The National Basketball League (NBL) was a professional basketball league in the United States. Established in 1935 as the Midwest Basketball Conference, it changed its name to the NBL in 1937. After the 1948–49 season, its twelfth, it merged with the Basketball Association of America (BAA) to create the National Basketball Association (NBA). Five current NBA teams trace their history back to the NBL: the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Sacramento Kings.
The National Professional Basketball League (NPBL) was a professional basketball league in the United States from 1950–51, serving as a successor league to the National Basketball League that operated from 1937 to 1949.
The Chicago Stags were a National Basketball Association team based in Chicago from 1946 to 1950.
The Denver Nuggets were a professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets joined the National Basketball League (NBL) for the 1948–49 season, and then joined the National Basketball Association when the NBL was absorbed by the Basketball Association of America to create the NBA for the 1949–50 season. The Nuggets were the first major professional sports franchise in Colorado, but disbanded after going 11–50 in their inaugural season. This franchise is not directly connected to the current Denver Nuggets franchise of the NBA.
The Sheboygan Red Skins were a professional basketball team based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which was an original National Basketball Association franchise during the 1949–50 season.
The Washington Capitols were a former Basketball Association of America team based in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1951. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerbach.
The Waterloo Hawks were a National Basketball League and National Basketball Association team based in Waterloo, Iowa. The Hawks remain the only sports franchise ever based in Iowa from any of the current Big Four Leagues.
James Clifford Pollard was an American professional basketball player and coach. As a player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Pollard was considered one of the best forwards in the 1950s and was known for his leaping ability, earning him the nickname "The Kangaroo Kid". A five-time NBA champion and four-time NBA All-Star, Pollard spent his entire eight-year professional career with the Minneapolis Lakers.
Louisville Alumnites were a team in the National Professional Basketball League (1950–51), based in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Evansville Agogans were a professional basketball team who played in Evansville, Indiana, in 1951 and were a member of the Western Division of the National Professional Basketball League.
Richard Lea Dickey was an American professional basketball player for the National Professional Basketball League's Anderson Packers and National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics, although he is best remembered for his college career while playing at NC State.
John Arlington "Shotgun" Hargis was an American professional basketball player, first in the National Basketball League (NBL) and then in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born in Nacogdoches, Texas and attended Nacogdoches High School.
Robert Paul Kinney was an American professional basketball player in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Professional Basketball League (NPBL). Besides Bob, his nicknames included Hi-Pocket and Bat-em Bob. Kinney, who attended high school in San Antonio, Texas, went to college at Rice University where he was a standout on the basketball team in 1940–41 and 1941–42.
Rolland John Seltz was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during its first year of existence. He played 34 games for the Anderson Packers during the 1949–50 season.
Isaac Walker Duffey was an American businessman and sports executive. He organized a successful barnstorming team called the Anderson Chiefs, and later bought a National Basketball League franchise, which he named the Anderson Packers. The Packers played in the National Basketball League for three years, winning the final NBL championship, and later spent time in the National Basketball Association and National Professional Basketball League. Duffey was the interim coach of the Packers for three games in the 1949–50 season, going 1-2 before turning the reins over to former NBL coach Doxie Moore.
Edmund Andrew Stanczak was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Anderson Packers between 1946 and 1950, then the Boston Celtics in 1950–51. In 1948–49 – Anderson's last season as a member of the National Basketball League – Stanczak led the league in games played (61) and helped them win the NBL championship.
Dale E. Morey was an American amateur golfer and professional basketball player. In basketball, he played in the National Basketball League for the Anderson Duffey Packers during the 1946–47 season. In golf, he won 261 tournaments and made nine holes-in-one in his career.
The 1948–49 Anderson Duffey Packers season was the Packers' third year in the United States' National Basketball League (NBL), which was also the twelfth and final year the league existed. Ten teams competed in the NBL in 1948–49, comprising five teams in both the Eastern and Western Divisions.
