American Basketball League (1925-1955)

The American Basketball League was the first true professional basketball league. Where the National Basketball League was made up of smaller town teams, generally sponsored by industrial firms, the ABL was much more ethnic and big city.

Initial teams that dominated the ABL were the Cleveland Rosenblums, the New York Celtics, the Boston Whirlwinds, and the Philadelphia Sphas. Players were generally the children of first generation immigrants, many being , Italian, and Irish. Nat Holman, Harry Boykoff, Bobby McDermott and Harry Litwak were but a few early stars.

The ABL for many years was the top pro basketball league in the United States of America, but the teams were generally run by promoters with little or no money. After World War II, the arena owners in the large cities looked to take advantage of the pro basketball following established by these promoters but retain the ownership of the teams for themselves. Hence the Basketball Association of America was formed and the Cleveland Rosenblums became the Cleveland Rebels; the Boston Whirlwinds became the Boston Celtics, and the original Celtics were supplanted by the New York Knickerbockers. In fact, only Eddie Gottlieb, the promoter of the Philadelphia Sphas, survived by working a back room deal with the Philadelphia Arena to keep his Philadelphia operation. Gottlieb retained the Sphas in the ABL while naming the NBA franchise the Warriors.

In the 1940's it was the ABL that sported pro basketball's first 7 footer, Elmore Morgenthaler of the Philadelphia Sphas. Morgenthaler was with the original Toronto Huskies of the NBA before joining the Sphas, where he was legendary, scoring as many as 21 points a game in an era when teams as a whole only averaged scoring in the 50's. The ABL remained basically an East Coast minor pro league into the 1950s.

Complete team list

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*Atlantic City Sandpipers (1936/37, dropped out in December, 1936)
*Baltimore Orioles (1926/27)
*Baltimore Clippers (1939/40-40/41)
*Baltimore Bullets (1944/45-46/47)
*Boston Whirlwinds (1925/26, expelled after 1st half)
*Boston Trojans (1934/35)
*Bridgeport Roesslers (1948/49-51/52, as Bridgeport Newfield Steelers in 1948/49; as Bridgeport Aer-A-Sols in 1949/50)
*Bronx Americans (1933/34)
*Brooklyn Arcadians (1925/26-26/27, replaced by New York Celtics after 5 games)
*Brooklyn Visitations (1927/28-30/31, 1933/34-38/39, as Paterson Visitations in 1936/37; moved to Brooklyn in November, 1936)
*Brooklyn Celtics (1940/41, as Troy Haymakers in 1938/39; as Troy Celtics in 1939/40-40/41; absorbed Kingston Colonials in December, 1939; moved to Brooklyn during 1st half of 1940/41)
*Brooklyn Indians (1942/43-43/44, as Camden Indians in 1942/43; moved to Brooklyn in January, 1943; dropped out during 1st half of 1943/44)
*Brooklyn Gothams (1944/45-48/49, as Westchester Indians in 1944/45; moved to New York in January, 1945; as New York Gothams in 1944/45-45/46)
*Buffalo Bisons (1925/26)
*Carbondale Aces (1950/51)
*Chicago Bruins (1925/26-30/31)
*Cleveland Rosenblums (1925/26-30/31, also known as the Rosies)
*Detroit Lions (1925/26-26/27, as Detroit Pulaski Post Five in 1925/26 and at beginning of 1925/26; dropped out after 6 games)
*Detroit Cardinals (1927/28, also known as the Olympians; dropped out in January, 1928)
*Elmira Colonels (1951/52-52/53)
*Fort Wayne Hoosiers (1925/26-30/31, as Fort Wayne Caseys in 1925/26)
*Glens Falls-Saratoga (1949/50-52/53, as New York Harlem Yankees in 1949/50; as Saratoga Harlem Yankees 1950/51-51/52; moved to Schenectady during 1951/52; as Schenectady Yankees in 1951/52; moved to Saratoga during 1951/52; as Saratoga Harlem Yankees in 1951/52; dropped out in February, 1953)
*Harrisburg Senators (1942/43)
*Hartford Hurricanes (1946/47-49/50, as Elizabeth Braves in 1946/47-47/48; moved to Hartford in December, 1947)
*Jersey Reds (1933/34-39/40, as Union City Reds in 1933/34; merged into New York Jewels in January, 1940)
*Kingston Colonials (1935/36-39/40, merged with Troy Celtics in December, 1939)
*Lancaster Roses (1947/48, franchise terminated in December, 1947)
*Manchester British-Americans (1951/52-52/53)
*Middletown Guards (1952/53)
*New Britain Mules (1933/34-34/35, as Hoboken Thourots in 1933/34; moved to Camden in November, 1933; as Camden Brewers in 1933/34; taken over and moved to New Britain in January, 1934; as New Britain Palaces in 1933/34; as New Britain Jackaways in 1934/35; merged with Newark Mules to form New Britain Mules for the 2nd half of 1934/35)