The Black Fives: The Epic Story of Basketball's Forgotten Era
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The Black Fives is a groundbreaking, timely history of the largely unknown early days of Black basketball, bringing to life the trailblazing players, teams, and impresarios who pioneered the sport.
Black people shaped basketball long before the integration of all-White professional leagues in the 1950s. But most histories of the game have failed to recognize the essential role played by African American pioneers in the years after the invention of basketball in 1891. African American players, managers, and impresarios helped popularize the sport and shaped the game, and did so while battling discrimination and marginalization.
Black people shaped basketball long before the integration of all-White professional leagues in the 1950s. But most histories of the game have failed to recognize the essential role played by African American pioneers in the years after the invention of basketball in 1891. African American players, managers, and impresarios helped popularize the sport and shaped the game, and did so while battling discrimination and marginalization.
In The Black Fives, historian Claude Johnson braids together stories of essential figures of Black basketball's early days in New York, Washington, DC, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. This is a landmark narrative history that rewrites out understanding of the true history of the game.