This is a reminder that today is the anniversary of the date in 1939 when the all-black New York Renaissance (a.k.a. Harlem Rens) won the inaugural World Professional Basketball Tournament in Chicago.
As with any long-lived icon of sports, culture, and history, it is nearly impossible to encapsulate all of the thoughts and remembrances of people into one service, one article, one story, one comment. So, I will continue to share topics relating to John Isaacs from time to time, starting with these.
The Commonwealth Big Five, an all-black basketball team, debuted on this date in 1922, becoming the first fully-professional African American basketball team.
The New York Rens, the first black-owned, all-black, fully professional basketball team, debuted on November 3, 1923, beating the Collegiate Five, an all-white team, at the Renaissance Ballroom in Harlem. Team owner Robert Douglas, who was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973, had announced his plans to the public just a few [...]
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