| Indianapolis Olympians | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Division | Western |
| Founded | 1949 |
| Folded | 1953 |
| History | Indianapolis Olympians 1949–1953 |
| Arena | Butler Fieldhouse |
| Location | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Team colors | Blue, white, red |
| Division titles | 1 (1950) |
The Indianapolis Olympians were a founding National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Indianapolis. They were founded in 1949 and folded in 1953. Their home arena was Butler Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University, now known as Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Olympians were founded in 1949 and were originally slated to play in the National Basketball League (NBL). However, with the merger of the NBL and the Basketball Association of America, the franchise played its first games in the newly formed National Basketball Association (NBA). [1] The Olympians were led by University of Kentucky alumni Alex Groza [2] and Ralph Beard, both of whom were key contributors on the gold medal winning 1948 US Olympic basketball team. Olympic team members Wallace Jones and Cliff Barker (both also Kentucky alumni) also played on the team. An Olympic alternate and UK grad, Joe Holland, played forward for the Indianapolis team through the 1952 season.
After the 1951 season, Groza and Beard were suspended from the NBA for life by commissioner Maurice Podoloff when the players admitted point shaving during their college careers. The Olympians finished with a 28–43 record in 1953, and folded after that season. The Olympians compiled a 132–137 record in four seasons in the NBA.
Indianapolis would not have an NBA team until 1976 when the Indiana Pacers were one of the four teams admitted from the American Basketball Association in the ABA–NBA merger.
The Olympians still hold the distinction of being the winning team in the longest game in NBA history—they were the 75–73 victors in a six-overtime game against the Rochester Royals in a game played on January 6, 1951. [3]
| NBA champions ‡ | Division champions ^ | Playoff berth # |
| Season | Division | Finish [lower-alpha 1] | W [lower-alpha 2] | L [lower-alpha 2] | Win% | GB | Playoffs | Awards | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Western ^ | 1st ^ | 39 | 25 | .609 | — | Won Division semifinals (Red Skins) 2–1 Lost Division finals (Packers) 1–2 [4] | Cliff Barker | |
| 1950–51 | Western | 4th # | 31 | 37 | .456 | 13 | Lost Division semifinals (Lakers) 1–2 [5] | Cliff Barker Wally Jones | |
| 1951–52 | Western | 3rd # | 34 | 32 | .515 | 7 | Lost Division semifinals (Lakers) 0–2 [6] | Herm Schaefer | |
| 1952–53 | Western | 4th # | 28 | 43 | .394 | 20.5 | Lost Division semifinals (Lakers) 0–2 [7] | Herm Schaefer |
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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.
Maurice Podoloff was an American lawyer and a basketball and ice hockey administrator. He served as the president of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) from 1946 to 1949, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1949 to 1963, making Podoloff the de facto 1st commissioner in NBA history.
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Ralph Milton Beard Jr. was an American collegiate and professional basketball player. He won two NCAA national basketball championships at the University of Kentucky and played two years in the National Basketball Association prior to being barred for life for his participation in the 1951 point shaving scandal.
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Clarence Henry "Kleggie" Hermsen was an American professional basketball player.
George Ratkovicz was an American basketball player who played for five seasons in the National Basketball League and for six seasons in the National Basketball Association. He played center and forward during his career.
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William Edwin Spivey was an American basketball player. A 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) center, he played college basketball for the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Kentucky Wildcats from 1949 to 1951. After his high school career, Spivey was recruited by the University of Kentucky. During his time with the Wildcats, he led the team to the 1951 NCAA tournament championship. When a point shaving scandal was revealed that year, Spivey was accused of being involved, which he denied. He left the Wildcats in December 1951, and the university banned him from the squad in March 1952.
