New York Renaissance (’Rens’)
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Location: Harlem, New York City
Home Court: Renaissance Ballroom
Nickname: “Rens”, “Harlem Rens”, “Big R Five”
Colors: Navy, Gold
Manager: Robert “Bob” Douglas
The New York Rens® basketball team was the first fully professional African-American owned all-black basketball team, formed in Harlem in 1923.
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That year, basketball manager Robert “Bob” Douglas made a deal with Harlem real estate developer William Roach, the owner of the new Renaissance Ballroom and Casino.
Douglas owned and managed an all-black basketball team called the Spartan Braves, which was a leading contender for the black national championship title.
But his basketball club had no home court. The Renaissance Ballroom, with its perfect location in the center of Harlem, its spacious floor, and its balcony seating that looked down from above, would be the ideal venue.
Douglas asked Roach if the Spartans could play their home games at his ballroom in return for changing the name of the team to the “New York Renaissance” in order to promote the dance hall far and wide.
After some negotiating, Roach agreed. Douglas, now armed with a permanent home court, next introduced full-season player contracts to lock in his players, and the Big “R” Five became America’s first all-black, black-owned, fully professional basketball team. The “Rens” attracted the best Negro talent in basketball.
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