The Cleveland Rebels were a

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 ...

team in 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 ...

(BAA), a forerunner of the modern

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA), based in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Franchise history

The Rebels were an inaugural franchise in the BAA's first season. In their only season, the team went 30–30, finishing 3rd in the Western Division and losing in the first round of the playoffs, two games to one to the

New York Knickerbockers The New York Knickerbockers were one of the first organized baseball teams which played under a set of rules similar to the game today. Founded as the "Knickerbocker Base Ball Club" by Alexander Cartwright in 1845, the team remained active unti ...

, in its only season before going out of business. The Rebels included notable early pro stars Big

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 ...

and

Kenny Sailors Kenneth Lloyd Sailors (January 14, 1921 – January 30, 2016) was an American professional basketball player active in the 1940s and early 1950s. A guard, he is notable for inventing the jump shot as an alternative to the two-handed, flat-footed ...

. Cleveland would not have another team in what would become the NBA until the

Cavaliers The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...

joined the league in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

. , - !colspan=6, Cleveland Rebels (BAA) , - , 1946–47 , , 30 , , 30 , , .500 , , Lost First Round , , New York 2, Cleveland 1 , -

All-time roster

The following players are the all-time roster of the Cleveland Rebels. *

Frank Baumholtz Frank Conrad Baumholtz (October 7, 1918 – December 14, 1997) was an American professional baseball and basketball player. He was an outfielder for Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds (1947–49), Chicago Cubs (1949 and 1951–55) and Phi ...

* Leon Brown * Ken Corley * Ned Endress *

Bob Faught Robert Edward Faught (September 2, 1921 – April 23, 2002) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Cleveland Rebels of the Basketball Association of America (now known as the National Basketball Association). High ...

Kleggie Hermsen Clarence Henry "Kleggie" Hermsen (March 12, 1923 – March 2, 1994) was an American professional basketball player. A 6-foot-9 center from the University of Minnesota, Hermsen began his professional career with the Sheboygan Red Skins of th ...

Pete Lalich Peter Todd Lalich (June 23, 1920 – February 1, 2008) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Cleveland Rebels of the Basketball Association of America (now known as the National Basketball Association). High school ca ...

* Hank Lefkowitz *

Leo Mogus Leo John Mogus (April 13, 1921 – May 31, 1971) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'4" forward/center, Mogus played at Youngstown State University from 1939 to 1943, where he scored 1,400 points. Mogus also played football at t ...

George Nostrand George Thomas Nostrand (January 25, 1924 – November 8, 1981) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'8" (2.03 m) forward/center from High Point University (1941–1944) and the University of Wyoming (1944–1945), Nostrand pla ...

Mel Riebe Melvin Russell Riebe (July 12, 1916 – July 25, 1977) was an American professional basketball player. A 5'11" guard-forward who also played minor league baseball in the Cleveland Indians' organization, Riebe played professionally in both the Na ...

Irv Rothenberg Irwin Paul Rothenberg (December 31, 1921 – July 18, 2009) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Cleveland Rebels, Washington Capitols, Baltimore Bullets, St. Louis Bombers, and New York Knicks of the Basketbal ...

Ben Scharnus Benedict Michael Scharnus (December 11, 1917 - March 19, 1982) was a professional basketball player. He played for the Cleveland Rebels and the Providence Steamrollers of the Basketball Association of America (now known as the National Basketba ...

Dick Schulz Richard A. Schulz (January 3, 1917 – June 26, 1998) was an American professional basketball player. Schulz attended Washington Park High School in Racine, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 1936–37 se ...

Nick Shaback Nicholas Shaback (September 10, 1918 – January 5, 2010) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Cleveland Rebels in the Basketball Association of America during the 1946–47 season. He was a 5'11" (1.80 m), 180 ...

Ray Wertis Raymond A. Wertis (January 1, 1922 – January 19, 2006) was a professional basketball player. He played for the Cleveland Rebels, Toronto Huskies, and Providence Steamrollers of the Basketball Association of America (now known as the National B ...

Coaches and others

The following two coaches are the only two coaches of the Cleveland Rebels. *

Roy Clifford Roy A. Clifford (June 14, 1900 – June 12, 1996) was the 2nd head coach of the Cleveland Rebels. Clifford grew up in Lansing, Michigan graduating from Western Michigan University, known then as Western State Normal School, in 1924. That Septe ...

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 ...

References

{{NBAdefunct Rebels Defunct National Basketball Association teams Basketball Association of America teams Basketball teams established in 1946 Basketball teams disestablished in 1947 1946 establishments in Ohio 1947 disestablishments in Ohio

Franchise history

All-time roster

Coaches and others

See also

References