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The World Professional Basketball Tournament was an invitational tournament for professional basketball teams in the United States held in Chicago, Illinois by the Chicago Herald American. The annual event was held from 1939 to 1948. Many of the teams came from the National Basketball League, though it also included teams from other leagues and barnstorming teams such as the New York Rens and Harlem Globetrotters. Games were played at various sites including Chicago Coliseum, International Amphitheater and Chicago Stadium.
Organized by Arch Ward and sponsored by the Chicago Herald-American (a William Randolph Hearst newspaper), the World Professional Basketball Tournament featured the best teams in professional basketball with the winner widely acknowledged as world champions.
This was the first post-war season. Many of the best players were back from overseas. The NBL sensed that professional basketball was on the cusp of a big break through after Ft. Wayne drew 20,000 fans for their game in late 1945 against the college All-Stars.
The 1946 World Professional Basketball Tournament—the 8th annual edition—was held in Chicago, Illinois, from March 25 to April 8 and featured 14 teams competing for a total prize pool of $15,000. The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) captured their third consecutive championship by defeating the Oshkosh All-Stars (NBL) in a best-of-three finals series, 2–1, at Chicago Stadium. The Chicago American Gears claimed third place with a 2–0 sweep of the Baltimore Bullets in the consolation series.
Other participating teams included the Anderson Duffey Packers, Cleveland Allmen Transfers, Dayton Mickeys, Detroit Mansfields, Indianapolis Kautskys, Midland Dow Chemicals, New York Rens, Pittsburgh Raiders, Sheboygan Redskins, and Toledo White Huts. The Cleveland Allmen Transfers roster featured Willie Smith, a Black player and former member of the Rens. The Rens, meanwhile, included future NBA player Hank DeZonie and future Hall of Famer William "Pop" Gates.
The American Gears were led by a rising star, George Mikan, who dominated the tournament. He finished as the top scorer with 100 points in five games, earning both Most Valuable Player and All-Tournament First Team honors.
Offered is a nice representation of this rare program with all pages intact, tight binding. . Loaded with pictures of some of the greats of the time and unscored. This is a who’s who in professional and college basketball at the time. When you do find these programs, they’re usually in lousy condition. This originally came out of a player’s personal collection who played in the game.
The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons would beat the Oshkosh All-Stars 73-57 to win the World Championship.
Item: 13880
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