The 1947–48 BAA season was the second season of the

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Ba ...

. The 1948 BAA Playoffs ended with the Baltimore Bullets winning the BAA Championship, beating the

Philadelphia Warriors The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden St ...

in 6 games in the BAA Finals. Although not celebrated at the time, this season was historic, with

Wataru Misaka Wataru Misaka (December 21, 1923 – November 20, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. A point guard of Japanese descent, he broke a color barrier in professional basketball by being the first non-white player and the first p ...

of the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

becoming the first person of color to play in modern professional basketball. The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history so the 1947–48 BAA season is considered the second NBA season.

Notable occurrences

Preseason events

Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Toronto folded before the season started, leaving the BAA with only seven teams. (All cities except Pittsburgh would get new NBA teams in future years.) The Baltimore Bullets were brought into the league from the American Basketball League to provide a more convenient number, eight.

Final standings

Eastern Division

Western Division

Playoffs

Statistics leaders

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

BAA awards

*All-BAA First Team **C

Ed Sadowski Edward Roman Sadowski (January 19, 1931 – November 6, 1993) was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played in all or part of four seasons between and for the Boston Red Sox (1960), Los Angeles Angels (1961–1963) and Atlanta Braves (196 ...

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

**F

Joe Fulks Joseph Franklin "Jumping Joe" Fulks (October 26, 1921 – March 21, 1976) was an American professional basketball player, sometimes called "the first of the high-scoring forwards". He was posthumously enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball ...

**F

Howie Dallmar Howard Dallmar (May 24, 1922 – December 19, 1991) was an American professional basketball player and coach. A forward from San Francisco, California, Dallmar played collegiately at Stanford University. He led Stanford to the 1942 NCAA Champio ...

, Philadelphia Warriors **F

Bob Feerick Robert Joseph Feerick (January 2, 1920 – June 8, 1976) was an American professional basketball player, coach and general manager. He was born in San Francisco, California. Playing career A 6'3" guard from Santa Clara University, Feerick played ...

Washington Capitols The Washington Capitols were a former Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1951. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerbach ...

**G

Max Zaslofsky Max "Slats" Zaslofsky (December 7, 1925 – October 15, 1985) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was first-team All-NBA in the league's first four seasons. In the 1947–48 BAA season, at 21 years of age, he led the BAA ...

Chicago Stags The Chicago Stags were a National Basketball Association team based in Chicago from 1946 to 1950. History 1946–47 season In the BAA's inaugural year, the Chicago Stags were placed in the Western Division, and after 60 games were tied with the ...

*All-BAA Second Team **G

Buddy Jeannette Harry Edward "Buddy" Jeannette (September 15, 1917 – March 11, 1998) was an American professional basketball player and coach. Jeannette was widely regarded as the premier backcourt player between 1938 and 1948. He was named to the First T ...

, Baltimore Bullets **C

Stan Miasek Stanley Miasek (August 8, 1924 – October 18, 1989) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'5" forward, Miasek played six seasons (1946–1950; 1951–1953) in the Basketball Association of America and National Basketball Associa ...

**G Carl Braun,

**G

Fred Scolari Fred Joseph Scolari (March 1, 1922 – October 17, 2002) was an American professional basketball player. At 5'10", he played the point guard position. Though he was blind in one eye, deaf in one ear and often overweight, "Fat Freddie" excelled ...

**G John Logan,

St. Louis Bombers The St. Louis Bombers were a National Basketball Association team based in St. Louis from 1946 to 1950. Franchise history The St. Louis Bombers were originally part of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946. The BAA merged wit ...

* BAA Rookie of the Year **F/G Paul Hoffman, Baltimore Bullets

Notes

References

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