11 Facts About Syracuse Nationals

In 1946, Italian immigrant Danny Biasone sent a $5,000 check to the National Basketball League offices in Chicago, and the Syracuse Nationals became the largely Midwest-based league's easternmost team, based in the upstate New York city of Syracuse.

The Syracuse Nationals began to play in the NBL in the same year professional basketball was finally gaining some legitimacy with the rival Basketball Association of America that was based in large cities like New York and Philadelphia.

In 1949, the Syracuse Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that were absorbed by the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA.

Syracuse Nationals would get off to a slow start as coach Al Cervi was fired and replaced by Paul Seymour.

However, in the playoffs the Syracuse Nationals would fall in the first round as they lost a 3-game series to the Philadelphia Warriors.

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The Syracuse Nationals would prove to be dangerous in the playoffs as they stunned the Philadelphia Warriors in 3 straight games.

Syracuse Nationals was the last of the medium-sized cities housing an NBA team, but by then it was apparent that central New York was no longer large enough to support it.

Syracuse Nationals impressed many with his willingness to get other players involved in the offense.

Syracuse Nationals was the fourth coach to be fired after one season or less since Larry Brown left the team in 2003.

Syracuse Nationals won the player of the week award in his first week, being the second rookie after Shaquille O'Neal to accomplish that.

Syracuse Nationals went on to win the Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first rookie drafted 10th or later to win the award since Mark Jackson in 1987 for the Knicks.