RetroSeasons
RetroSeasons recaps past sports seasons through stories, photos, videos, and stats from every team, league, and stadium in history. Coverage includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, as well as vintage media from defunct teams and leagues.
- Players
- Teams
- Atlanta
- Arizona
- Baltimore
- Boston
- Buffalo
- Calgary
- Carolina
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Edmonton
- Houston
- Indiana
- Jacksonville
- Kansas City
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minnesota
- Montreal
- New Orleans
- New York
- Oakland
- Oklahoma
- Orlando
- Ottawa
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- Seattle
- San Francisco
- St. Louis
- Tampa Bay
- Tennessee
- Toronto
- Utah
- Vancouver
- Washington DC
- Winnipeg
- Leagues
- Stadiums
- More
World Professional Basketball Tournament (WPBT)
1947-48 WPBT Player Stats
Recap
A proposed series between the NBL and BAA champions never materialized. Instead, five of the NBL teams entered the World Pro Tournament in Chicago. The title game featured a titanic battle between New York Rens’ center Sweetwater Clifton and Minneapolis Lakers’ star George Mikan. Clifton was a savvy, powerful player, who excelled at rebounding and defense, but the 6’10” Mikan overwhelmed him with forty points to lead the Lakers to a 75-71 victory. It was a fitting conclusion in what turned out to be the final year of the famed Chicago tournament. The Rens had won the initial championship in 1939 to cement their reputation as the preeminent team of the era. The Lakers were now clearly ready to dominant professional basketball for many years to come.
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I sincerely appreciate the research work, and the information being shared. It is important and interesting history.