1939–40 National Basketball League (United States) season

1939–40 NBL season
LeagueNational Basketball League
SportBasketball
Duration
  • November 23, 1939 – March 6, 1940
  • March 6–9, 1940 (Playoffs)
  • March 11–16, 1940 (Finals)
Games28
Teams8
Regular season
Season championsAkron Firestone Non-Skids
Top seedAkron Firestone Non-Skids
Season MVPLeroy Edwards (Oshkosh)
Top scorerLeroy Edwards (Oshkosh)
Playoffs
Eastern championsAkron Firestone Non-Skids
  Eastern runners-upDetroit Eagles
Western championsOshkosh All-Stars
  Western runners-upSheboygan Red Skins
Finals
Venue
ChampionsAkron Firestone Non-Skids
  Runners-upOshkosh All-Stars

The 1939–40 NBL season was the fifth National Basketball League (NBL) season. The regular season began on November 23, 1939, and ended on March 6, 1940. The playoffs began on the same day as the end of the regular season and ran until March 16, 1940, with the Akron Firestone Non-Skids once again defeating the Oshkosh All-Stars by 3 games to 2 in a rematch of the previous season's NBL Championship.[1]

Teams

The Pittsburgh Pirates did not field a team in the 1939–40 season. Instead, they would be replaced by the Chicago Bruins, who had previously competed in the American Basketball League in its first iteration before the long-term effects of the Great Depression forced it to shut down operations on a temporary basis. The Cleveland White Horses relocated to Detroit and were renamed the Detroit Eagles.[2][3]

Eastern Division Akron Firestone Non-Skids

Akron, Ohio

Akron Goodyear Wingfoots

Akron, Ohio

Detroit Eagles

Detroit, Michigan

Indianapolis Katuskys

Indianapolis, Indiana

Western Division Chicago Bruins

Chicago, Illinois

Hammond Ciesar All-Americans

Hammond, Indiana

Oshkosh All-Stars

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Sheboygan Red Skins

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1938–39 coach 1939–40 coach
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots Lefty Byers[4] Ray Detrick[5]
Indianapolis Kautskys Bob Nipper[6] Ward Meyers[7]
Oshkosh All-Stars George Hotchkiss[8] Lon Darling[9]
Sheboygan Red Skins Edwin Schutte[10] Frank Zummach[11]
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Hammond Ciesar All-Americans Lou Boudreau[12] Eddie Ciesar (interim)
Eddie Ciesar (interim) Leo Bereolos

Preseason

Prior to the start of the season, the Oshkosh All-Stars sold shares of their team worth $25 each to raise funds following financial losses in the previous season.[3]

Regular season

Teams were scheduled to play a 28-game regular season, playing four games (two home, two away) against every other team. The final game of the regular season between the Akron Firestone Non-Skids and the Detroit Eagles also served as the first game in their playoff series.[13]

Postseason

Playoffs

The top two teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. The Akron Firestone Non-Skids returned to the NBL Championship after sweeping the Detroit Eagles 2–0 in the Eastern Division playoff. The Oshkosh All-Stars also returned to the championship after defeating the Sheboygan Red Skins 2–1 in the Western Division playoff. In the rematch of last season's championship, Akron successfully defended its title, defeating the All-Stars by 3 games to 2. The result meant that Oshkosh had now finished second for three consecutive seasons.

Division Playoffs NBL Championship
      
E1 Akron Firestone Non-Skids 2
E2 Detroit Eagles 0
E1 Akron Firestone Non-Skids 3
W1 Oshkosh All-Stars 2
W1 Oshkosh All-Stars 2
W2 Sheboygan Red Skins 1
  • Bold Series winner

World Professional Basketball Tournament

Main article: 1940 World Professional Basketball Tournament

After the conclusion of the NBL season, three NBL teams, the Chicago Bruins, the Oshkosh All-Stars, and the Sheboygan Red Skins, competed in the 1940 edition of the World Professional Basketball Tournament. The Red Skins lost to the eventual third-placed Syracuse Reds in the quarterfinals, while the Bruins finished as runners-up to the Harlem Globetrotters after defeating the All-Stars in the quarterfinals.

Statistics

Leaders

Category Player Team Stat
Points Leroy Edwards Oshkosh All-Stars 361[14]
Free-Throws Leroy Edwards Oshkosh All-Stars 139[15]
Field goals Ernie Andres Indianapolis Kautskys 130[16]

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 NBA season, league leaders in points were determined by totals rather than averages. Also, rebounding and assist numbers were not recorded properly in the NBL like they would be in the BAA/NBA, as would field goal and free-throw shooting percentages.

Awards

[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., pp. 68–80
  2. ^ Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., p. 53
  3. ^ a b Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., p. 70
  4. ^ "AKRON GOODYEAR WEBFOOTS".
  5. ^ "AKRON GOODYEAR WEBFOOTS".
  6. ^ "INDIANAPOLIS KAUTSKYS".
  7. ^ "INDIANAPOLIS KAUTSKYS".
  8. ^ "OSHKOSH All-STARS".
  9. ^ "OSHKOSH All-STARS".
  10. ^ "SHEBOYGAN RED SKINS".
  11. ^ "SHEBOYGAN RED SKINS".
  12. ^ "HAMMOND CIESAR ALL-AMERICANS".
  13. ^ "1939-40 NBL Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com.
  14. ^ "NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Points". Basketball-Reference.com.
  15. ^ "NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Free Throws". Basketball-Reference.com.
  16. ^ "NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Field Goals". Basketball-Reference.com.
  17. ^ "Steve Dimitry's NBL Web Site". Archived from the original on 2005-08-18.
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