1930’s Professional Basketball (ABL) Grouping. What started as just a handful of photos turned into a big haul of some rare early pro basketball material.
Background info - The American Basketball League was the first attempt to create a major basketball league and was the top pro league during this period. It popped into existence in the 1920’s and then disappeared when the depression hit, only to reorganize in the mid 1930’s. League teams struggled to survive during this period, often only drawing 800-1,000 spectators. They played in some unique small venues and often had bands and dance contests after the game. The teams were composed of some of the top former college players but also from players from the working class, especially from the Jewish communities.
This group consists of photos of the 1937-1938 New Jersey Reds who would go on to win the title that year. One of their players, Moe Spahn, would be the league MVP. The group also includes photos of the 1940-41 champion Philadelphia SPHAS (South Philadelphia Hebrew Association), which was a dominant team throughout this era. Also included are the publicity promos for these two teams. These were published to be handed out at the games and included all kinds of league and team information as well as a scorecard. These are typically 4 pages (two leaves) each. Photos are 8"x10".
New Jersey Reds
Reds.jpg
New Jersey Reds Team Photo.jpg
Philadelphia SPHAS - Lautman, Goldman, Torgoff, Rosenberg
SPHAS.jpg
Sphas Team.jpg
Moe Spahn MVP - Receiving MVP trophy
Moe Spahn MVP.jpg
Promo Publications
Publications 1.jpg
New Jersey Envelope and Letterhead
New Jersey Reds Envelope.jpg
New Jersey Reds Letterhead.jpg
New Jersey vs New York Celtics (Willie Scrill was a recently retired New Jersey Reds player)
New Jersey Reds vs New York Celtics - 1.jpg
New Jersey Reds vs New York Celtics - 2.jpg
Details within the photo -
Interesting "net" on the goal
1 basket.jpg
Scoreboard
1 scoreboard.jpg
Band sign
1 signs.jpg