The National Basketball League: The First Professional League

The original NBL was formed in 1898 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a way to protect local players from exploitation and to try to promote a safer game. The leagues teams were largely based out of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.


The first NBL game was played in 1898 in Philadelphia between the Trenton Nationals and the Hancock Athletic Association at the Textile Hall in Philadelphia in front of 900 fans. The Nationals won this game 21-19.The 1898-99 season saw six teams in the league. Three were in Philadelphia: Clover Wheelmen, Germantown Nationals, and Hancock Athletic Association; and three were in New Jersey: Millville Glass Blowers, Camden Electrics, and Trenton Nationals. Two of the Philadelphia teams folded prior to New Year's Eve 1898, but the other four completed the season, with the Trenton Nationals winning the first championship with an 18-2-1 record.

The National Basketball League began the 1900-1901 season with an expanded schedule of 32 games, and seven teams. Of the seven teams, six had participated in league play before, the only new entry, from Burlington NJ, failed to complete the season. The seven teams were the New York Wanderers, Trenton Nationals, Millville Glass Blowers, Bristol Pile Drivers, Camden Skeeters, Pennsylvania Bicycle Club, and Burlington. The 1902-1903 was the season was again a split season. There were eight first half teams—Camden Electrics, New York Wanderers, Bristol Pile Drivers, Philadelphia Phillies, Trenton Potters, Conshohocken, and Burlington Shoe Pegs. The second half of the season saw only six teams—Camden Electrics, Burlington Shoe Pegs, Wilmington Peaches, Trenton Potters, New York Wanderers, and Conshohocken. Two teams dropped out before the season finished. The Burlington team was doing so poorly that its owner-coach, Frank Reber, fired his entire team, purchased the Bristol franchise and used Bristol's players to represent Burlington.

In 1903, only 5 teams elected to return to the NBL for the upcoming season, New York, Burlington, and Wilmington failed to return. The league began the season with only five teams, Camden Electrics, Trenton Potters, Conshohocken, Millville Glass Blowers, and St. Bridget's Biddies. Trenton dropped out on December 26, 1903, and Camden left on December 31. The disbanded on National Basketball League January 4, 1904