
| 3 |
Paul Seymour |
New Orleans |
29 |
Chattanooga |
October 31, 1947 |
| 3 |
George Mikan |
Chicago |
29 |
Springfield |
November 10, 1947 |
| 5 |
George Mikan |
Chicago |
28 |
St. Joseph |
November 2, 1947 |
| 5 |
George Mikan |
Chicago |
28 |
Omaha |
November 3, 1947 |
| 7 |
Bob McDermott |
Chicago |
25 |
St. Joseph |
November 2, 1947 |
| 7 |
Bruce Hale |
St. Paul |
25 |
Springfield |
November 3, 1947 |
| 7 |
Billy Joe Hanks |
Springfield |
25 |
Birmingham |
November 5, 1947 |
| 7 |
Elmore Morgenthaler |
Birmingham |
25 |
Springfield |
November 8, 1947 |
| 7 |
George Ratkovicz |
Grand Rapids |
25 |
New Orleans |
November 8, 1947 |
Most Points in One Game — Team
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
Opponent |
Date |
| 1 |
Chicago Gears |
97 |
New Orleans |
November 7, 1947 |
| 2 |
Chicago Gears |
82 |
Waterloo |
November 1, 1947 |
| 3 |
Chicago Gears |
80 |
St. Joseph |
November 2, 1947 |
| 4 |
St. Paul Saints |
76 |
St. Joseph |
November 10, 1947 |
| 5 |
New Orleans Hurricanes |
75 |
Chattanooga |
October 31, 1947 |
| 5 |
Chicago Gears |
75 |
Chattanooga |
November 10, 1947 |
Fewest Points in One Game — Team
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
Opponent |
Date |
| 1 |
Tulsa Ranchers |
30 |
Oklahoma City |
November 10, 1947 |
| 2 |
Springfield Squires |
33 |
Tulsa |
November 2, 1947 |
| 3 |
Grand Rapids Rangers |
34 |
Oklahoma City |
October 27, 1947 |
| 3 |
Kansas City Blues |
34 |
St. Joseph |
November 3, 1947 |
| 3 |
St. Paul Saints |
34 |
Tulsa |
November 12, 1947 |
Largest Margin of Victory
| Rank |
Winner |
Score |
Loser |
Margin |
Date |
| 1 |
Chicago |
97-65 |
New Orleans |
32 |
November 7, 1947 |
| 2 |
Chicago |
82-56 |
Waterloo |
26 |
November 1, 1947 |
| 3 |
Chicago |
74-52 |
Omaha |
22 |
November 3, 1947 |
| 4 |
Springfield |
57-36 |
Louisville |
21 |
October 30, 1947 |
| 5 |
St. Paul |
76-57 |
St. Joseph |
19 |
November 10, 1947 |
PBLA Record Notes
George Mikan owns the highest individual scoring
performance listed for the PBLA, scoring 31 points for Chicago against
New Orleans on November 7, 1947.
Chicago also owns the highest team total listed on this page with
97 points in the same game. The Gears defeated the
New Orleans Hurricanes 97-65, a 32-point margin.
Chicago appears throughout the PBLA record book because the Gears
dominated their brief schedule, winning all eight games they played
before the league folded.
Because the PBLA ceased operations before completing its first season,
these records reflect only the games that were played before the
league's collapse in November 1947.
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