As a scoring threat Dolly can hold his own with the top courtsters in the National circuit. His real value to the team, however, is his floor work. There he is beyond reproach.
– Rochester Royals yearbook, 1946“Cocky, egotistical, self-assured and gifted — Dolly had no time for the black man’s impedimenta.”
– The Pittsburgh Courier, 1969
William 'Dolly' King.
King was a star in football, basketball, and baseball at Alexander Hamilton High School in New York City, before starring in all three sports at Long Island University (L.I.U.). He was the captain of that school’s basketball team under legendary coach Clair Bee.
As a senior, King left L.I.U.’s varsity basketball team in the middle of its 1941 undefeated season to play professionally.
He first created his own pro team, the Long Island Blackbirds, but soon joined the Harlem Yankees after its manager convinced him that organizing a team mid-season was much tougher than it seems.
His teammates on the Harlem Yankees included future New York Renaissance players Charlie Isles, John Isaacs, Lew Badger, “Tarzan” Cooper, and Benny Garrett.
A few weeks later those players and King all moved up to the Rens (for whom the Yankees were a “farm team”) and traveled with the team to Cleveland to compete in the Rosenblum Tournament and then to 1941 Chicago for the World Pro Basketball Tournament.
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