Two former New York Renaissance (“Rens”) players entered the boxing ring as referees after their basketball careers ended. Frank Forbes and Zach Clayton both refereed bouts involving Cassius Clay (and Muhammad Ali).
Some Harlem Rens Became Famous Boxing Officials After Basketball
The Commonwealth Big Five, an all-black basketball team, debuted on this date in 1922, becoming the first fully-professional African American basketball team.
The New York Rens, the first black-owned, all-black, fully professional basketball team, debuted on November 3, 1923, beating the Collegiate Five, an all-white team, at the Renaissance Ballroom in Harlem. Team owner Robert Douglas, who was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973, had announced his plans to the public just a few… Read more »
When SLAM asked me to write something about 93-year-old former professional basketball player John Isaacs, I wanted to go beyond what’s been told (and retold) before. I wanted to tell what matters most.
William ‘Dolly’ King excelled in football, basketball, and baseball at Long Island University before starring in basketball with the Rens and other pro teams.