Anniversary Of Commonwealth Big Five Debut, 1922
The Commonwealth Big Five, an all-Black basketball team, debuted on November 5, 1922 (reported on this date), defeating the all-White Monarch Elks Five, 25-13.
It’s a significant milestone because theirs was the first fully professional African American basketball team, meaning that each player received a full-year guaranteed contract.
The “Commons” were formed by Irish-American brothers Ed and Jess McMahon, boxing promoters from the Bronx who owned the Commonwealth Sporting Club and Casino in Harlem, where the team played its home games.
The McMahon’s club was located on 135th Street at Madison Avenue.
The Commonwealth Big Five won the Colored Basketball World’s Championship for 1923-24.
They served as the model for Robert “Bob” Douglas, who formed the New York Renaissance Big Five (aka “Rens”) in 1923.
The Rens were the first Black-owned fully professional African American basketball team.
(This post was updated on October 17, 2022, to correct an error in the original text, which mistakenly stated that this game took place on November 11, 1922.)
With the 100th anniversary coming up, I wanted to make an important correction—the first game was actually on November 5…it wasn’t reported until the 11th
Thanks for this correction. You are correct! We’ll make the revision, and appreciate your interest in getting it right!
That was a big-time showdown for 1922. The Original Celtics vs. The Commonwealth. Do you own that ticket or is that a picture?