The Washington Bears, an all-black professional basketball team, were organized in 1941 by sports business entrepreneur Harold “Hal” Jackson, a Washington, D.C. native. Jackson, a sports broadcasting and journalism pioneer, leveraged his popularity as the radio play-by-play announcer for Howard University and Homestead Grays baseball games. With financial backing from local theater chain owner Abe Lichtman, the Bears had more cash to spend than New York Rens owner Bob Douglas, whose barnstorming revenues had been limited by wartime rationing of gasoline, tires, and related supplies. Under these conditions, Jackson was able to sign away the majority of Rens players. It was an unbeatable combination of stars that included Charles “Tarzan” Cooper, William “Pop” Gates, William “Dolly” King, Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, and Zack Clayton. The properties controlled by Lichtman, including the famous Howard Theater on T Street, were among the city’s only playhouses that catered to African Americans. In 1943 the Washington Bears went 41-0 and won the invitation-only World Championship of Professional Basketball, the nation’s highest basketball title, held in Chicago and sponsored by the Chicago Herald-American newspaper. A portion of net proceeds from the sales of our Black Fives assortment will benefit the The Black Fives Foundation, which works to inspire excellence by preserving, teaching, and honoring the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball.
