Wartime Basketball - by Douglas Stark (Hardcover)

About the Book

Wartime Basketball tells the story of basketball's survival and development during World War II and how those years profoundly affected the game's growth after the war.

Book Synopsis

Wartime Basketball tells the story of basketball's survival and development during World War II and how those years profoundly affected the game's growth after the war. Prior to World War II, basketball--professional and collegiate--was largely a regional game, with different styles played throughout the country. Among its many impacts on home-front life, the war forced pro and amateur leagues to contract and combine rosters to stay competitive. At the same time, the U.S. military created base teams made up of top players who found themselves in uniform. The war created the opportunity for players from different parts of the country to play with and against each other. As a result, a more consistent form of basketball began to take shape.

The rising popularity of the professional game led to the formation of the World Professional Basketball Tournament (WPBT) in 1939. The original March Madness, the WPBT was played in Chicago for ten years and allowed professional, amateur, barnstorming, and independent teams to compete in a round-robin tournament. The WPBT included all-black and integrated teams in the first instance where all-black teams could compete for a "world series of basketball" against white teams. Wartime Basketball describes how the WPBT paved the way for the National Basketball League to integrate in December 1942, five years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball.

Weaving stories from the court into wartime and home-front culture like a finely threaded bounce pass, Wartime Basketball sheds light on important developments in the sport's history that have been largely overlooked.

Review Quotes

"Wartime Basketball: The Emergence of a National Sport During World War II serves as a tremendous addition to the history of professional basketball."--Susan J. Rayl, ARETE

"An important work for readers interested in the history of basketball before the NBA."--Library Journal-- (6/1/2016 12:00:00 AM)

"I love this book. The narrative comes alive with the fascinating testimonies of those involved. Along the way, Douglas Stark traces the evolution of the game during those otherwise fearsome years. This is a must-have book for both the casual basketball fan as well as the devoted hoop-o-phile."--Charley Rosen, author of Perfectly Awful: The Philadelphia 76ers' Horrendous and Hilarious 1972-1973 Season
-- (12/13/2015 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Douglas Stark is the museum director at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. He is the author of The SPHAS: The Life and Times of Basketball's Greatest Jewish Team.