Dam Beavers: Point Shaving Rocks College Hoops

Note: This post originally appeared at The Basketball Champs Belt on September 3, 2012. It's being reprinted here with minor editorial changes as part of the U.S. Pro Basketball Hall of Fame's efforts to document the history of the game. - MH

By Michael Hogan

In the 1940s, college basketball was king. The local heroes of New York University, City College of New York, Long Island University, St. John's, and Manhattan College played to packed crowds at Madison Square Garden, which held over 16,000 fans, while the still second-class New York Knicks of the upstart NBA often played at the 69th Regiment Armory, which held only 5,000. Arena owners were focused first and foremost on maximizing profits, and college basketball was a more established and dependable draw. At the time, the Garden was the mecca of the college basketball world, hosting the NIT Tournament each year from when it began in 1938 and hosting the less prestigious NCAA championship seven times between 1943 and 1950. However, a scandal was brewing behind the scenes that would soon alter the public's view of the innocent college hoopsters and upend the balance between college and professional basketball.

CCNY Coach Nat Holman

[public domain] via Wikimedia Commons

In 1950, the City College of New York Beavers became the first and only team to win both the NIT and NCAA tournaments. Their success was unexpected. Disney's Cinderella was released in February 1950, and according to ESPN's College Basketball Encyclopedia, the term Cinderella was first used as a popular reference to a sports team when it was applied to the 1950 CCNY Beavers. While their more heralded counterparts were recruited to play at big time programs like Kentucky and Bradley, the young men of City College attended "The Harvard of the Poor" for the opportunity to play under former Original Celtics star Nat Holman and a high-quality education that came without the perks of more well-known college basketball factories.

At the conclusion of the 1950 season, the Beavers were recognized as a respectable team, but no one could have expected the success that was about to come. They began their improbable postseason by upsetting powerhouse Kentucky 89-50 in the NIT quarterfinals and then defeating Bradley 69-61 in the finals. Ten days later, they defeated Bradley again, 71-68, to win the NCAA tournament.



A newsreel from the time (above) refers to the team as frustrating, but doesn't explain why. Maybe they won games by smaller than expected margins, but they were still the champions of both major tournaments. What the fans and commentators didn't know at the time was that a major college basketball scandal would break about 10 months later that would shed light on their frustrations. In January 1951, the New York District Attorney's Office arrested two Manhattan College players and three bookies for bribery and conspiracy. The following month, three CCNY players were also arrested as the scandal continued to grow. In March, three additional City College players were arrested. In total, 32 players from seven colleges would be arrested for fixing 86 games over a three year period.

The CCNY players were never accused of throwing games, but there were certainly involved in intentionally winning by margins lower than the point spread to help bookies make money. An interview with the author of The Game They Played, below, provides additional information on the scandal and also shows highlights demonstrating the poor play produced by point shaving (highlights begin at 37 seconds).



A budding basketball powerhouse, City College would never recover from the point shaving scandal. In some ways, I feel I can relate. As a University of Minnesota student in 1997, I traveled to San Antonio to watch Bobby Jackson lead the Golden Gophers in a thrilling comeback victory against UCLA to win the Midwest Region and earn a spot in the Final Four. While the Gophers lost their next game and didn't advance to the NCAA Finals, Minnesota students and fans were still immensely proud of our team. I can clearly recall how the crowd in my dorm's television lounge grew larger and more boisterous with each regular season victory. The frenzy continued into the NCAA tournament and the Final Four, but we would later be disappointed to learn that the team's records would be invalidated due allegations of tutors doing homework for players. Two years later, I remember sitting in a half-empty University of Minnesota Student Union theater, watching the shorthanded Gophers lose to lower-ranked Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA Tournament due in part to suspensions that had just been announced.

The disappointment of City College students must have been much more significant due to the team's unprecedented double championship and the fact that the scandal directly impacted the competitiveness of games that were played. CCNY students had watched their team achieve the impossible and then watched with horror as their heroes were exposed for collaborating with bookies and cheats.The 1952 City College yearbook explains:

We watched as one of the greatest teams in the history of basketball developed as frosh, matured through the adolescent stage during its sophomore year, then bloomed into full maturity at the close of that season, sweeping through unprecedented NIT and NCAA tournament championships, acclaimed throughout the country as New York's "Cinderella Kids." And then we looked on with unbelieving shock, disappointment, and in many cases bitter anger and resentment as the bubble suddenly burst.

In addition to impacting the Beavers, other programs were also left reeling. Players from Manhattan College, Long Island University, New York University, Bradley University, Toledo, and Kentucky were also eventually implicated. Madison Square Garden, also a major fixture in the scandals, was also impacted. While the Garden continues to host the NIT tournament, it has not hosted the NCAA Final Four since 1950. (Note that I have yet to read anything indicating that tournament games were impacted by the scandals; only regular season games were affected.)

Madison Square Garden, c1890

[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons 

The NBA banned players who were involved in the scandals as collegiate athletes. These bans impacted a number of teams, but no team took a more significant hit than the Indianapolis Olympians. The core of the team, founded in 1949 as a replacement for the Indianapolis Jets, was comprised of the gold medal winning 1948 Olympic basketball team. Two of the team's stars, Alex Groza and Ralph Beard, were both suspended by the NBA in 1951 after they admitted to shaving points while in college at Kentucky, and the team eventually folded after the 1953 season. However, despite the bans, the NBA's long term prognosis was significantly improved as fans began to pay more attention to the professional game. According to Basketball-Reference.com, the Knicks' regular season attendance improved from about 152,000 in 1950-51 to almost 250,000 for the 1955-56 season.

The City College point shaving scandal reminds us that sports and gambling have always been linked. As a Dallas Mavericks fan, I still cringe when the subject of the 2006 NBA Finals is raised. I will never forget groaning along with other Mavericks fans at the Game 5 watch party at the American Airlines Center in Dallas as we watched Dwyane Wade take trip after trip to the free throw line in Miami. Rule changes were made before the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons that benefited aggressive guards and certainly played a role in the 2006 NBA Finals. However, doubt will always linger in the minds of many as to whether Las Vegas somehow affected the final outcome.

In the case of City College, we know definitively that gamblers impacted the results of many games. However, in an odd turn of events, modern day NBA fans have these very same gamblers to thank for setting in motion a series events that would ultimately contribute to the establishment of the NBA a member of the pantheon of the nation's greatest sports leagues.

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As always, feel free to contact me with edits or errors (Email: champsbelt at gmail.com; Twitter: @champsbelt). You might also be interested in reviewing the following selected sources for additional information on the scandal.

Websites

CUNY Library Website: Nat Holman: The Man, His Legacy, and CCNY.
Wikipedia entry on the CCNY Point Shaving Scandal
Wikipedia entry on Adolph Rupp
Wikipedia entry on the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
Hoopedia entry on the CCNY Beavers
Previous posts on champsbelt.com

Articles

Berman, Zach. Chaney recalls scandals of 1951 CCNY was among 7 schools caught shaving points. Philadelphia Inquirer. July 28, 2007. 

Goldstein, Joe. Explosion: 1951 scandals threaten college hoops. ESPN Classic, Nov 18, 2003.

Books

Cohen , Stanley. The Game They Played, by Stanley Cohen
ESPN and Bill Bradley. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game

Neft, David S., Cohen, Richard M. The Sports Encyclopedia, Pro Basketball

The NBA Is Born

Note: This post originally appeared at The Basketball Champs Belt on May 27, 2012. It's being reprinted here with minor editorial changes as part of the U.S. Pro Basketball Hall of Fame's efforts to document the history of the game. - MH

By Michael Hogan

The National Basketball Association today is a juggernaut that showcases the best players from across the globe competing for a trophy that little boys dream about as they shoot baskets in their driveways or neighborhood basketball courts. However, this wasn't always the case. In the early days, many different leagues competed for the attention of fans and the services of players. It would not be until after World War II that these leagues came together to become the NBA.

Predecessor Teams and Leagues

The NBA's official creation in 1949 was preceded by many different regional leagues that often lasted only a few years. Independent teams also barnstormed the country playing, and usually defeating, whoever happened to be their opponent on any given night. One of the longer-lasting and largest leagues that preceded the NBA was the American Basketball League (ABL), which operated from 1925 to 1931 (and again in a less successful version from 1933 to 1955) across the East Coast and as far West as Chicago. Of the barnstorming teams, among the most well-known were the Philadelphia Sphas, New York Renaissance (Rens), Harlem Globetrotters, and the Original Celtics. The ABL, some of the early barnstorming teams, and the basketball color barrier are potential topics for later posts. Until then, we suggest you check out blackfives.com and the film, On the Shoulders of Giants.

Beginnings

After the demise of the ABL's initial and most successful version in 1931, basketball remained primarily a regional and barnstorming affair. A new league of major significance did not emerge until the National Basketball League (NBL) began play in the midwest in 1937. The NBL was an interesting creation, comprised of three corporate teams (the Akron Firestone Non-Skids; Akron Goodyear Wingfoots; and Ft. Wayne General Electrics) and 10 previously independent professional teams. It wasn't a tremendous moneymaker, and teams would come and go during the course of its 12 year existence, but the NBL would survive long enough to form part of the NBA in 1949 and produce teams such as today's Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, and Sacramento Kings. After a disorganized beginning, the NBL grew stronger over the next several years and successfully competed with a new version of the ABL to sign top college talents such as Buddy Jeannette.

While leagues such as the NBL and ABL provided opportunities for teams to consider themselves league champions, the absence of a single dominant league meant that there was no clear way to determine who deserved the moniker of "World Champion" (or, at the very least, the best team in the United States). In 1939, the World Professional Basketball Tournament, hosted by the Chicago Herald American, changed this by providing an opportunity for top professional teams from across the country to compete against one another. Two teams from the NBL, the Oskkosh All-Stars and Sheboygan Redskins, joined other well-known teams such as the New York Rens, Harlem Globetrotters, and Original Celtics, at this inaugural tournament. During the tournament's nine year run, NBL teams would win six titles, but not before the New York Rens and Harlem Globetrotters demonstrated that they belonged by winning the first two tournaments. In 1943, another all-black team, the Washington Bears, also won the tournament. Although the African American players demonstrated that they belonged, basketball would not be truly integrated for many years to come.

The Harlem Globetrotters in 1950

In 1946, the NBL's eventual partner, the Basketball Association of America (BAA), began operating primarily in larger cities along the East coast. The reasons for founding the BAA included finding a way to fill the arenas that dotted the East coast, such as Madison Square Garden in New York and the Uline Arena in Washington, DC, on evenings when they were not hosting hockey games or other big events. The BAA generally drew its players from the ABL and the college ranks, but was also able to pry a few players away from the more established NBL. However, while players like Bob Feerick (from the NBL) and Joe Fulks (a rookie) were successfully recruited to join the BAA, the NBL still boasted the biggest draw of them all: George Mikan.

Growing Pains

After the founding of the BAA, the BAA and NBL found themselves competing for players and fans. Each league had its strengths. For example, the NBL featured the game's biggest star, George Mikan, who was sure to draw a crowd wherever the Lakers played. The BAA also had it's share of stars, including Joe Fulks and Max Zaslofsky. In addition, the BAA featured larger arenas in big cities, such as Madison Square Garden and The Boston Garden. If these arenas could be filled, the gate receipts could prove a strong incentive for the teams to stay afloat. In contrast, NBL teams played in smaller arenas, but had the potential to establish more dedicated fan bases because they were in cities with less competition from other sports, such as big league hockey and baseball.

However, the BAA and NBL also faced a number of related issues that might have caused either of them to fold had they remained separate entities. Some of these issues included general instability, war, and competition for the best players.

Instability: It's difficult to build a league-wide fan base without a certain amount of stability. But for a number of different reasons, the NBL and the BAA each faced a recurring issue of teams folding or choosing to leave the leagues. For example, by 1942, the NBL had collapsed from the 13 teams that began play in 1937 to four. As noted below, World War II played a significant role in the league's shrinkage, but it wasn't the only reason. Some teams left to become independent, and not every team was able to support itself financially. For example, the Ft. Wayne General Electrics disbanded in 1937 due to a lack of financial success and the Indianapolis Kautsky's left in 1940 to become independent (they rejoined the NBL 5 years later). By 1948, the year before the merger, the NBL had grown back to ten teams. In 1947, the BAA shrunk from 11 to 8 teams after losing 4 franchises and compensated by adding one team from the ABL.

Shrinkage

War: The BAA didn't exist before World War II, but the war had a significant impact on the NBL. Due to a significant number of players leaving either due to enlistment or the draft, the NBL shrunk to a low of four franchises in 1942 (The Toledo Jim White Chevrolets would have been the fifth team, but they folded after 5 games). The league might have shrunk to only three teams if not for the Chicago Studebaker Flyers, who were added before the season began to replace George Halas' Chicago Bruins. The War also contributed to the first integrated teams, as both Chicago and Toledo added African American players to their rosters in 1942. 

Chicago Bears & Chicago Bruins 

Owner George Halas in 1919

(Public Domain)

Competition for players: Both leagues worked to recruit the best college players, which at the time were also sought by independent teams or teams in other leagues. The average salary during the 1946-47 BAA season was between $4,500 and $5,000, and most players had other jobs during the offseason. However, star players could earn much larger salaries. For example, Joe Fulks was recruited to the Philadelphia Warriors for a salary of $8,000, George Mikan was paid $12,500 for his services as a Minneapolis Laker, and Tom King earned $16,500 for both playing and serving as a publicity director and business manager for the BAA's Detroit Falcons (which only lasted one year before folding). Mikan originally played for the Chicago American Gears, but left the team before the end of the 1946-47 NBL season because, according to him, they tried to cut his promised $12,000 salary before the conclusion of the season due to the team's financial woes. The BAA had a salary cap of $55,000 per team during its first season, while the NBL did not. This cap might have helped the BAA teams have the opportunity to be more profitable, but it also caused them to lose players to the NBL. For example, when Dolph Schayes was offered contracts by both the Syracuse Nationals of the NBL and the New York Knicks of the BAA, he chose to play for the Nationals because they could pay him more. Such competition between leagues and teams contributed to higher salaries, which contributed to financial issues faced by some (and possibly most) of the BAA and NBL franchises.

Stumbling Blocks

Each of the leagues would have liked to crown their champion as the best team in the land, but since BAA teams didn't participate in the World Professional Basketball Tournament, it wan't possible to formally crown any of the major league teams as a true champion. With this in mind, and with each of the two major leagues rumored to be suffering financially, it made sense for them to find ways to collaborate or perhaps even merge. However, the leagues each had distinctive cultures and business practices, which limited their ability to cooperate and that presented significant barriers to any potential merger. 

Perhaps the biggest issues preventing a merger were cultural. NBL teams were typically less concerned about making money and instead were focused on establishing a team that would contribute to company or civic pride in their mid-sized midwestern towns. In addition, some of the NBL teams were sponsored by businesses such as Firestone or Goodyear and sometimes provided off-season employment for their players. In contrast, the BAA was based in larger cities, used larger arenas, and team owners cared less about civic pride and more about making money. In addition, due to their locations, NBL teams also had less competition from other sports teams, while BAA teams typically competed with major baseball and hockey teams for the hearts and wallets of local fans.

The BAA took a more bottom-line oriented approach to its franchises, with a salary cap to limit what teams could spend on players. In addition, its teams typically did not play in exhibitions against independent teams and did not compete in the World Basketball Tournament. While NBL teams played exhibition matches, such extracurricular competitions could potentially limit the perceived strength (and thus the gate appeal) of the upstart BAA if its teams were to lose.

A more practical consideration to the two leagues cooperating was location. In the days before airplane travel was routine, a league that consisted of teams stretching from New York throughout the midwest would certainly put tremendous strain on players' bodies as the larger than normal men criss-crossed the country in busses or trains.  Despite the issues, both the BAA and the NBL were looking for ways to help ensure long term survival and establish a league to rival the National Football League and Major League Baseball.

Merger

The leagues initially worked out an arrangement for a joint draft in 1948 to contribute a sense of order to their rivalry, but before the draft could occur, four teams left the NBL to join the BAA and the NBL pulled out of the draft arrangement. BAA commissioner Maurice Podoloff, for whom the NBA's current MVP award is named, was a shrewd businessman and he wanted to limit his league's competition by either merging with or otherwise eliminating the NBL. He also understood the potential benefits that NBL teams could gain from playing in the BAA's larger cities and arenas. After successfully appealing to the ego of Pistons' owner Fred Zollner and convincing him to move his team to the BAA, Podoloff then convinced the Indianapolis Kautskys to leave the NBL. The next two dominoes to fall would be the star-laden Rochester Royals and George Mikan's Minneapolis Lakers.

After losing four teams to the BAA, two additional NBL franchises disbanded. However, the NBL would not give up and it added four new teams to replace the six that it lost. While the Lakers showcased their skills along the East coast during the 1948-49 BAA season, the remaining NBL teams showcased their talents in cities such as Hammond, Indiana; Waterloo, Iowa; and Denver, Colorado. The final NBL season also brought an interesting twist. When the newly established Detroit Vagabond Kings folded after a 2-17 start, they were moved to Dayton, Ohio, and replaced by the all-black New York Renaissance who played as the Dayton Rens. However, due to being saddled with Detroit's 2-17 record, their age, illness, racism, and only small number of home games, the Rens didn't achieve the success that they might have otherwise expected.

After the 1948-49 NBL season, Podoloff continued to work his magic. In doing so, he convinced the Syracuse Nationals, Anderson Duffey Packers, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, Waterloo Hawks, Sheboygan Redskins, and Denver Nuggets to join the BAA, ending the NBL and creating the NBA. The Indianapolis Olympians, led by the University of Kentucky's graduating seniors, also debuted in 1949. The BAA's Providence Steam Rollers and Indianapolis Jets as well as the NBL's Hammond Calumet Buccaneers, Oskkosh All-Stars, and Dayton Rens either folded or did not join the NBA. The teams in the NBA then began playing for the NBA Finals Trophy, which was intended to be like a Stanley Cup of Basketball. The trophy was renamed the Walter Brown Trophy in 1964 and was later replaced by the more familiar Larry O'Brien Trophy.

The Walter Brown Trophy

Photo by Cmcnicoll, edited by JoeJohnson2 

[CC-BY-3.0 or GFDL], 

from Wikimedia Commons

Sources and further reading

Books:

Charley Rosen. The First Tip-Off. The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA. 2009.

Michael Schumacher. Mr. Basketball. George Mikan , the Minneapolis Lakers, and the Birth of the NBA. 2007.

Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M. The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Basketball, 5th Edition. 1992.
Nelson, Murry R. The National Basketball League: A History, 1935-1949. 2009.

Rosen, Charlie. The First Tip-Off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA. 2009.

Websites:

www.blackfives.com
nbahoopsonline.com

hoopedia.nba.com
www.apbr.org/apbr-faq.html
www.apbr.org/labor.html
www.apbr.org/baaminutes.html
Wikipedia

Revisiting the Lakers' 33 Game Win Streak

By Michael Hogan

With the Miami Heat in the midst of an historic streak, let's take a moment to look back at the Los Angeles Lakers 33 game win streak from 1971-72. First, ESPN explores the streak, reminding us that the season began with major changes to the Lakers lineup.


Next, NBA TV gives us more on the streak and reminds us that the Lakers were still working to match the success of the Celtics, who had dominated the sixties. The video also includes interviews with some of the Laker players involved in the streak.


Finally, enjoy this recap of the Lakers' 1971-72 season, including more on the streak, the Lakers' record-breaking final win total, and the season's final outcome.

Forgetting Joe Fulks

Note: This post originally appeared at The Basketball Champs Belt on April 29, 2012. It is being reprinted here with minor editorial changes as part of the U.S. Pro Basketball Hall of Fame's efforts to document the history of the game. - MH

By Michael Hogan

In Bill Simmons' The Book of Basketball, Simmons asks if greatness has a shelf life. In his book, he explores the careers of many legendary NBA players, but his exploration fails to mention one of the first stars-- if not the first star -- of the early days of the NBA. While the early days of the sport can't be compared to the decades that followed, the same can be said of many sports. However, while baseball continues to remember and revere players such as Shoeless Joe Jackson and Babe Ruth, basketball seems to have mostly forgotten Joe Fulks.

Fulks (author's collection)

John Christgau, author of The Origins of the Jump Shot: Eight Men Who Shook the World of Basketball, accurately calls Fulks "The most forgotten sports legend of our time." Even Fulks' headstone fails to mention his exploits. Instead, it simply says: "CPL, U.S. Marine Corps. World War II." While it appropriately mentions his military service, this modest marker fails to note that he was once so revered that his 1948 Bowman basketball card called him "The Babe Ruth of Basketball."

Babe Ruth

Maybe Joe Fulks was destined to be forgotten. After his junior year of high school his family moved him from his hometown, Birmingham, Kentucky, to the town of Kuttawa due to rumors that the town would soon be flooded by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The rumors eventually came true, washing away Birmingham to make way for what today is the Kentucky Lake. The town where he spent his senior year would also later be flooded by the TVA. Fulks was a star during his senior year of high school, but his team lost during the first round of the state playoffs due in part to Fulks missing the game with an ankle sprain. It's rumored that Fulks turned down an offer to play basketball at Kentucky and instead played at Murray State.

Kentucky Lake

Fulks would go on to become a star in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which became the National Basketball Association in 1949. The early portion of Fulk's professional career was cut short due to the time he spent in the military, where he served in Guam and Iwo Jima during World War II. The latter part of his career would be cut short by age and his affinity for alcohol. However, between 1946 and 1953, Fulks was a star. Had today's media culture existed during the late 1940s's, Fulkamania would have been more well known and more widespread than Linsanity, Tebowmania, and maybe even Vinsanity.

As a rookie in the upstart BAA, Jumpin' Joe Fulks led the league in scoring with 23.1 points per game. The runner up was Bob Feerick, with only 16.8. Fulks also led the league by significant margins with 439 free throws (the runner up had only 235) and 1557 field goal attempts (the runner up had only 1154). To put his scoring numbers into a modern day perspective, 23.1 points per game would have ranked him 6th in scoring during the recently concluded 2011-12 regular season. The numbers below show what each of the last 10 NBA scoring champions would had averaged if they had scored 37.5 percent more points per game than the runner up like Fulks did during the 1946-47 season.

Season	Scoring Champ	Actual PPG	Revised PPG
2011-12	Kevin Durant	28	38.4
2010-11	Kevin Durant	27.7	36.7
2009-10	Kevin Durant	30.1	40.8
2008-09	Dwyane Wade	30.2	39.1
2007-08	Lebron James	30	38.9
2006-07	Kobe Bryant	31.6	39.7
2005-06	Kobe Bryant	35.4	45.4
2004-05	Allen Iverson	30.7	38.0
2003-04	Tracy McGrady	28.0	33.3
2002-02	Tracy McGrady	32.1	41.3

Viewed from this perspective, which we understand is only one of many, Fulks' rookie performance might be comparable to a rookie in today's NBA leading the league with roughly 40 points per game.

Fulks also led the Philadelphia Warriors to the first BAA championship. Fulks' 1947 finals performance against the Chicago Stags included 37 points in game one and 34 points in the clinching game 6. (see portions of his game 1 performance here).  

The Sporting News named Joe Fulks the 1948 Athlete of the Year, and the Knicks coach Neal Cohalen is reported to have said of Fulks, "Let him shoot. Just don't let him get a rebound!"

During the three seasons before the BAA merged with the National Basketball League, Fulks had considerable success. As already noted, his 1946-47 Philadelphia Warriors won the inaugural BAA title. The following year the Warriors reached the finals again before losing to Baltimore Bullets. Fulks' once famous 63 point game came during his third season, when he won All-BAA First Team honors despite the Warriors' pedestrian record (28-32). His 63 point game would stand as the record for the most points scored in a game until Elgin Baylor scored 64 in 1959.

It's possible to argue about Fulks' overall contributions. He was primarily a volume scorer and he wasn't known for passing the ball. But during a time when the standard of play was to run up the court, shoot the ball, miss the shot, and then run back down the court again, Jumpin' Joe scored better than anyone.

The competition stiffened when the BAA and NBL merged in 1949, and the Warriors finished the 1949-50 season with a record of 32-36. While they would bounce back the following season with a record of 40-26, they would not repeat their regular season or playoff success until after Fulks retired in 1954.

As previously noted, the latter part of Jumpin' Joe's career was speculated to have been cut short by his age (his pro career began when he was 25) and his love for alcohol. Given that his hometown was once a hotbed for bootlegging, this might not have been surprising. After the NBA, Fulks bounced between jobs, often fired for his drinking habits, until he kicked his habit and began working as a recreation director at the Kentucky State Penitentiary.

Kentucky State Penitentiary

January 2011

In 1971, Fulks was still recognized as a major figure in the sport and was one of 25 players named to the NBA's Silver Anniversary All Star Team along George Mikan, Bob Cousy, and Bill Russell. However, five years later, Fulks had returned to his previous drinking habits and was shot and killed by his girlfriend's adult son during a late night a drunken argument. Fulks would be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977, two years after his death.

In 1996, Fulks' name was not among those listed as the 50 greatest players when the NBA released the list to commemorate its 50th anniversary.

It's impossible to know if the NBA that we enjoy today would have existed in its current form without the emergence of Jumpin' Joe Fulks. Maybe the BAA would have never merged with the NBL and then faded into history along with the many other leagues that came before and after. Today we might be following the NBL instead of the NBA, and BAA teams like the Golden State (then Philadelphia) Warriors, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics might have quietly disappeared along with the Providence Steamrollers and St. Louis Bombers.

Basketball writers remember Fulks with periodic references. For example, a brief profile of Joe Fulks appeared in Freedarko's Undisputed Guide to Basketball History, Frank Deford mentioned him in a recent Sports Illustrated profile on the early days of the NBA, and Hardwood Paroxysm profiled him in 2011. However, the NBA and the general public have mostly forgotten the story of Jumpin' Joe Fulks.

A google search for the term "Kobe Bryant" generates almost 50 million results."Larry Bird" generates 6.7 million results, "Kareem Abdul Jabbar" generates 3.3 million, and "Pete Maravich" generates 745,000. In contrast, "Joe Fulks" returns only 36,300 results. Today we make that 36,301 and we hope that future generations of basketball fans begin to remember the man who was the BAA's first major star and the leader of the first team to ever raise the Basketball Champs Belt.

Sources and further reading:

John Christgau. The Origins of the Jump Shot: Eight Men Who Shook the World of Basketball. 1999.
Frank Deford. Frank Deford's NBA Flashback. Sports Illustrated, April 23, 2012.
Freedarko. The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History. 2010.
Curtis Harris. Forgotten Warriors: Joe Fulks. (last accessed 4/28/2012)
Murray State Athletics. Joe Fulks Hall of Fame Profile (last accessed 4/28/12)
Charley Rosen. The First Tip-Off. The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA. 2009.
Michael Schumacher. Mr. Basketball. George Mikan , the Minneapolis Lakers, and the Birth of the NBA. 2007.
Bill Simmons. The Book of Basketball. 2009.
Greg Travis. Joe Fulks: Professional Basketball's First Superstar. (last accessed 4/28/2012)

Joe Fulks NBA.com profile page
Joe Fulks Hall of Fame profile page
Google search results as of 4/28/2012

As always, special thanks to Basketball-Reference.com

Third Group of Hall of Fame Voters Announced

By Michael Hogan

Leading after the third quarter is critical. For example, a May 2012 blog post from Sharad Goel at Messy Matters reports that the team entering the fourth quarter with a seven point lead will win eighty percent of its games. With this in mind, I've been working diligently to identify the next set of U.S. Professional Basketball Hall of Fame voters, who represent the third of four groups of voters that will be announced (i.e., the third quarter).

Quarter Pusher

By Captain-tucker (Own work)

[CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Twenty-two voters have already been announced, and the overall goal is to identify 43 before beginning to develop the Hall of Fame's selection rules. The first 22 voters, who were announced in two groups of 11, set a high standard by reflecting an excellent cross-section of basketball writers. In today's post, I'm happy to announce that the next group of voters continues to reflect the high standards that this effort seeks to maintain.

In no particular order, the newest group of confirmed voters is noted below. Their short bios are taken from their Twitter pages, websites, and my own observations.

• Jay LaFountaine: (@saltcitycager) Founder of Salt City Cagers, which documents the history of basketball in Syracuse, New York.
• Arun Chikyarappa (@arunknows): Contributor to BBallBreakDown, which is in incredible site for anyone wanting to learn more about how to watch, play, and analyze the game.
• Michael O'Brien (@thenotoriousmob): Contributor to The Fake Basketball, which focuses on fantasy basketball.
• Jared Wade (@Jared_Wade): Founder/editor of 8 Points, 9 Seconds and Both Teams Played Hard and former contributor to Hardwood Paroxysm.
• Kevin Lipe (@epilnevek): Managing Editor of Grizzly Bear Blues (formerly Straight Outta Vancouver).
• Michael McNamera (@McNamara247): Editor of the ESPN TrueHoop Network site Hornets247  and co-host of the 'In the NO' podcast.
• Royce Young (@dailythunder): Owner and Editor of the Daily Thunder and NBA Blogger at CBS Sports.com.
• Phillip Rossman-Reich (@omagicdaily): Editor and contributor to the Orlando Magic Daily.
• J.R. Wilco (@jollyrogerwilco): General Manager and editor of Pounding the Rock.
• Adam Francis (@raptorshq): Manager of RaptorsHQ.
• Abdullah Sharif (@Abdu11ah): Senior writer/editor for Wizards Extreme.

I'll focus the remaining weeks of March on identifying the final ten Hall of Fame voters. With this in mind, I'm encouraging anyone with suggestions for known writers who can serve as at-large representatives or representatives for Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, Houston, Los Angeles (Clippers), and Sacramento to pass their suggestions along to me via email or Twitter.

After the final group of voters is confirmed, I'll prepare the first proposal for the Hall of Fame selection rules, post it here, and then encourage everyone to discuss and debate the proposed rules on Twitter and in this blog's comment section. This project's overall goal is to finalize the rules by the end of June and then move ahead with nominations for the first Hall of Fame class.

Building the Next Hall of Fame: New Voters Added

By Michael Hogan

The U.S. Pro Basketball Hall of Fame is please to announce the next group of committed voters, who are named below. These voters bring us halfway to the goal of identifying the 43 voters needed to move ahead with approving rules and then selecting the Hall of Fame's first inductees in late 2013.

On Friday, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced 12 finalists for its class of 2013. As usual, these finalists included players and coaches from the NBA, WNBA, and college basketball that were selected by the Hall of Fame's North American and Woman's Committees.

The announcement also included five men who automatically become the first members of the class of 2013 by being selected as Direct Elects by the Hall of Fame's American Basketball Association, Early African American Pioneers, International, Veterans, and Contributor Committees.

With finalists, Direct Elects, committees, male and female professionals and coaches, college athletes and coaches, international players, contributors, and more, the Naismith Hall of Fame represents a hodgepodge of excellence. And while it serves a critical role at the top of the Hall of Fame pyramid, important pieces of the puzzle are missing.

By Ricardo Liberato (All Gizah Pyramids) 

[CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

For example, while other Halls of Fame also exist that are dedicated to college, international, and women basketball players, no Hall of Fame exists that's solely dedicated to recognizing the accomplishments of American professionals, like those who played in the National Basketball Association, the American Basketball Association, the Basketball Association of America, and the National Basketball League.

In addition, the Naismith committee members keep a relatively low profile when compared to voters for other well-known Halls of Fame. As a fan of Sports Illustrated's Peter King, I always enjoy his columns explaining who he plans to support in the NFL Hall of Fame deliberations. Public debate is an important part of the NFL Hall of Fame's process, but doesn't seem to play a role in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. For example, does anyone remember those lengthy articles written by various Naismith committee members explaining why Spencer Haywood and Roger Brown finally deserve recognition?


While I have tremendous respect for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the U.S. Professional Basketball Hall of Fame serves those fans who want to see the missing piece of the basketball Hall of Fame puzzle filled, while also encouraging readers to engage with voters throughout the Hall of Fame decision-making process.

This blog is for you.

With this in mind, I'm currently identifying 43 voters who will assist in establishing a new Hall of Fame. These 43 will include 13 at-large voters and 30 voters who are each assigned to represent geographic areas associated with current NBA teams. As the facilitator of this project, I will not serve as a voter. All of us will take this effort seriously, but not so seriously that we'll forget about the fun and joy that playing and watching basketball brings to so many people. (For more details on the proposed process and timeframes, read this.)

In short, this website is a public and participatory celebration of those who have excelled in American professional basketball.

With that reminder of our purpose, I am pleased to announce the Hall of Fame's next group of voters. Their bios below are taken from their Twitter pages, websites, and my own observations. The members of the first group, who were announced about three weeks ago, can be found here.

• Ian Levy (@HickoryHigh): Basketball numerica and esoterica at Hickory-High.com. Contributor to Indy Cornrows, The Two Man Game, Hardwood Paroxysm and ProBasketballDraft.com.
• Tammeh Treymayne (@Mrs__NBA): NBA junkie. Manager of The NBA Mistress. Contributor to #HoopsTalkNation, Yardbarker & MSN.
• Dante Nelson (@DanteWrites): Editor of The Sixer Sense and manager of National Sixers.
• Jameson Draper (@jamdraper): Writer for Piston Powered, The Only Colors and Banks Of The Red Cedar. Photoshopper.
• Jacob Frankel (@jacob_frankel): Editor of The De-Thurmond Analysis and writer for Hoop Chalk, NBA247365, and Clipper Blog, among others.
• Aaron McGuire (@docrostov): Professional statistician. Writer at Gothic Gonobili and featured all over the Basketball Blogoshere for his 370-part player profiles series.
• David Lord (@DLord_DBdotcom): Former small college basketballer, accredited NBA media with the Dallas Mavericks for 10 years, NBA analyst for Dallasbasketball.com, and salary cap expert who assists with Larry Coon's NBA Salary Cap FAQ. 
• Ryan McNeill (@hoopsaddict): Editor of the incredible online magazine Hoops Addict.
• Conrad Kaczmarek (@conradkaczmarek): Editor of Fear the Sword and writer for Hardwood Paroxysm.
• Avi Saini (@Avi_RagingBull):  Editor for Bulls 101, founder of Raging Bull, and writer for  Clipperholics and Foot Basket.
• Andres Alvarez (@NerdNumbers): Advanced stats expert. Editor and developer of The Wages of Wins Journal. Occasionally engages in public debate with Mark Cuban.

Now that the first half of our voters have committed to this effort, I'll begin seeking the next group of committed voters. I also plan to begin posting historical pieces written for my other project, champsbelt.com, on this website and to begin preparing original pieces for the U.S. Pro Basketball Hall of Fame.

As always, send me suggestions anytime via Twitter @champsbelt or @USBasketballHOF, via email (champsbelt at gmail.com), or post your thoughts in the comments below.

Hall of Fame Voters: The First Eleven

By Michael Hogan

As described in the previous post, first step in establishing the U.S. Professional Basketball Hall of Fame is identifying the voters who will approve the rules and select the first class of inductees. Since the target is to identify 43 voters by the end of March, the first eleven confirmed voters represent about the first quarter of the total needed.

While the voters haven't yet voted to confirm the final rules, the goal is for this new Hall of Fame to have a transparent selection process where the fans know the voters, understand the process, and know the exact results of all the voting outcomes. 

Photo by Infrogmation of New Orleans 

[GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], 

via Wikimedia Commons 

With this in mind, I'm pleased to introduce the first eleven voters, who include some of my favorite writers and Twitter personalities. The short bios are (mostly) lifted from their Twitter pages. To those mentioned below, thank you for agreeing to participate in this effort.

• Fred Cervantez (@FMCervantez): Lakers and basketball history fan. Manager of a great YouTube channel. Contributor to The Basketball Champs Belt. 
• Curtis Harris (@ProHoopsHistory): Writes about the history of the NBA and its predecessor leagues (NBL, BAA, ABA). Contributor to Hardwood Paroxysm and blogger at Pro Hoops History.
• Evin Demirel (@evindemirel): Contributor to the New York Times, SLAM, Sporting Life Arkansas & SYNC magazine. Blogger at The Sports Seer.
• Sean Highkin (@shighkinNBA): ESPN Truehoop blogger for Hardwood Paroxysm, Portland Roundball Society, and Magic Basketball. Contributor to The Classical.
• Ben Swanson, Charlotte Bobcats voter (@CardboardGerald): Managing editor of Rufus on Fire.
• resevoirgod, (@MIA_Heat_Index): Fanalyst of Dwyane Wade & the NBA. Blogger at Miami Heat Index.
• Alex Skov (@AJSkov): Writer/editor for Beats, Dimes, and Drives and writer for Behind The Buck Pass. 
• John Flesta (@jflesta): Blogger at Timberpups Blog.
• Paul Knepper (@paulieknep): Blogger at Through the Clydescope and Knicks featured columnist for Bleacher Report. 
• Maddison Bond (@maddisonbond): Blogger at Portland Roundball Society and basketball illustrator extraordinaire.
• Clint Peterson (@Clintonite33): A man before his time, the Bob Cousy of Twitter. Blogger at Hardwood Paroxysm, UtahJazz.com, and Utah Sports Net.

I plan to introduce the second set of voters as soon as the next eleven are confirmed. In the meantime, I hope you take some time to read what the guys above are writing and to follow them on Twitter. You can also help contribute to this new effort by sending any thoughts or suggestions for additional voters to me via the comments below, via Twitter at @USBasketballHOF, @champsbelt, or via email at champsbelt at gmail.