The 1947–48 BAA season was the second season of the Basketball Association of America. The 1948 BAA Playoffs ended with the Baltimore Bullets winning the BAA championship, beating the Philadelphia Warriors in 6 games in the BAA Finals.
Although not celebrated at the time, this season was historic, with Wataru Misaka of the New York Knicks becoming the first person of color to play in modern professional basketball.
The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history so the 1947–48 BAA season is considered the second NBA season.
Notable occurrences Following the departure of the Cleveland Rebels, Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen, and Toronto Huskies alongside the addition of the Baltimore Bullets from the original American Basketball League, the Western Division would see the Washington Capitols move into the Western Division alongside the Baltimore Bullets in order to adjust to the smaller number of teams for this season. For the majority of this season, the BAA would have an agreement with the older, rivaling National Basketball League to have the NBL play 24 of their games as opening matches before the Chicago Stags played their home games for this season, which was done in order for the BAA to try to have better negotiation talks with the NBL to help out both of their futures at the time., pp. 179–180 However, one unintended side effect to these games saw four of the NBL's own teams (the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, the Indianapolis Kautskys, the new NBL champion Minneapolis Lakers, and the runner-up Rochester Royals) defecting from the NBL into the BAA following this season's conclusion, with two more NBL teams in the Oshkosh All-Stars and Toledo Jeeps trying and failing to join them also., pp. 199, 201–202, p. 129 This led to the end of any attempts for a second season where the two leagues hosted a doubleheader series of sorts together. With the Baltimore Bullets defeating the defending BAA champion Philadelphia Warriors, this would mark the first time in BAA/NBA history that the league champion would come from a team that originated from a different professional basketball league at the time (in this case, the original American Basketball League). Not only that, but as of 2026, this Bullets franchise would become the only championship team to later become officially defunct from the league later on its in history.
+Coaching changesOffseason Team 1946–47 coach 1947–48 coach New York Knicks Neil Cohalan Joe Lapchick Providence Steamrollers Robert Morris Albert SoarIn-season Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach Providence Steamrollers Albert Soar Nat Hickey
Preseason events Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Toronto folded before the season started, leaving the BAA with only seven teams. (All cities except Pittsburgh would get new NBA teams in future years.) To make up for at least the loss of the Cleveland Rebels and Detroit Falcons early on into their season, however, the BAA allowed for the entry of the Baltimore Bullets from the older American Basketball League to provide a more convenient number of ten teams by the inaugural 1947 BAA draft before later being downgraded to only eight teams entering this season. Not only that, but the BAA decreased the number of games played this season from 60-61 to 48 (their lowest total number of games in a non-lockout season) in order to compensate for the lost teams this season.
Final standings
Playoffs
Statistics leaders
Category Player Team Stat Points Max Zaslofsky Chicago Stags 1,007 Assists Howie Dallmar Philadelphia Warriors 120 FG% Bob Feerick Washington Capitols .340 FT% Bob Feerick Washington Capitols .788
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
BAA awards
All-BAA First Team C Ed Sadowski, Boston Celtics F Joe Fulks, Philadelphia Warriors F Howie Dallmar, Philadelphia Warriors F Bob Feerick, Washington Capitols G Max Zaslofsky, Chicago Stags All-BAA Second Team G Buddy Jeannette, Baltimore Bullets C Stan Miasek, Chicago Stags G Carl Braun, New York Knicks G Fred Scolari, Washington Capitols G John Logan, St. Louis Bombers BAA Rookie of the Year F/G Paul Hoffman, Baltimore Bullets
Notes
See also List of NBA regular season records 1947–48 NBL season, the rivaling season of what would eventually be their merging partner to form the National Basketball Association in the older National Basketball League within the U.S.A. from 1937 until 1949
References