Chicago Stags

founding

1946

resolution

1950

Stadion

Chicago Stadium

Location

Chicago , Illinois

Club colors

Red, blue, white

league

BAA (1946-1949)
NBA (1949-1950)

division

Western Division (1946–1949)
Central Division (1949–1950)

Head coach

Harold Olsen (1946–1948)
Philip Brownstein (1948–1950)

owner

Arthur Wirtz

Association

Icon

Chicago Stags was the name of an American basketball team from Chicago , Illinois that played in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), later the National Basketball Association (NBA), from 1946 to 1950 .

Although the Stags only existed for four years, they were able to reach the BAA Finals in the 1946/47 season , where they failed 4-1 in games at the Philadelphia Warriors .

history

Time in the BAA (1946 to 1949)

The stages were founded by several ice hockey team owners who wanted to expand the use of their halls in winter. The chairman of this group was Arthur Wirtz, who then also owned the Chicago Black Hawks and the Chicago Stadium .

In its first season, the Basketball Association of America consisted of 11 teams and was divided into two divisions. The Chicago Stags played in the Western Division and were able to win it in their first year just ahead of the St. Louis Bombers . In the regular season they finished second behind the Washington Capitols with a total of 39:22 . After they were allowed to skip the first play-off round due to their good performance in the regular season , they finally competed in the semifinals against the Capitols and were able to win the best-of-seven series 4-2. In the final series they finally lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia Warriors .

In the following season 1947/48 the league consisted of only eight teams. The Stags were in their division, which now consisted of four teams, second behind the St. Louis Bombers and also second overall in the regular season. To move into the play-offs they first had to play a playoff against the Washington Capitols and won it by four points. In the first play-off round they then played against the Boston Celtics , which they also defeated. The next opponent was the future champions, the Baltimore Bullets , to which the team lost and thus missed the second final in a row.

In the next year, the number of teams in the league increased significantly after the Minneapolis Lakers and the New York Knicks had joined the BAA. The Stags finished third in their division, seven wins behind the first, the Rochester Royals . But that was enough to reach the play-offs and the team lost there again in the first round against the eventual champions, namely against the Minneapolis Lakers .

Time in the NBA (1949 to 1950)

In the last season of the Stags, the number of teams in the league, which has now been renamed the NBA, was increased again. Nevertheless, Chicago reached the play-offs after it was third in the division together with the Fort Wayne Pistons . The opponent came again from Minneapolis and the Stags lost again this time in the first round against the Lakers. During the 2005/06 season , the Chicago Bulls wore the Stags' jerseys as part of the Hardwood Classics program.

Season statistics

season	Victories: defeats	percent	Play-offs
1946/47	39:22	63.9	Defeat in the finals
1947/48	28:20	58.3	Loss in the semifinals
1948/49	38:22	63.3	Loss in the semifinals
1949/50	40:28	58.8	Loss in the semifinals
total	145: 92	61.1	four play-off appearances

Well-known former players

Individual evidence

↑ Brett Ballantini: Stag Party. Bulls Pay Tribute to The Chicago Stags. On: National Basketball Association website; New York, NY, April 17, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2020 (in English).

[1] Brett Ballantini: Stag Party. Bulls Pay Tribute to The Chicago Stags. On: National Basketball Association website; New York, NY, April 17, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2020 (in English).