Tri-City Blackhawks: The Brief, Turbulent History of a Pioneering NBA Team

Bearing little resemblance to the modern-day NBA, professional basketball in the 1940s featured shorter (mostly white) players who had two hands on the ball when they shot and seldom attempted a slam dunk. They traveled by car, bus or train to modest venues in Midwestern cities such as Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Anderson and Fort Wayne. Important in that basketball landscape were the Tri-City Blackhawks, who moved from Buffalo, New York, to a community straddling the Iowa-Illinois border. This history covers the Blackhawks' major role in the racial integration of the pro game, as well as its employment of three Hall of Famers, including the most legendary coach in NBA history. The Blackhawks traveled a turbulent and uncertain path during their five seasons of play, but they exist today as the Atlanta Hawks.