| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1939 |
| Ceased | 1948 |
| Country | United States |
| Most titles | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (3 titles) |
The World Professional Basketball Tournament was an annual invitational tournament held in Chicago from 1939 to 1948 and sponsored by the Chicago Herald American.[1] Many teams came from the National Basketball League, but it also included the best teams from other leagues and the best independent 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.
The NBL champion usually won this tournament, with three exceptions: the New York Rens won the first WPBT in 1939,[2] while the Harlem Globetrotters—a strongly competitive squad in those days—won the following year.[3] In 1943, the Washington Bears (with many New York Rens players on their roster) won the tournament. The NBL's Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons won the most titles (three, from 1944 to 1946), while the NBL's Oshkosh All-Stars made the most finals appearances with five, winning only once (in 1942).
The last tournament was held in 1948, with the Minneapolis Lakers defeating the New York Rens 75–71 in the tournament final.[1][4] The following year, The Indianapolis News attempted to hold a similar tournament,[5] inviting the Wilkes-Barre Barons from the American Basketball League, three teams each from the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League, and one team that would remain unidentified until shortly before the seeded draw.[6][7] Although the National Basketball League agreed to attend, the tournament did not come to fruition after the BAA declined the invitation.[8]
- ^ a b Bill Carlson (12 April 1948). "Lakers 'World Champions' now". The Minneapolis Star. p. 23. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New York Rens win net title". The South Bend Tribune. Associated Press. 29 March 1939. p. 21. Retrieved 5 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Globe Trotters win world's pro tourney title". The Oshkosh Northwestern. 21 March 1940. p. 23. Retrieved 4 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ John Schleppi (1989). "Chicago's World Tournament of Professional Basketball 1939—1948". LA84 Foundation. North American Society for Sport History. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "News invites eight teams for World Pro Cage Tourney here". The Indianapolis News. 22 March 1949. p. 24. Retrieved 6 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "B.A.A. ponders bid to Pro Tourney". The Indianapolis News. 24 March 1949. p. 21. Retrieved 6 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bill Kinney (26 March 1949). "Backward step". The Rock Island Argus. p. 14. Retrieved 6 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jack Estell (31 March 1949). "News' Pro Peace Bid Seems Doomed to Fail". The Tipton Daily Tribune. International News Service. p. 4. Retrieved 6 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
