Part 2 of my two-part article on John ‘Boy Wonder’ Isaacs, originally published in the 2015 Enshrinement Weekend Yearbook of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Life and Times of John Isaacs, Basketball’s ‘Boy Wonder’, Part 2
My two-part article on John ‘Boy Wonder’ Isaacs, originally published in the 2015 Enshrinement Weekend Yearbook of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Donate $25 or more and get a special limited edition pennant by ’47 to celebrate the enshrinement of John “Boy Wonder” Isaacs into the Basketball Hall of Fame!
WATCH: The dedication of John “Boy Wonder” Isaacs Way, a portion of Hoe Avenue in the Bronx renamed after the basketball pioneer and community legend.
In its first enshrinement class, the newly created Franklin (Indiana) High School Alumni Hall of Fame will induct basketball pioneer George Crowe tomorrow.
We mourn the loss of Marques Haynes, star player with the Harlem Globe Trotters and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Images from some of our recent school visits, where we are presenting the local history of the Black Fives Era of basketball in partnership with the Brooklyn Nets as a part of their Nets Assist educational programming.
ESPN Radio New York 98.7 FM host Bill Daughtry interviews historians Kevin McGruder and Claude Johnson about the recent demolition of Harlem’s historic Renaissance Ballroom.
Efforts to save the Harlem’s historic Renaissance Ballroom, a cultural shrine, have failed. It was demolished by its new owners. Here is how this happened.
We’re glad to report that former New York Rens and Washington Bears player John “Boy Wonder” Isaacs has been elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame!
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Black Fives
We inspire excellence in youth and communities by preserving, teaching, and honoring the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball.
For years, we have been building something truly remarkable.![]()
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Something deeper than what’s visible on the surface.![]()
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This piece, created by the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective from remnants of our Black Fives throwback jerseys, carries that idea.![]()
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On the front, you see something beautiful.![]()
On the back, you see the work.![]()
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Tens of thousands of stitches.![]()
Each one holding the whole together.![]()
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Like the earlier African American basketball pioneers whose names were forgotten, but whose work helped shape the game.![]()
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Like the countless people, often unseen, who did and are doing the work that holds our country together.![]()
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The surface only exists because of what’s behind it.![]()
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And it’s only as strong as the weakest stitch.![]()
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Do we really want to remove certain stitches?![]()
Are we OK with pieces falling apart?![]()
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Do we value the work we don’t see?![]()
Do we recognize it?![]()
Do we protect it?![]()
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That’s the real story.![]()
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A cultural archive. A sports heritage platform.![]()
Build with us.![]()
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Make History Now.![]()
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#culturalheritage ![]()
#intellectualproperty ![]()
#archives ![]()
#sportsbusiness ![]()
#blackhistory
For years, we have been building something truly remarkable.![]()
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A deep archive of early African American basketball.![]()
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The stories, the images, the history that shaped the game.![]()
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But this is more than an archive.![]()
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It’s a cultural IP and sports heritage platform.![]()
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Infrastructure of history, identity, and assets ready to build with.![]()
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For partners, institutions, and brands who want real cultural authenticity, not just performative optics.![]()
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Build with us.![]()
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blackfives.org/build![]()
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#blackhistory #culturalheritage #brandpartnerships #archives #intellectualproperty