| 1947–48 BAA season | |
| League: | Basketball Association of America |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| No Of Games: | 48 |
| No Of Teams: | 8 |
| Draft: | Draft |
| Draft Link: | 1947 NBA draft |
| Top Pick Link: | List of first overall NBA draft picks |
| Picked By: | Pittsburgh Ironmen |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Top Seed: | St. Louis Bombers |
| Top Scorer: | Max Zaslofsky (Chicago) |
| Playoffs: | Playoffs |
| Playoffs Link: | 1948 BAA playoffs |
| Conf1: | Eastern |
| Conf1 Link: | Eastern Division (NBA) |
| Conf1 Champ: | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Conf1 Runner-Up: | St. Louis Bombers |
| Conf2: | Western |
| Conf2 Link: | Western Division (NBA) |
| Conf2 Champ: | Baltimore Bullets |
| Conf2 Runner-Up: | Chicago Stags |
| Finals: | Finals |
| Finals Link: | 1948 BAA Finals |
| Finals Champ: | Baltimore Bullets |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Seasonslist: | List of NBA seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | BAA/NBA |
| Prevseason Link: | 1946–47 BAA season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1946–47 |
| Nextseason Link: | 1948–49 BAA season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1948–49 |
The 1947–48 BAA season was the second season of the Basketball Association of America. The 1948 BAA Playoffs ended with the Baltimore Bullets winning the BAA Championship, beating the Philadelphia Warriors in 6 games in the BAA Finals.
Although not celebrated at the time, this season was historic, with Wataru Misaka of the New York Knicks becoming the first person of color to play in modern professional basketball.[1]
The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history so the 1947–48 BAA season is considered the second NBA season.[2]
| Team | 1946–47 coach | 1947–48 coach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Knicks | Neil Cohalan | Joe Lapchick | |
| Providence Steamrollers | Robert Morris | Albert Soar | |
| In-season | |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach | |
| Providence Steamrollers | Albert Soar | Nat Hickey | |
Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Toronto folded before the season started, leaving the BAA with only seven teams. (All cities except Pittsburgh would get new NBA teams in future years.) The Baltimore Bullets were brought into the league from the American Basketball League to provide a more convenient number, eight.
| 1947-48 Basketball Association of America | ||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 13,909 |
| New York Knicks | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 18,496 | |
| Philadelphia Warriors | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Arena | 5,526 | |
| Providence Steamrollers | Providence, Rhode Island | Rhode Island Auditorium | 5,300 | |
| Western | Baltimore Bullets * | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Coliseum | 4,500 |
| Chicago Stags | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Stadium | 17,000 | |
| St. Louis Bombers | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Arena | 15,000 | |
| Washington Capitols | Washington, D.C. | Uline Arena | 8,000 | |
| First season in BAA * |
See main article: 1948 BAA playoffs.
| Category | Player | Team | Stat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 1,007 | |||
| Assists | 120 | |||
| FG% | .340 | |||
| FT% | Bob Feerick | Washington Capitols | .788 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.