The National Basketball League: A History, 1935-1949 [Paperback]

Murry R. Nelson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786440066 | ISBN-13: 978-0786440061 | Publication Date: April 13, 2009 | Edition: First Edition

The NBA has gained worldwide popularity with its high-flying stars and slam-dunking giants, but the early professional hoops game was played below the rim. This book provides the first history of the National Basketball League, which held court from the mid-1930s until its merger with the Basketball Association of America in 1949. Originally formed in Akron and Indianapolis, the league operated mainly in the Midwest but extended as far east as Rochester and Syracuse and west to Denver, building major franchises with hometown loyalties. Most of its stars were college graduates, a major change from previous professional leagues, and it was the first modern major professional league to integrate. Features include photographs, maps of league franchises, and tables of team standings, MVPs, and scoring leaders.

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About the Author

Murry R. Nelson is professor emeritus at Penn State University. He is the author of a history of the New York Celtics, as well as the biographies of Bill Russell and Shaquille O'Neal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: McFarland; First Edition edition (April 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786440066
• ISBN-13: 978-0786440061
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #547,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding history of the NBA's predecessor!, September 28, 2009

By 

John Koeller "Spy lover" (Yorba Linda, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The National Basketball League: A History, 1935-1949 (Paperback)

This book gives a very detailed review of the NBL from its birth in the 1930s to its merger with the BAA in the late 1940s. How the league grew, the players, the teams, the rules changes, the financial aspects, and, most specifically, the games, were all covered in great detail. Read about the season ending NBL tournament, the world professional tournament in Chicago, the advent of inter-league games with the financially troubled BAA, and individual players. The real tragedy is that while the NBL was populated with both white and black players over the years, the late-arriving BAA was an exclusive "white boys league". When the two merged into what became the NBA, the NBL's progressive posture on race was and still is largely ignored by today's NBA. The author does a commendable job in researching and describing the "ins and outs" over those two decades of professional basketball.

If you know the players, you know what pioneers they were in an age BEFORE inflated salaries and egos. It was all about basketball, because there was little money to be made. Why are some of the kingpins (e.g., Leroy "Lefty" Edwards) not in the Naismith Hall of Fame? These and many more issues are raised by the author that make one long for the days when basketball was basketball. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book of basketball history.