1938–39 National Basketball League (United States) season

1938–39 NBL season
LeagueNational Basketball League
SportBasketball
Duration
  • November 23, 1938 – March 12, 1939[1]
  • March 14–20, 1939 (Playoffs/Finals)
Games26-28
Teams8
Regular season
Season championsAkron Firestone Non-Skids
Top seedAkron Firestone Non-Skids
Season MVPLeroy Edwards (Oshkosh)
Top scorerLeroy Edwards (Oshkosh)
Playoffs
Eastern championsAkron Firestone Non-Skids
Western championsOshkosh All-Stars
Finals
Venue
ChampionsAkron Firestone Non-Skids
  Runners-upOshkosh All-Stars
NBL seasons

The 1938–39 NBL season was the fourth National Basketball League (NBL) season. The regular season began on November 23, 1938, and ended on March 12, 1939. The playoffs began on March 14, 1939, and concluded on March 20, 1939, with the Akron Firestone Non-Skids defeating the Oshkosh All-Stars in the NBL Championship by 3 games to 2.[2]

Teams

The barnstorming Sheboygan Red Skins officially joined the NBL in the mid-season period, with them officially entering the league on December 31, 1938. Interestingly, some of the games that the Sheboygan Red Skins had played against the NBL's teams this season would end up retroactively counting as a part of Sheboygan's season alongside every other NBL team that competed against team during this time.

By contrast, six teams this season in the Buffalo Bisons, the Columbus Athletic Supply team, the Dayton Metropolitans, the Fort Wayne General Electrics, the Kankakee Gallagher Trojans, and the Cincinnati Comellos, either departed from the league or folded operations entirely prior to the season beginning and did not compete for this season.[3]

The Whiting Ciesar All-Americans relocated from Whiting, Indiana to nearby Hammond, Indiana.

Eastern Division Akron Firestone Non-Skids

Akron, Ohio

Akron Goodyear Wingfoots

Akron, Ohio

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Warren Penns/Cleveland White Horses

Warren, Pennsylvania/Cleveland, Ohio

Western Division Hammond Ciesar All-Americans

Hammond, Indiana

Indianapolis Katuskys

Indianapolis, Indiana

Oshkosh All-Stars

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Sheboygan Red Skins

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

The Warren Penns moved mid-season from Warren, Pennsylvania to Cleveland, Ohio, following the team reaching a sponsorship deal with the White Motor Company, a Cleveland-based automaker.[4][5]

Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1937–38 coach 1938–39 coach
Indianapolis Kautskys Frank Kautsky[6] Bob Nipper[7]
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Whiting Ciesar All-Americans Whitey Wickhorst[8] Lou Boudreau (player-coach)

Preseason

The NBL instituted a number of rule changes prior to the season. First, the jump ball was no longer to be used after every possession. Second, the maximum number of personal fouls a player could have to continue playing was increased from four to five. Finally, the NBL began to hire its own referees.[3]

Regular season

Teams played a 28-game schedule which was mostly followed, except for one game between the Indianapolis Katuskys and the Akron Firestone Non-Skids and another between the Katuskys and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Postseason

NBL Championship

Only the top-seeded team from each division qualified for the playoffs, which used a one-round best-of-five championship. The Akron Firestone Non-Skids defeated the Oshkosh All-Stars three games to two to claim the NBL Championship.

NBL Championship
       
E1 Akron Firestone Non-Skids 50 36 40 37 37
W1 Oshkosh All-Stars 38 38 29 49 30
  • Bold Series winner

World Professional Basketball Tournament

Main article: 1939 World Professional Basketball Tournament

Following the conclusion of the NBL season, the Oshkosh All-Stars and Sheboygan Red Skins represented the NBL in the inaugural World Professional Basketball Tournament in Chicago. Both teams won in the first round and the quarterfinals, before the All-Stars defeated the Red Skins in the semifinals. The All-Stars were the tournament runners-up, losing the final to the New York Rens.[9] The Red Skins finished fourth, losing the third-place game to the Harlem Globetrotters.[9]

Statistics

Leaders

Category Player Team Stat
Points Leroy Edwards Oshkosh All-Stars 334[10]
Free-Throws Leroy Edwards Oshkosh All-Stars 86[11]
Field goals Leroy Edwards Oshkosh All-Stars 124[12]

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 NBA season, league leaders in points were determined by totals rather than averages. Also, rebounding and assist numbers were not recorded properly in the NBL like they would be in the BAA/NBA, as would field goal and free-throw shooting percentages.

Awards

[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "1938-39 NBL Game-by-Game Results". www.apbr.org.
  2. ^ Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., pp. 52–67
  3. ^ a b Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., p. 53
  4. ^ "Warren Penns / Cleveland Whitehorses history". nbahoopsonline.com.
  5. ^ Bradley, Robert; Grasso, John (2003). Total Basketball: The Ultimate Basketball Encyclopedia. SPORT Media Publishing, Inc. ISBN 1-894963-01-6., p. 420
  6. ^ "INDIANAPOLIS KAUTSKYS".
  7. ^ "INDIANAPOLIS KAUTSKYS".
  8. ^ "HAMMOND CIESAR ALL-AMERICANS".
  9. ^ a b "New York Rens win net title". The South Bend Tribune. Associated Press. 29 March 1939. p. 21. Retrieved 5 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ "NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Points". Basketball-Reference.com.
  11. ^ "NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Free Throws". Basketball-Reference.com.
  12. ^ "NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Field Goals". Basketball-Reference.com.
  13. ^ "Steve Dimitry's NBL Web Site". Archived from the original on 2005-08-18.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938%E2%80%9339_National_Basketball_League_(United_States)_season