National Basketball League

Introduction

The National Basketball League (NBL) was a Top-Player Basketball league and also the first professional basketball league in the world. Centered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the league’s teams stretched from New York City to Central New Jersey, through the Philadelphia area and down to Wilmington, Delaware. The league began operations with the 1898–99 season and disbanded in January 1904, before completing the 1903–04 season.

league that operated in the north-eastern United States during the late 19th century. The league that is the subject of this page was formed in 1896 (130 years ago). The league was originally amateur, but professionalism was introduced to the circuit in 1901.

The league debuted on December 1, 1898, with a game between the Trenton Nationals and the Hancock Athletic Association at Textile Hall in Philadelphia’s Kensington section. The Nationals rallied in the second half to win, 21–19, before 900 fans.

The 1898–99 season saw six teams in the league.^[1] Three were in Philadelphia (Clover Wheelmen, Germantown Nationals, and Hancock Athletic Association), and three were in New Jersey (Millville Glass Blowers, Camden Electrics, and Trenton Nationals). Two of the Philadelphia teams folded before New Year’s Eve 1898, but the other four completed the season, with the Trenton Nationals winning the first championship with an 18–2–1 record.

https://www.apbr.org/nbl9804.html

The NBL’s legacy was being the first league to openly hire basketball players. While some of league’s alumni continued to make basketball history on both local and national stages none of its teams would carry on any form.

Classification

Top Player League

Seasons Summary

League Championship Summary

# of seasons: 4

List of teams who won championships sorted by number of championships.

Future Features