| Cleveland Rebels | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Division | Western | |||
| Founded | 1946 | |||
| Folded | 1947 | |||
| History | Cleveland Rebels 1946–1947 | |||
| Arena | Cleveland Arena | |||
| Location | Cleveland, Ohio | |||
| Team colors | Orange, white, blue | |||
The Cleveland Rebels were a basketball team in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), a forerunner of the modern National Basketball Association (NBA), based in Cleveland. [1]
The Rebels were an inaugural franchise in the BAA's first season. In their only season, the team went 30–30, finishing 3rd in the Western Division and losing in the first round of the playoffs, two games to one to the New York Knickerbockers, in its only season before going out of business. [2] The Rebels included notable early pro stars Big Ed Sadowski and Kenny Sailors. Cleveland would not have another team in what would become the NBA until the Cavaliers joined the league in 1970.
Note: W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Rebels (BAA) | |||||
| 1946–47 | 30 | 30 | .500 | Lost First Round | New York 2, Cleveland 1 |
The following players are the all-time roster of the Cleveland Rebels. [3]
The following two coaches are the only two coaches of the Cleveland Rebels. [4]
The Baltimore Bullets were a professional basketball team based in Baltimore. The Bullets competed in the American Basketball League (1944–1947), the Basketball Association of America (1947–1949), and the National Basketball Association (1949–1954). On November 27, 1954, the team folded with a 3–11 record on the season, making the Bullets the last NBA franchise to fold. Out of all defunct NBA teams, the Bullets were members of the association for the longest time and the only defunct team to win a championship.
The Toronto Huskies were a team in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which was a forerunner of the National Basketball Association (NBA), during the 1946–47 season. They were based in Toronto. The team compiled a 22–38 win–loss record in its only season before disbanding in the summer of 1947.
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.
John Albert Kundla was an American college and professional basketball coach. He was the first head coach for the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and its predecessors, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL), serving 12 seasons, from 1947 to 1959. His teams won six league championships, one in the NBL, one in the BAA, and four in the NBA. Kundla was the head basketball coach at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul for one season in 1946–47, and at the University of Minnesota for ten seasons, from 1959 to 1968. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
The 1946–47 BAA season was the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America. The league launched with 11 teams playing a 60-game schedule. The postseason tournament at its conclusion, ended with the Philadelphia Warriors becoming the first BAA Champion, beating the Chicago Stags 4 games to 1 in the BAA Finals.
The 1947 BAA Finals was the championship round of playoffs following the inaugural Basketball Association of America (BAA)'s 1946–47 season. The Philadelphia Warriors of the Eastern Division faced the Chicago Stags of the Western Division for the inaugural championship, with Philadelphia having home court advantage. Hall of Fame inductee Joe Fulks played for the Warriors in the series.
Kenneth Lloyd Sailors was an American professional basketball player active in the 1940s and early 1950s. A 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) guard, he is notable for inventing the jump shot as an alternative to the two-handed, flat-footed set shot.
Generoso Charles "Jerry" Rullo was an American professional basketball player.
The 1946–47 BAA season was the Toronto Huskies' inaugural and sole season of existence. The NBA's first game was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on November 1, 1946. The New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68–66 at Maple Leaf Gardens. The teams were part of the Basketball Association of America, the forerunner to the NBA. The Huskies finished last in their division and folded after one season. Throughout the season, the Huskies had four head coaches: Ed Sadowski 3–9, Lew Hayman 0–1, Dick Fitzgerald 2–1, and Red Rolfe 17–27.
The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Richard Fitzgerald was an American professional basketball player.
Benedict Michael Scharnus was a professional basketball player. He played for the Cleveland Rebels and the Providence Steamrollers of the Basketball Association of America.
Irwin Paul Rothenberg was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Cleveland Rebels, Washington Capitols, Baltimore Bullets, St. Louis Bombers, and New York Knicks of the Basketball Association of America. Rothenberg also played in the American Basketball League for the Philadelphia Sphas, New York Gothams, and Paterson Crescents.
Raymond A. Wertis was a professional basketball player. He played for the Cleveland Rebels, Toronto Huskies, and Providence Steamrollers of the Basketball Association of America.
Henry A. Lefkowitz was a professional basketball player. He played for the Cleveland Rebels of the Basketball Association of America.
The 1946–47 Cleveland Rebels season was the first and only season of the Cleveland Rebels of the Basketball Association of America (BAA/NBA). Their record was 30-30. Head coach Dutch Dehnert was fired by the team on February 12, 1947, and replaced by Roy Clifford.
