By Vince Thomas for TheRoot.com: Before the NBA was desegregated, there were the Black Fives.
The Black Fives: Basketball’s Forgotten (Black) History
January is a difficult month for friends and fans of the New York “Rens” of Harlem, the all-black pro basketball team that played in 1920s, 30s, and 40s.
Crowe, a handsome former pro basketball and pro baseball star who looks much younger than his 88 years of age, still strikes a chord though a man of few words.
We send Happy Birthday remembrances to former pro basketball star John Isaacs, who was born September 30, 1915. The day we showed him our ‘Rens’ throwback jersey is a fond memory now.
This story from a Black Fives Era descendant links the distant basketball past with the funeral of New York Renaissance star John Isaacs earlier this year.
Kudos to Bill Rhoden of the New York Times for orchestrating this idea for NBA Commissioner David Stern to visit a Harlem barber shop. But, what’s the agenda?
An early Sunday morning bicycle ride through Harlem leads to sacredness, grace, astonishment, acknowledgment, gratitude, and smiles.
Part 3 of a multi-part series on George Crowe, the last living New York (Harlem) Rens player, covers his stellar collegiate career and military experiences.
Did one devastating punch thrown by a future Basketball Hall of Fame player in an unrelated game threaten to derail Jackie Robinson’s baseball debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers?
The fact that some of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2009 finalists are black does not stir up any controversy whatsoever. But that wasn’t always the case.