The Real First Basketball Team in Toronto

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New York Knickerbockers 68, Toronto Huskies 66

Did the National Basketball Association begin in Toronto? Sort of. In 1946, the Toronto Huskies played the New York Knickerbockers – a.k.a the Knicks – at Maple Leaf Gardens in the inaugural game of the NBA’s forerunner, the Basketball Association of America. Toronto’s first pro hoops franchise lasted one underwhelming season, with 22 wins and 38 losses. The Huskies first game attracted 7,090 spectators, and attendance continued to decline. The Huskies may not have won many games, or lasted very long, but they were “The First,” and they blazed a trail for the Raptors.

 

An advertisement in the Globe and Mail in 1946 for the opening game of the Toronto Huskies, where they would play against the New York Knickerbockers. Sourced from Newspapers.com.
An advertisement in the Globe and Mail in 1946 for the opening game of the Toronto Huskies, where they would play against the New York Knickerbockers. Sourced from Newspapers.com.

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