Sports historian Josh Elias stops by for a deep unraveling of the often misunderstood story behind the 1949 merger that created the National Basketball Association (NBA) as we know it today.

Drawing from his historically essential 2024 book The Birth of the Modern NBA: Pro Basketball in the Year of the Merger, 1949-1950, Elias takes us back to the pivotal moment when the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) merged, uniting disparate big-city teams with small-town clubs - and setting the stage for professional basketball’s future in the US.

We dive into the tensions between East Coast metropolises and Midwestern industrial towns; the unexpected power struggles between the last BAA champion (and superstar George Mikan-led) Minneapolis Lakers and the final NBL winning Anderson (Indiana) Packers; and the NBA's early challenges with segregation, cultural divides, and an uncertain post-WWII American economy.

Elias also shares some of the wildest and most fascinating anecdotes from his research, including mob-connected team owners, bizarre halftime performances, airport mishaps, and brushes with history-making figures like Jackie Robinson, Chuck Connors, and even a young pre-politics Gerald R. Ford.

Step back as we revisit the NBA’s chaotic, colorful, and often overlooked first season - one that shaped the league for generations to come.

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-39-59 shape_cover_sport_9b12a95f59559cc152ec9667cbe10b48c48f954c76b9f14b55bde770ab8f7d62.jpg (JPEG Image 720 × 405 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-42-14 NBA's 72 Greatest Moments The NBA's First Game.png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-07-27 NBANBLBAA-1024x576.jpg (JPEG Image 828 × 466 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-52-28 UdallNuggetsvspackers.jpg (JPEG Image 358 × 440 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-40-03 s-l400.jpg (JPEG Image 400 × 320 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-24-10 gettyimages-72302675-1024x1024.webp (WEBP Image 1024 × 1024 pixels) — Scaled (70%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-53-14 s-l400.jpg (JPEG Image 400 × 300 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-19-36 boston-celtics-1949-50-home-jersey.jpg (JPEG Image 1600 × 1273 pixels) — Scaled (56%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-41-33 a878787d-c43b-49e7-ae83-dae0909fffd1_6227x2222.jpg (JPEG Image 6227 × 2222 pixels) — Scaled (25%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-22-11 s-l1200.jpg (JPEG Image 900 × 1200 pixels) — Scaled (59%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-02-54 0-season-KLALA-1950.jpg (JPEG Image 466 × 699 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-45-20 1cd4023b-7b35-449f-b400-877270733b26_5078x2787.jpg (JPEG Image 5078 × 2787 pixels) — Scaled (25%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-53-41 1949-50-thru-1947-1950-jeannette-buddy-baltimore-bullets-photo.jpg (JPEG Image 600 × 900 pixels) — Scaled (79%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-49-32 The Original Denver Nuggets.png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-54-19 baltimorebullets.JPG (JPEG Image 568 × 378 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-00-38 1949-50-DC-Wilcut-st-louis-bombers-photo.jpg (JPEG Image 600 × 899 pixels) — Scaled (79%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-30-13 fabulousfive_large.jpg (JPEG Image 220 × 318 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-00-23 0-season-KBOSC-1950.jpg (JPEG Image 368 × 552 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-18-19 FwxkLWfXgAEJn07.jpg large (JPEG Image 1476 × 1171 pixels) — Scaled (61%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-42-40 50cel.jpg (JPEG Image 500 × 316 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-03-29 s-l1200.jpg (JPEG Image 1200 × 742 pixels) — Scaled (96%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-40-50 Washington Capitols.png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-38-12 1949-50-minneapolis-lakers-1568x882.jpg (JPEG Image 1568 × 882 pixels) — Scaled (81%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-01-42 1949-50-chicago-stags-andy-phillip-photo.jpg (JPEG Image 722 × 1083 pixels) — Scaled (66%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-28-42 lf (JPEG Image 438 × 600 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-01-53 0-season-KSACK-1950.jpg (JPEG Image 300 × 450 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-42-12 (JPEG Image 880 × 661 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-48-03 1949Pack.jpg (JPEG Image 375 × 225 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-32-40 0.jpg (JPEG Image 1184 × 1599 pixels) — Scaled (44%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-02-06 New-York-Knicks-1950-season-Gene-James.jpg (JPEG Image 600 × 899 pixels) — Scaled (79%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-00-10 1949-50-Don-Boven-Waterloo-Hawks-photo.jpg (JPEG Image 746 × 1119 pixels) — Scaled (64%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-45-00 4950-WaterlooHarks.jpg (JPEG Image 1116 × 637 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 14-59-52 1949-50-denver-nuggets-Ken-Sailors-photo.jpg (JPEG Image 600 × 899 pixels) — Scaled (79%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-17-59 (JPEG Image 322 × 156 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-02-41 0-season-KPHI7-1950.jpg (JPEG Image 439 × 659 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-00-54 1949-50-Jack-Phelan-sheboygan-red-skins-photo.jpg (JPEG Image 569 × 853 pixels) — Scaled (84%).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-31-20 619742cea8236.image.jpg (JPEG Image 364 × 500 pixels).png

Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 15-02-27 1949-50-alex-groza-Indianapolis-Olympians-photo.jpg (JPEG Image 600 × 900 pixels) — Scaled (79%).png

The Birth of the Modern NBA: Pro Basketball in the Year of the Merger, 1949-1950 - buy here

Long-time Indianapolis pro hoops beat reporter Mark Montieth (Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis) joins host Tim Hanlon to delve into the intriguing story behind the efforts of late-1960s civic leaders to re-establish a top-tier professional franchise in the capital city of basketball-mad Indiana after a curious 14-year absence.

One of eleven charter franchises in 1967’s upstart American Basketball Association, the Indiana Pacers literally and figuratively “set the pace” early and often during the league’s nine-year existence – amassing three ABA championships, five finals appearances, and a dazzling array of All-Star talent including the likes of Freddie Lewis, Bob Netolicky, Billy Knight, and future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Roger Brown, Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, and head coach Bobby “Slick” Leonard.

In a league synonymous with wild games, outsized personalities and vagabond franchises, the Pacers were a uniquely steady constant on the court, in the stands and with the local Indianapolis community – which later rewarded them with a downtown-transforming arena of their own in 1974, and ultimately, helped bolster their case to become one of only four ABA clubs to be included in the post-merger National Basketball Association in 1976.

Our thanks to SportsHistoryCollectibles.com , Audible and Podfly for their sponsorship of this week’s episode!