The St. Christopher Club, which had arguably the most successful non-professional basketball team of the Black Fives Era, got its start in 1896 as a bible study group to help keep young African American males off the seedy streets of what is now midtown Manhattan.
St. Christopher Club Formed, 1896
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Black Fives
Black Fives is a cultural IP and sports heritage platform researching, preserving, and bringing to life the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball through public archives, storytelling, education, partnerships, licensing, and commerce.
Black Fives founder Claude Johnson wearing the 1939 Rens Short Sleeve on West 155 Street and 8th Avenue in Harlem. Now available in the 1939 Collection at the Black Fives Online Fan Shop. 🏀🏆![]()
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shop.blackfives.org/collections/1939-collection
In 1939, the New York Rens won the inaugural World's Championship of Professional Basketball, becoming not only New York City's first basketball world's pro champions, but the sport's first official World's Pro Champs. In doing so, they made NYC the center o#MakeHistoryNowl world.![]()
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#makehistorynow
1939 wasn’t just a year. It was a turning point in basketball. In 1939, the New York Rens won the inaugural World’s Championship of Professional Basketball, becoming the sport's first official World’s Champions.![]()
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Celebrate and honor that achievement and milestone with the 1939 Collection. More than a number.![]()
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#1939 #BlackFives #BasketballHistory #blackhistory #achievement #newyorkcity #newyorkrens![]()
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www.blackfives.org/museum/the-new-york-rens-basketballs-first-worlds-champions/