1946 World Professional Basketball Tournament

Last updated
World Professional Basketball Tournament
1946
Tournament information
Location Chicago, Illinois
Dates25 March–8 April
Teams14
Final positions
Champions Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
1st runner-up Oshkosh All-Stars
2nd runner-up Chicago American Gears
Tournament statistics
MVP George Mikan
Top scorer(s) George Mikan
  1945
1947  

The 1946 World Professional Basketball Tournament was the 8th edition of the World Professional Basketball Tournament. It was held in Chicago, Illinois, during the days of 25 March - 8 April 1946 and featured 14 teams. It was won by the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons who defeated the Oshkosh All-Stars 2–1 in the championship series. [1] The Chicago American Gears came in third after beating the Baltimore Bullets 2–0 in the third-place best-of-three series. George Mikan of the American Gears was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after finishing as its top scorer with 100 points in five games. [2]

Contents

Results

First round

25 March - Chicago American Gears 69, Pittsburgh Raiders 58 [3] [4]
25 March - Anderson Duffey Packers 59, Cleveland Allmen Transfers 46
25 March - Midland Dow Chemicals 72, Indianapolis Kautskys 59
25 March - Oshkosh All-Stars 60, Detroit Mansfields 32
25 March - New York Rens 82, Toledo White Huts 39
25 March - Baltimore Bullets 61, Dayton Mickeys 58

Quarter-finals

29 March - Oshkosh All-Stars 50, New York Rens 44
29 March - Chicago American Gears 52, Sheboygan Redskins 51
29 March - Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 65, Midland Dow Chemicals 62
29 March - Baltimore Bullets 67, Anderson Duffey Packers 65

Semi-finals

3 April - Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 50, Baltimore Bullets 49
3 April - Oshkosh All-Stars 72, Chicago American Gears 66

Third place series

5 April 1946
Chicago American Gears 59, Baltimore Bullets 54
Pts: G. Mikan – 17
Chicago Stadium
Attendance: 11,131
6 April 1946
Chicago American Gears 65, Baltimore Bullets 50
Pts: G. Mikan – 27Pts: S. Stutz – 11
Chicago Stadium
Attendance: 17,782

Championship series

5 April 1946
Oshkosh All-Stars 61, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 59
Scoring by half: 40–25, 21–34
Pts: B. Carpenter – 19Pts: B. McDermott – 17
Chicago Stadium
Attendance: 11,131 [5] [6]
Referees: Nat Messinger, Frank Kriznecky
6 April 1946
Oshkosh All-Stars 47, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 56
Scoring by half: 24–32, 23–24
Pts: L. Edwards – 24Pts: B. McDermott – 13
Chicago Stadium
Attendance: 17,782 [7]
Referees: Messinger, Kriznecky
8 April 1946
Oshkosh All-Stars 57, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 73
Scoring by half: 32–39, 25–34
Pts: L. Edwards – 24Pts: B. McDermott – 20
Chicago Stadium
Attendance: 8,440
Referees: Nat Messinger, Frank Kriznecky

Individual awards

All-Tournament First team

All-Tournament Second team

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References

  1. "Zollners win deciding game in Pro Tourney". The Oshkosh Northwestern . 9 April 1946. p. 13. Retrieved 5 April 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. "George Mikan Most Valuable in Pro Tourney". Quad-City Times . 7 April 1946. p. 34. Retrieved 5 April 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. "Mikan leads Gears' win in pro meet". Nashville Banner . 26 March 1946. p. 14. Retrieved 5 April 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. Jerry Liska (26 March 1946). "George Mikan just another player as high-priced star shows in pro event". Chillicothe Gazette . p. 8. Retrieved 5 April 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. Jimmy Jordan (6 April 1946). "Zollners face uphill fight to retain title". The Indianapolis News . p. 4. Retrieved 5 April 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  6. "Oshkosh five 61-59 winner". The Des Moines Register . 6 April 1946. p. 11. Retrieved 5 April 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. "Fort Wayne ties series on 56-74 win". Democrat and Chronicle . 7 April 1946. p. 31. Retrieved 5 April 2022.