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World Professional Basketball Tournament
The World Professional Basketball Tournament was an
annual invitational basketball tournament held in Chicago, Illinois.
Sponsored by the Chicago Herald-American, the event
was played from 1939 through 1948 and was one of the
most important professional basketball tournaments of the pre-NBA era.
The tournament champion was widely promoted as a world professional
basketball champion.
Many participating teams came from the
National Basketball League (NBL), but the tournament
also featured teams from other professional leagues and prominent
independent barnstorming clubs. Among the best-known independent teams
were the New York Renaissance (Rens) and the
Harlem Globetrotters.
Tournament games were played at several major Chicago venues,
including the Chicago Coliseum,
International Amphitheatre and
Chicago Stadium.
The newly formed Basketball Association of America (BAA)
did not send teams to the tournament. However, several franchises that
later played in the BAA or NBA appeared in the tournament during their
earlier histories, including the Fort Wayne Pistons, Sheboygan
Redskins, Indianapolis Kautskys, Anderson Packers, Tri-Cities
Blackhawks, Baltimore Bullets and Minneapolis Lakers.
Team names could also change because professional clubs of this era
were frequently sponsored by local companies. For example, the
Toledo Jeeps also appeared under names such as the
Toledo White Huts and Toledo Whites.
The tournament produced champions from several different backgrounds.
The New York Rens won the inaugural tournament in 1939, the Harlem
Globetrotters won in 1940, and the Washington Bears won in 1943.
NBL clubs won the remaining tournaments.
The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons were the tournament's
most successful champions, winning three consecutive titles from
1944 through 1946. The Oshkosh All-Stars reached the
championship round five times and won the tournament in 1942.
The final World Professional Basketball Tournament was held in
1948. An attempt to organize a similar professional
tournament in 1949 did not materialize. Later that year, the BAA and
NBL merged to form the modern National Basketball Association.
Tournament Finals and MVPs
| Year |
Champion |
Score |
Runner-Up |
Tournament MVP |
| 1939 |
New York Rens |
34-25 |
Oshkosh All-Stars
|
Puggy Bell, New York Rens |
| 1940 |
Harlem Globetrotters |
31-29 |
Chicago Bruins
|
Sonny Boswell, Harlem Globetrotters |
| 1941 |
Detroit Eagles
|
39-37 |
Oshkosh All-Stars
|
Buddy Jeannette,
Detroit Eagles
|
| 1942 |
Oshkosh All-Stars
|
43-41 |
Detroit Eagles
|
Ed Riska,
Oshkosh All-Stars
|
| 1943 |
Washington Bears |
43-31 |
Oshkosh All-Stars
|
Curly Armstrong,
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
|
| 1944 |
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
|
50-33 |
Brooklyn Eagles |
Bobby McDermott,
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
|
| 1945 |
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
|
78-52 |
Dayton Acmes |
Buddy Jeannette,
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
|
| 1946 |
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
|
73-57 |
Oshkosh All-Stars
|
George Mikan,
Chicago American Gears
|
| 1947 |
Indianapolis Kautskys
|
62-47 |
Toledo Jeeps
|
Jule Rivlin,
Toledo Jeeps
|
| 1948 |
Minneapolis Lakers
|
75-71 |
New York Rens |
George Mikan,
Minneapolis Lakers
|
WPBT Team Records
The table below preserves the cumulative tournament records from the
original NBAHoopsOnline page. Some teams competed under multiple names
or sponsorships, which are grouped together where appropriate.
| Team |
Appearances |
Games |
Wins |
Losses |
1st |
2nd |
League |
| New York Rens-Washington Bears | 10 | 28 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 1 | Independent |
|
Oshkosh All-Stars
|
9 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 4 | NBL |
|
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
|
8 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 0 | NBL |
| Sheboygan Redskins | 8 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | NBL |
| Harlem Globetrotters | 7 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 0 | Independent |
|
Indianapolis Kautskys
|
5 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | NBL |
| Chicago Bruins-Ramblers | 4 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | NBL |
| Toledo White Huts-Whites-Jeeps | 4 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | NBL |
| Detroit Eagles | 3 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | NBL |
| Anderson Chiefs-Duffey Packers | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | NBL |
| Midland Dow Chemicals | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | NBL |
| Chicago American Gears | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | NBL |
| Long Island Grumman Flyers/Hellcats | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ? |
| Dayton Acmes-Mickeys | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | ? |
| Tri-Cities Blackhawks | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | NBL |
| Baltimore Bullets | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ABL |
| Minneapolis Lakers | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NBL |
| Brooklyn Eagles | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ABL |
| Washington Heurich Brewers | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ? |
Twenty-seven teams entered the tournament in various years without
winning a game, while eight other teams recorded one victory.
The famous New York Celtics participated in the
inaugural 1939 tournament but lost their only game. The
Philadelphia Sphas went 1-1 in their only tournament
appearance in 1941.
Year-by-Year WPBT Results
1939 World Professional Basketball Tournament
1st Place: New York Rens 34, Oshkosh All-Stars 25
MVP: Puggy Bell (New York Rens)
Leading Championship Game Scorers:
Pop Gates (New York Rens) — 12
Leroy Edwards (Oshkosh All-Stars) — 12
3rd Place: Harlem Globetrotters 36, Sheboygan Redskins 33
5th Place: New York Yankees, Chicago Harmons, New York Celtics
8th Place: Fort Wayne Harvesters, Benton Harbor House of David,
Illinois Grads, Clarksburg Oilers
1940 World Professional Basketball Tournament
1st Place: Harlem Globetrotters 31, Chicago Bruins 29
MVP: Sonny Boswell (Harlem Globetrotters)
Leading Championship Game Scorers:
Sonny Boswell (Harlem Globetrotters) — 12
Mike Novak (Chicago Bruins) — 7
3rd Place: Washington Heurich Brewers 41, Syracuse Reds 30
5th Place: Sheboygan Redskins, Waterloo Wonders,
Oshkosh All-Stars, New York Rens
9th Place: Fort Wayne Harvesters, Rochester Seagrams,
Kenosha Royals, Canton Bulldogs, Benton Harbor House of David,
Clarksburg Oilers
1941 World Professional Basketball Tournament
1st Place: Detroit Eagles 39, Oshkosh All-Stars 37
MVP: Buddy Jeannette (Detroit Eagles)
Leading Championship Game Scorers:
Ed Sadowski (Detroit Eagles) — 11
Bob Carpenter (Oshkosh All-Stars) — 8
3rd Place: New York Rens 57, Toledo White Huts 42
5th Place: Chicago Bruins, Kenosha Royals,
Harlem Globetrotters, Philadelphia Sphas
9th Place: Davenport Central Turner Rockets,
Indianapolis Kautskys, Newark Elks, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons,
Dayton Sucher Wonders, Rochester Seagrams, Sheboygan Redskins,
Bismarck Phantoms
1942 World Professional Basketball Tournament
1st Place: Oshkosh All-Stars 43, Detroit Eagles 41
MVP: Ed Riska (Oshkosh All-Stars)
Leading Championship Game Scorers:
Gene Englund (Oshkosh All-Stars) — 17
Buddy Jeannette (Detroit Eagles) — 14
3rd Place: Long Island Grumman Flyers 43,
Harlem Globetrotters 41
5th Place: Aberdeen Army Ordnance Training Center,
Sheboygan Redskins, Chicago Bruins, New York Rens
9th Place: Detroit A.A.A., Columbus Bobb Chevrolets,
Northern Indiana Steelers, Davenport Central Turner Rockets,
Toledo White Huts, Hagerstown Conoco Oilers, Indianapolis Kautskys,
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
1943 World Professional Basketball Tournament
1st Place: Washington D.C. Bears 43, Oshkosh All-Stars 31
MVP: Curly Armstrong (Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons)
Leading Championship Game Scorers:
Johnny Isaacs (Washington D.C. Bears) — 11
Leroy Edwards (Oshkosh All-Stars) — 7
3rd Place: Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 58,
Dayton Dive Bombers 52
5th Place: Detroit Eagles, Sheboygan Redskins,
Harlem Globetrotters, Minneapolis Sparklers
9th Place: Akron Collegians, Indianapolis Pure Oils,
Chicago Ramblers, South Bend Studebaker Champions
1944 World Professional Basketball Tournament
1st Place: Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 50,
Brooklyn Eagles 33
MVP: Bobby McDermott (Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons)
Leading Championship Game Scorers:
Jake Pellington (Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons) — 19
Bob Tough & Bernie Opper (Brooklyn Eagles) — 11
3rd Place: Harlem Globetrotters 37,
New York Rens 29
5th Place: Dayton Aviators, Cleveland Chase Brassmen,
Sheboygan Redskins, Oshkosh All-Stars
9th Place: Akron Collegians, Camp Campbell Tankmen,
Detroit Suffrins, Indianapolis Pure Oils, Rochester Wings,
Pittsburgh Corbetts
1945 World Professional Basketball Tournament
1st Place: Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 78,
Dayton Acmes 52
MVP: Buddy Jeannette (Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons)
Leading Championship Game Scorers:
Buddy Jeannette (Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons) — 18
John Mahnken (Dayton Acmes) — 16
3rd Place: Chicago American Gears 64,
New York Rens 55
5th Place: Oshkosh All-Stars, Pittsburgh Raiders,
Midland Dow Chemicals, Harlem Globetrotters
9th Place: Hartford Nutmegs, Detroit Mansfields,
Indianapolis Oilers, Cleveland Allmen Transfers, Newark C-O Twos,
Long Island Grumman Hellcats
1946 World Professional Basketball Tournament
Championship Series:
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 73, Oshkosh All-Stars 57
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 56, Oshkosh All-Stars 47
Oshkosh All-Stars 61, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 59
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons won the championship series,
2 games to 1.
MVP: George Mikan (Chicago American Gears)
Leading Championship Game Scorers:
Bobby McDermott (Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons) — 20
Leroy Edwards (Oshkosh All-Stars) — 24
3rd Place Series:
Chicago American Gears 65, Baltimore Bullets 50
Chicago American Gears 59, Baltimore Bullets 54
Chicago American Gears won the series, 2 games to 0.
5th Place: New York Rens, Sheboygan Redskins,
Midland Dows, Anderson Chiefs
9th Place: Pittsburgh Raiders,
Cleveland Allmen Transfers, Indianapolis Kautskys,
Detroit Mansfields, Toledo Whites, Dayton Mickeys
1947 World Professional Basketball Tournament
1st Place: Indianapolis Kautskys 62, Toledo Jeeps 47
MVP: Jule Rivlin (Toledo Jeeps)
Leading Championship Game Scorers:
Leo Klier (Indianapolis Kautskys) — 12
George Sobek (Toledo Jeeps) — 20
3rd Place: Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 86,
Oshkosh All-Stars 67
5th Place: Sheboygan Redskins, Tri-Cities Blackhawks,
Anderson Duffey Packers, Midland Dows
9th Place: Herkimer Mohawk Redskins,
Pittsburgh Pirates, Syracuse Nationals, Portland Indians,
New York Rens, Baltimore Bullets
1948 World Professional Basketball Tournament
1st Place: Minneapolis Lakers 75, New York Rens 71
MVP: George Mikan (Minneapolis Lakers)
Leading Championship Game Scorers:
George Mikan (Minneapolis Lakers) — 40
Sweetwater Clifton (New York Rens) — 24
3rd Place: Anderson Duffey Packers 66,
Tri-Cities Blackhawks 44
5th Place: Bridgeport Newfield Steelers,
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, Indianapolis Kautskys,
Wilkes-Barre Barons
WPBT Historical Significance
The World Professional Basketball Tournament provides an important
bridge between the barnstorming era and the formation of the modern
NBA. It allowed established league teams and independent clubs to meet
in meaningful competition at a time when professional basketball was
divided among several leagues and regional circuits.
The tournament also preserved matchups involving some of the most
important teams and players of the era, including the New York Rens,
Harlem Globetrotters, Oshkosh All-Stars, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons,
George Mikan, Bobby McDermott, Buddy Jeannette, Leroy Edwards and
Sweetwater Clifton.
Its final tournament in 1948 was won by the Minneapolis Lakers,
who also captured the NBL championship that season and would soon
become one of the foundational franchises of the NBA.
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