National Basketball League

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

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Preface      Introduction      1. Midwest Conference: 1935–1937      2. The National Basketball League Begins      3. The National Basketball League’s Second Year: Movement Towards Stability      4. Changing a Bit, Staying the Same: The 1939-40 Season      5. Wisconsin Rhapsody: The 1940-41 Season      6. The NBL in Peace and (Mostly) War: The 1941-42 Season      7. The NBL Goes to War: The 1942-43 and 1943-44 Seasons      8. The NBL Begins Regrowing: The 1944-45 Season      9. Enter the Royals: NBL 1945-46      10. An Explosion of Teams: The 1946-47 Season      11. The Lakers Bring Dominance to the NBL: The 1947-48 Season      12. Back to the Future: The Hometown League Reappears for the 1948-49 Season      13. NBL Lessons and Accomplishments      Appendix 1. NBL Standings, 1937–1949      Appendix 2. Scoring Leaders in the Midwest Conference and NBL, 1935–1949      Appendix 3. NBL All League Teams and MVPs, 1937–1949      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index

“this thoroughly researched history of the National Basketball League is an enjoyable read and forms an important chapter not only in American sports history but also illustrates the salient role of sports in the social history of small towns and cities in Middle America”—Journal of Sport History.