American Basketball League (1925–1955)
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The American Basketball League (ABL) was an early professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
league. During six seasons from 1925–26 to 1930–31, the ABL was the first attempt to create a major professional basketball league in the United States.
Joseph Carr Joseph Francis Carr (October 22, 1879 – May 20, 1939) was an American sports executive in American football, baseball, and basketball. He is best known as the president of the National Football League from 1921 until 1939. He was also one of ...
, who was, in 1925, the president of the recently founded, three year old
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
, organized the ABL from nine of the best independent pro teams from the East and the Midwest.David S. Neft and Richard M. Cohen, ''The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Basketball'' (5th Edition) (St. Martin's Press, 1992) pp. 12–18
George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chic ...
of the NFL
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
was the owner of the Chicago Bruins, and department store magnate Max Rosenblum, a part owner of the NFL's
Cleveland Bulldogs The Cleveland Bulldogs were a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922. However, after team owner S ...
, financed the Cleveland Rosenblums. Future NFL (
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
) owner
George Preston Marshall George Preston Marshall (October 11, 1896 – August 9, 1969) was an American businessman best known for founding the Washington Commanders, an American football franchise belonging to the National Football League (NFL). He founded the team as ...
, the owner of a chain of laundries, was owner of the Washington Palace Five. Other teams were the Boston Whirlwinds, Brooklyn Arcadians, Buffalo Bisons, Detroit Pulaski Post Five, Fort Wayne Caseys, and Rochester Centrals. With the exception of 1927–28, the ABL season was divided into two halves, with the winner of the first half playing the winner of the second half for the championship. Five games into the 1926–27 season, the
Original Celtics The Original Celtics were a Barnstorm (sports), barnstorming professional American basketball team. At various times in their existence, the team played in the American Basketball League (1925–55), American Basketball League, the Eastern Basket ...
were admitted to replace the Brooklyn franchise, and won 32 of the remaining 37 games, then shifted to New York the following season. For the 1927–28 season, the ABL had an Eastern (New York, Philadelphia, Rochester and Washington) and Western (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Fort Wayne) division, with the two best teams in each division going to playoffs, and a championship between the playoff winners. Playing in
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
, the
New York Celtics The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional American basketball team. At various times in their existence, the team played in the American Basketball League, the Eastern Basketball League and the Metropolitan Basketball League. The tea ...
had a 40–9 record in the regular season and won the championship. At season's end, the champions were voted out of the league by the other owners. The ABL played three more seasons and then, with only five teams playing at the end of 1930–31, folded during the Great Depression. After more than two years, the league was reorganized in 1933, but as an East Coast league, with teams in Pennsylvania and New York City metro area. The league did take some measures to help modernize the game. One of the major issues that had plagued basketball was players jumping from team to team. To combat this, teams began signing players to contracts. Often these contracts went up to $1,500 per month, which was considerably more than what an average laborer was making at the time ($15 per week). New rules that were implemented included making backboards mandatory, adding a three second lane violation, and implementing foul outs. The ABL also eliminated the double dribble, which was done to encourage many of the game's top college stars to play in the league. The 1925–26 season saw Cleveland, the second half winner, defeat Brooklyn, winner of the first half of the season, three games to none. The Boston Whirlwinds dropped out of the league. The Original Celtics were one of the top teams at the time, but refused to join the ABL, instead opting to be an "at Large" member. This conflict resulted in Boston dropping out, and refusing to take part in the second half of the season. One of the early stars for the league was Cleveland's
Honey Russell John David "Honey" Russell (May 31, 1902 – November 15, 1973) was an American basketball player and coach who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964. He turned professional after his sophomore year of high scho ...
whose 7.4 points was the second highest average in the league. Cleveland drew well, bringing in nearly 10,000 fans a game, while Brooklyn could only draw around 2,000.


1926–27 season

The league knew they had a problem when it came to the Celtics. So the league opted to force the hands of the Celtics ownership. The teams in the league agreed to prohibiting any games against the Celtics, and this left the Celtics with a dilemma. They could either join the American Basketball League, or they could try and schedule games against lesser competition, thus possibly losing out on drawing bigger crowds. In the end, ownership decided that it was worth the draw to join the ABL, so they did. Representing the city of Brooklyn, the team won the league title. They defeated Cleveland, which, despite still being a good team, was not the dominant force that had won the title the year before.
Honey Russell John David "Honey" Russell (May 31, 1902 – November 15, 1973) was an American basketball player and coach who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964. He turned professional after his sophomore year of high scho ...
, without a doubt the team's top star, got into a dispute with owner
Max Rosenblum Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...
, thus leading to his contract being sold to Chicago. Cleveland also lost Vic Hanson, who had been one of the top college stars, but did not like the rough style of the pro level, and also did not care for the overall lack of playing time he was getting. The Celtics represented the borough of Brooklyn, which had been without a team after the
Brooklyn Arcadians The Brooklyn Arcadians were an American basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York, that was a member of the American Basketball League. The team was named after Arcadia Hall, where they played their home games. The team was replaced by the New Yo ...
dropped out of the league. The Celtics assumed Brooklyn's 0–5 start. The league also lost the team in Detroit, which dropped out after a 0–6 start.


1927–28 season

Once again, the ABL placed a team in Detroit, and once again it was a failure. Detroit was 5-13 when it opted to disband on January 3, 1927. The Washington franchise on that same day was shifted to Brooklyn. The Celtics this time represented the city of New York.
Joe Lapchick Joseph Bohomiel Lapchick (April 12, 1900 – August 10, 1970) was an American professional basketball player, mostly known for playing with the Original Celtics in the 1920s and 1930s. He is commonly regarded as the best center of his era, overs ...
,
Nat Holman Nat Holman (October 19, 1896 – February 12, 1995) was an American professional basketball player and college coach. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and is the only coach to lead his team to NCAA and National In ...
, Pete Berry,
Dutch Dehnert Henry G. "Dutch" Dehnert (April 5, 1898 – April 20, 1979) was an American basketball player whose career lasted from 1915 to 1935. Dehnert, a bulky forward born in New York City, New York, is mostly known for his time with the Original Celtic ...
and
Davey Banks Davey may refer to: People * Davey (given name) * Davey (surname) * Edward Davey Dunkle (1872–1941), American Major League Baseball pitcher * Davey Havok (born 1975), stage name of David Marchand, lead vocalist of the rock band AFI Places Ant ...
. They led the
New York Celtics The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional American basketball team. At various times in their existence, the team played in the American Basketball League, the Eastern Basketball League and the Metropolitan Basketball League. The tea ...
to a 40–9 record. The playoffs saw Fort Wayne defeat Cleveland 2 games to 0, and New York defeated Philadelphia 2 games to zero. In the championship series, New York defeated Fort Wayne 3 games to 1. The playoffs would be Philadelphia's last appearance in the league, as the team folded, becoming the third league team to do so.


1928–29 season

During the 1927–28 season, the league divided the league into divisions, Eastern and Western. The 1928–29 season saw the format discarded. The Celtics were dominant, to the point that the league was suffering. The rally cry of "Break up the Celtics" was heeded. Players were dispersed to other teams, and this also resolved an issue for Celtics owner Jim Furey, who had issues with Madison Square Garden management. The arena's owners sought to evict the Celtics, who despite being a dominant team, never drew well at home.''The NBA's Official Encyclopedia of Pro Basketball'' Cleveland, through purchase and trades, ended up with nearly all of the Celtics players on their roster. Cleveland ran away with the title, defeating Fort Wayne four games to none in the playoffs.


1929–30 season

The
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crashed on October 29, 1929. John J. O'Brien the League's president, took the viewpoint that the "
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
" economic / financial slump would not last long, and the ABL continued business as usual. Former Celtics owner Jim Furey had just been released from prison, and put together a new version of the Celtics. However, the players were quickly becoming past their prime, and
Nat Holman Nat Holman (October 19, 1896 – February 12, 1995) was an American professional basketball player and college coach. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and is the only coach to lead his team to NCAA and National In ...
didn't play weekend games because he was a coach for the
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
. However, Cleveland still managed to win the league title, defeated
Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...
and their star player,
Tiny Hearn Tiny may refer to: Kane Places * Tiny, Ontario, a township in Canada * Tiny, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the US * Tiny Glacier, Wyoming, US Computing * Tiny BASIC, a dialect of the computer programming language BASIC * Tiny Encryp ...
a six-foot, nine inch rookie star from
Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
. However, there would never be a dynasty for Cleveland. The stock Market crash took its toll on the ABL. During the 1930–31 season, Max Rosenblum shocked the world of basketball when he announce that his Cleveland team would cease operations. Rosenblum was unable to pay the contracts that he signed his players to.
George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chic ...
at the end of the season, opted to fold his struggling
Chicago Bruins The Chicago Bruins were an American basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Chicago Bears football team owner George Halas, the Bruins were a member of the American Basketball League, a league that also featured other National Football ...
club, and Toledo, which featured three former Celtics stars, Denhert, Lapchick, and Berry, shockingly finished in last place, with a record of four wins, and eleven losses. Fort Wayne defeated Chicago, and lost to Brooklyn in the finals, as Brooklyn won would ultimately be the league's last championship.


American Basketball League teams, 1925/26 to 1930/31

*
Boston Whirlwinds The Boston Whirlwinds were an American basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts that was a member of the American Basketball League. The team started its only season playing in the Boston Arena, then downgraded their venue first to Mechanic ...
(1925/26, expelled after 1st half) *
Brooklyn Arcadians The Brooklyn Arcadians were an American basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York, that was a member of the American Basketball League. The team was named after Arcadia Hall, where they played their home games. The team was replaced by the New Yo ...
(1925/26–26/27, replaced by
New York Celtics The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional American basketball team. At various times in their existence, the team played in the American Basketball League, the Eastern Basketball League and the Metropolitan Basketball League. The tea ...
after 5 games) *
Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...
(1925/26) *
Chicago Bruins The Chicago Bruins were an American basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Chicago Bears football team owner George Halas, the Bruins were a member of the American Basketball League, a league that also featured other National Football ...
(1925/26–30/31) *
Cleveland Rosenblums The Cleveland Rosenblums (also known as the ''Rosies'') were an American basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio that was one of the original members of the American Basketball League. The Rosenblums played in the league between 1925–1930, win ...
(1925/26–30/31, also known as the ''Rosies'') *
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
(1925/26–26/27, as ''Detroit Pulaski Post Five'' in 1925/26 and at beginning of 1926/27; dropped out after 6 games) *
Fort Wayne Hoosiers The Fort Wayne Hoosiers (originally the Fort Wayne Major Hoosiers) were an American basketball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that was a member of the American Basketball League (1925-1955), American Basketball League. Year-by-year See also< ...
(1925/26–30/31, as ''Fort Wayne Caseys'' in 1925/26) *
Rochester Centrals The Rochester Centrals were an American basketball team based in Rochester, New York that was a member of the American Basketball League. They played at the Main Street Armory The Main Street Armory is a multi-purpose arena located at 900 Ea ...
(1925/26–30/31) * Washington Palace Five (1925/26–27/28, also known as the ''Laundrymen''; dropped out in January 1928 and replaced by
Brooklyn Visitations The Brooklyn Visitations (also known as the Triangles) were an American basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, m ...
) *
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
(1926/27) *
New York Celtics The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional American basketball team. At various times in their existence, the team played in the American Basketball League, the Eastern Basketball League and the Metropolitan Basketball League. The tea ...
(1926/27–27/28, 1929/30, 1937/38, also known as the ''Original Celtics''; as ''Brooklyn Celtics'' in 1926/27; dropped out in December 1929) *
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 ...
(1926/27–28/29, also known as the ''Quakers''; as ''Philadelphia Phillies'' in 1926/27) *
Brooklyn Visitations The Brooklyn Visitations (also known as the Triangles) were an American basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, m ...
(1927/28–30/31) * Detroit Cardinals (1927/28, also known as the ''Olympians''; dropped out in January 1928) * New York Hakoahs (1928/29) *
Paterson Crescents The Paterson Whirlwinds were an American basketball team based in Paterson, New Jersey that was a member of the American Basketball League. After their first season, the team became known as the Paterson Crescents. During the 1st half of the 19 ...
(1928/29–30/31, as ''Paterson Whirlwinds'' in 1928/29; dropped out in December 1930) *
Trenton Bengals The Trenton Bengals was the name given to two separate teams in the American Basketball League, the first professional basketball league in the United States. Trenton Bengals/Royal Bengals The Trenton Bengals (also known as the ''Royal Bengals'') ...
(1928/29, also known as the ''Royal Bengals'') *
Syracuse All-Americans The Syracuse All-Americans were an American basketball team based in Syracuse, New York that was a member of the American Basketball League. In their only season, the team dropped out of the league during the first half on January 6, 1930, and fo ...
(1930/31, dropped out in January 1931) * Toledo Red Men Tobaccos (1930/31)


American Basketball League teams, 1933/34 to 1954/55

* Bronx Americans (1933/34) *
Brooklyn Visitations The Brooklyn Visitations (also known as the Triangles) were an American basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, m ...
(1933/34–38/39, as
Paterson Visitations The Paterson Visitations (also known as the ''Triangles'') were an American basketball team based in Paterson, New Jersey that was a member of the American Basketball League. Before the 1936–1937 season the Brooklyn Visitations The Brook ...
in 1936/37; moved to Brooklyn in November 1936) *
Jersey Reds Jersey Reds is a rugby club based in Jersey, Channel Islands that currently competes at the RFU Championship, which is the second tier of English professional rugby. Until season 2022/23, the professional arm of Jersey Reds was part of Jers ...
(1933/34–39/40, as
Union City Reds The Union City Reds was an American basketball team based in Union City, New Jersey Union City is a city in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census the city had a total populat ...
in 1933/34; merged into
New York Jewels The New York Jewels were an American basketball team based in New York, New York that was a member of the American Basketball League. The team was previously known as the Brooklyn Jewels. For the 2nd half of the 1936/37, the team was renamed the ...
in January 1940) * New Britain Mules (1933/34–34/35, as Hoboken Thourots in 1933/34; moved to Camden in November 1933; as Camden Brewers in 1933/34; taken over and moved to New Britain in January 1934; as ''New Britain Palaces'' in 1933/34; as ''New Britain Jackaways'' in 1934/35; merged with Newark Mules to form ''New Britain Mules'' for the 2nd half of 1934/35) *
New York Jewels The New York Jewels were an American basketball team based in New York, New York that was a member of the American Basketball League. The team was previously known as the Brooklyn Jewels. For the 2nd half of the 1936/37, the team was renamed the ...
(1933/34–42/43, as
Brooklyn Jewels The Brooklyn Jewels (also known as the ''Triangles'') were an American basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York that was a member of the Metropolitan Basketball League and the American Basketball League. After the 1933/34 season the team bec ...
in 1933/34; as ''New York Jewels'' in 1934/35–36/37; renamed
Brooklyn Jewels The Brooklyn Jewels (also known as the ''Triangles'') were an American basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York that was a member of the Metropolitan Basketball League and the American Basketball League. After the 1933/34 season the team bec ...
for 2nd half of 1936/37; as
New Haven Jewels The New York Jewels were an American basketball team based in New York, New York that was a member of the American Basketball League. The team was previously known as the Brooklyn Jewels. For the 2nd half of the 1936/37, the team was renamed the ...
in 1937/38; moved to New York in November 1937 and renamed ''New York Jewels''; absorbed
Jersey Reds Jersey Reds is a rugby club based in Jersey, Channel Islands that currently competes at the RFU Championship, which is the second tier of English professional rugby. Until season 2022/23, the professional arm of Jersey Reds was part of Jers ...
in January 1940; dropped out in 1st half of 1941/42) * Newark Mules (1933/34–34/35, as ''Newark Bears'' in 1933/34; also known as ''Newark Joe Fays'' in 1933/34; merged with ''New Britain Jackaways'' for the 2nd half of 1934/35 to become the New Britain Mules) *
Philadelphia SPHAs The Philadelphia Sphas, also stylized SPHAs or SPHAS, were an American basketball franchise that existed in professional, semi-professional, and exhibition forms. They played their home games in the ballroom of Philadelphia's Broadwood Hotel. The ...
(1933/34–48/49, also known as the ''Hebrews'') * Trenton Moose (1933/34) *
Boston Trojans The Boston Trojans were an American basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts that was a member of the American Basketball League. Year-by-year Notable players Notable players with the Original Celtics include: *Lou Bender (1910–2009), p ...
(1934/35) *
Kingston Colonials The Kingston Colonials were an American basketball team based in Kingston, New Jersey Kingston is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) along the border of South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County and Franklin T ...
(1935/36–39/40, merged with
Troy Celtics The Troy Haymakers were an American basketball team based in Troy, New York, that was a member of the American Basketball League. After its first season the team became known as the Troy Celtics. During the first half of the 1939/40 season, the t ...
in December 1939) * Passaic Red Devils (1935/36, also known as the ''Reds''; as
Paterson Panthers The Passaic Red Devils (also known as the ''Reds'') were an American basketball team based in the Bronx, New York that was a member of the American Basketball League. The team was previously known as the Trenton Bengals The Trenton Bengals was t ...
in 1935/36; moved to Trenton in December 1935; as
Trenton Bengals The Trenton Bengals was the name given to two separate teams in the American Basketball League, the first professional basketball league in the United States. Trenton Bengals/Royal Bengals The Trenton Bengals (also known as the ''Royal Bengals'') ...
in 1935/36; moved to Passaic for 2nd half of 1935/36) *
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
(1937/38, as Bronx Yankees in 1937/38; renamed ''New York Yankees'' during 1937/38; dropped out in January 1938) *''Troy Haymakers'' (1938/39 ; as
Troy Celtics The Troy Haymakers were an American basketball team based in Troy, New York, that was a member of the American Basketball League. After its first season the team became known as the Troy Celtics. During the first half of the 1939/40 season, the t ...
in 1939/40–40/41 absorbed
Kingston Colonials The Kingston Colonials were an American basketball team based in Kingston, New Jersey Kingston is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) along the border of South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County and Franklin T ...
in December 1939; moved to Brooklyn during 1st half of 1940/41 to become Brooklyn Celtics) * Washington Brewers (1938/39–41/42, as ''Washington Heurichs'' in 1938/39, as ''Washington Heurich Brewers'' in 1939–40) *
Wilkes-Barre Barons The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Barons played between 1933 and 1980 in different American leagues. The team won 11 titles during this time, including while playing in the American Basketball ...
(1938/39–39/40, dropped out in February 1940) *
Trenton Tigers The Trenton Tigers were an American basketball team based in Trenton, New Jersey that was a member of the American Basketball League. In the 1946/47 season, the team made it to the championship playoffs where they were to meet the Baltimore Bu ...
(1941/42–49/50) * Wilmington Blue Bombers (1941/42) *
Brooklyn Indians The Brooklyn Indians were an American basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York that was a member of the American Basketball League. The team was previously known as the Camden Indians. The team moved to Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough ...
(1942/43–43/44, as Camden Indians in 1942/43; moved to Brooklyn in January 1943; dropped out during 1st half of 1943/44) *
Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...
(1942/43) *
New York Americans The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
(1943/44) *
Wilmington Bombers The Wilmington Blue Bombers were an American basketball team based in Wilmington, Delaware. They were a member of the American Basketball League. The Blue Bombers are largely remembered for a scandal involving importing points from other games i ...
(1943/44–46/47) * Baltimore Bullets (1944/45–46/47) joined 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 ...
* Brooklyn Gothams (1944/45–48/49, as Westchester Indians in 1944/45; moved to New York in January 1945; as
New York Gothams The New York Giants were a Major League Baseball team in the National League that began play in the season as the New York Gothams and were renamed in . They continued as the New York Giants until the team relocated to San Francisco, Californ ...
in 1944/45–45/46) *
Paterson Crescents The Paterson Whirlwinds were an American basketball team based in Paterson, New Jersey that was a member of the American Basketball League. After their first season, the team became known as the Paterson Crescents. During the 1st half of the 19 ...
(1944/45–50/51, as Washington Capitols in 1944/45; moved to Paterson in January 1945) * Hartford Hurricanes (1946/47–49/50, as Elizabeth Braves in 1946/47–47/48; moved to Hartford in December 1947) *
Scranton Miners The Scranton Miners, known as the Scranton Apollos from 1970 to 1977, were a professional basketball team based in Scranton, Pennsylvania that was a member of the American Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association. Arthur Pacht ...
(1946/47–52/53, as Jersey City Atoms in 1946/47–47/48; moved to Scranton in January 1948) *
Troy Celtics The Troy Haymakers were an American basketball team based in Troy, New York, that was a member of the American Basketball League. After its first season the team became known as the Troy Celtics. During the first half of the 1939/40 season, the t ...
(1946/47) * Yonkers Chiefs (1946/47, as Newark Bobcats in 1946/47; moved to Yonkers during 1946/47; dropped out during 1946/47 season) * Lancaster Roses (1947/48, franchise terminated in December 1947) *
Wilkes-Barre Barons The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Barons played between 1933 and 1980 in different American leagues. The team won 11 titles during this time, including while playing in the American Basketball ...
(1947/48–52/53) * Bridgeport Roesslers (1948/49–51/52, as ''Bridgeport Newfield Steelers'' in 1948/49; as ''Bridgeport Aer-A-Sols'' in 1949/50) * Glens Falls-Saratoga (1949/50–52/53, as
New York Harlem Yankees Glens Falls-Saratoga, also known as Schenectady Yankees, Saratoga Harlem Yankees and New York Harlem Yankees was an American professional basketball team based in several New York State locations. It was a member of the American Basketball League ...
in 1949/50; as Saratoga Harlem Yankees 1950/51-51/52; moved to Schenectady during 1951/52; as Schenectady Yankees in 1951/52; moved to Saratoga during 1951/52; as Saratoga Harlem Yankees in 1951/52; dropped out in February 1953) *
Schenectady Packers The Schenectady Packers were an American basketball team based in Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 6 ...
(1949/50, dropped out in November 1949) * Carbondale Aces (1950/51) * Utica Pros (1950/51) *
Elmira Colonels The Elmira Colonels (also known as the ''Rosies'') were an American basketball team based in Elmira, New York that was a member of the American Basketball League (1925-1955), American Basketball League. It is, to date, the only major league sports ...
(1951/52–52/53) * Manchester British-Americans (1951/52–52/53) * Middletown Guards Mike Lee averaged 43.2 points in 1952 for the Guards (1952/53) * Pawtucket Slaters (1952/53)


League championships


Season scoring leaders

The American Basketball League's (ABL) scoring title was awarded to the player with the most total points in a given season.


References

* David S. Neft and Richard M. Cohen, ''The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Basketball'' (5th Edition) (St. Martin's Press, 1992)


Citations


External links


ABL yearly standings
– Association of Professional Basketball Research {{DEFAULTSORT:American Basketball League (1925-1955) American Basketball League (1925–1955), Sports leagues established in 1925 Sports leagues disestablished in 1955 Defunct basketball leagues in the United States