Washington Capitols
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Washington Capitols | |
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1949 ) |
The Washington Capitols were a former Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1951. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerbach.
History
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The team was founded in 1946 as a charter BAA team; it became a charter NBA team in 1949. It folded on January 9, 1951 (with a 10–25 record).
The Capitols were one of seven teams that quickly left the NBA: The NBA contracted after the 1949–1950 season, losing six teams: The
Earl Lloyd, the first African American athlete to play for an NBA team, debuted for the Capitols in Rochester, New York on October 31, 1950.[2]
The franchise played the 1951–52 season in the
The teams wore green and white. The NBA returned to the Washington, D.C. area in
The Capitols' 81.7 win percentage in the BAA's inaugural season was the highest in the NBA until surpassed by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1966–67. The Capitols captured two Divisional Championships: (1946–47 and 1948–49) and made the playoffs in (1947, 1948 tie-breaker, 1949 and 1950).
Winning streaks
The Washington Capitols are also noteworthy for two long win streaks during their short history. In 1946, the Capitols won
The arena
The Capitols played in historic Uline Arena, located at 1132, 1140, and 1146 3rd St. NE, Washington, District of Columbia. The capacity was 7,500. The facility still exists and has been repurposed into retail and office space.[3]
Players of note
Basketball Hall of Fame
Washington Capitols Hall of Famers | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Players | ||||
No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
10 | Bill Sharman | G |
1950–1951 | 1976 |
Coaches | ||||
Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted | |
Red Auerbach | Head coach | 1947–1949 | 1969 | |
Contributors | ||||
Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted | |
Earl Lloyd 1 | F |
1950–1951 | 2003 |
Notes:
- 1 Lloyd was inducted as a contributor as the first African American player and bench coach in the NBA.[4]
Notable alumni
- Gene Gallette (1946–1947)
- Jack Nichols (1949–1950)
- Don Otten (1949–1951)
- Fred Scolari (1946–1951)
Leading scorers by season
- 1947 – Bob Feerick – 16.8 ppg
- 1948 – Bob Feerick – 16.1 ppg
- 1949 – Bob Feerick – 13.0 ppg
- 1950 – Jack Nichols scored 13.1 over 49 games, but Fred Scolariscored the most points, with 860 in 66 games.)
- 1951 – Bill Sharman – 12.2 ppg
Coaches and others
- 1947–1949 – Red Auerbach
- 1950 – Bob Feerick – player-coach
- 1951 – Bones McKinney – player-coach
- 1950 – Earl Lloyd – first African American to play in the NBA
Season-by-season records
BAA/NBA champions | Division champions | Playoff berth |
Season | League | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Playoffs | Awards
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1946–47 | BAA | Eastern | 1st † | 49 | 11 | .817 | — | Lost BAA Semifinals (Stags ) 2–4 |
|
1947–48 | BAA | Western | 4th | 28 | 20 | .583 | 1 | Lost Division Tiebreaker (Stags ) |
|
1948–49 | BAA | Eastern | 1st | 38 | 22 | .633 | — | Won ) 2–4 | |
1949–50 | NBA | Eastern | 3rd | 32 | 36 | .471 | 21 | Lost Division semifinals (Knicks ) 0–2 |
|
1950–51 ‡ | NBA | Eastern | 6th | 10 | 25 | .286 | 30 | ||
Regular season record | 157 | 114 | .579 | 1946–1951 | |||||
Playoff record | 8 | 12 | .400 | Postseason Series Record: 2–4 |
† The inaugural
‡ The Capitols folded midway during the season on January 9, 1951.
References
- ^ "1949-50 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com.
- ProQuest 409539211.
- ^ "Uline Arena - Douglas Development". douglasdevelopment.com.
- ^ "Earl Lloyd". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "1946–47 BAA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
External links
- Washington Capitols history
- Team page at Basketball-reference.com