The 1939 World Professional Basketball Tournament was the first edition of the World Professional Basketball Tournament. It was held in Chicago, Illinois, during the days of 26–28 March 1939 and featured 11 teams competing for a prize money of $10,000.[1] It was won by the New York Rens who defeated the Oshkosh All-Stars 34–25 in the title game.[2] The Harlem Globetrotters came in third after beating the Sheboygan Redskins 36–33 in the third-place game.[3] Puggy Bell of the New York Rens was named the tournaments Most Valuable Player.
| 1939 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Dates | 26 March–28 March |
| Venue(s) | Madison Street Armory, Chicago Coliseum |
| Teams | 11 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | New York Rens |
| 1st runner-up | Oshkosh All-Stars |
| 2nd runner-up | Harlem Globetrotters |
| MVP | Puggy Bell |
Results
editFirst round
edit- 26 March - Harlem Globetrotters 41, Fort Wayne Harvesters 33
- 26 March - New York Yankees 40, Brenton Harbor House of David 32
- 26 March - Sheboygan Redskins 47, Illinois Grads 29
- 26 March - Oshkosh All-Stars 40, Clarksburg Oil 33
Bracket
edit| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| 26 March | ||||||||||
| New York Rens | 30 | |||||||||
| 27 March | ||||||||||
| New York Yankees | 21 | |||||||||
| New York Rens | 27 | |||||||||
| 26 March | ||||||||||
| Harlem Globetrotters | 23 | |||||||||
| Harlem Globetrotters | 31 | |||||||||
| 28 March | ||||||||||
| Chicago Harmons | 25 | |||||||||
| New York Rens | 34 | |||||||||
| 27 March | ||||||||||
| Oshkosh All-Stars | 25 | |||||||||
| Sheboygan Redskins | 36 | |||||||||
| 27 March | ||||||||||
| New York Celtics | 29 | |||||||||
| Oshkosh All-Stars | 40 | |||||||||
| Sheboygan Redskins | 23 | Runner up | ||||||||
| 28 March | ||||||||||
| Harlem Globetrotters | 36 | |||||||||
| Sheboygan Redskins | 33 | |||||||||
Third place game
edit28 March 1939
|
| Harlem Globetrotters 36, Sheboygan Redskins 33 | ||
| Scoring by half: 19–20, 17–13 | ||
| Pts: L. Bleach – 17 | Pts: R. Adams – 12 | |
Chicago Coliseum
Referees: Wilfred Smith, Nat Messinger |
Championship game
edit28 March 1939
|
| New York Rens 34, Oshkosh All-Stars 25 | ||
| Scoring by half: 24–11, 10–14 | ||
| Pts: P. Gates – 12 | Pts: L. Edwards – 12 | |
Individual awards
editAll-Tournament First team
edit- C - Leroy Edwards, Indianapolis Kautskys
- F - Ed Dancker, Sheboygan Redskins
- F - Puggy Bell, New York Rens (MVP)
- G - Babe Pressley, Harlem Globetrotters
- G - Zack Clayton, New York Rens
References
edit- ^ Wendell Smith (April 1, 1939). "Rens beat Throtters in Pro Tourney". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 16. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New York Rens win net title". The South Bend Tribune. Associated Press. March 29, 1939. p. 21. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New York Rens trim Oshkosh for title". The Times of Northwest Indiana. March 29, 1939. p. 18. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New York Rens win National Pro Cage Title". The Capital Times. March 29, 1939. p. 17. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit- WPBT 1939-48 on apbr.org