Before the NBA brought expansion franchises to Canada in 1995, and before Vince Carter and Steve Nash helped usher in an unprecedented era of basketball in Canada that is at its peak today led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a significant chapter of the game’s story north of the border goes back more than 80 years.
Let’s go way back in Canadian basketball history.
As investors gathered in New York to discuss the formation of a pro basketball league in 1946 – the Basketball Association of America (BAA) which later became the NBA – Ben Newman had a seat at the table and made the case for a franchise in Toronto.
Basketball was making modest inroads in Canada in the 1940s, and Newman and other investors were awarded a BAA franchise called the Toronto Huskies.
Eighty years ago today, on Nov. 1, 1946, the New York Knicks played the Huskies at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto in what is considered the first game in NBA history.
The Knicks won, 68-66, and became a fixture in the NBA while the Huskies were around for just that one season.
Yet Newman’s impact resonates today. He was an entrepreneur, owner, manager, coach, promoter and advocate for the game. He believed in the virtue of sport.
“This guy lived and breathed basketball,” Newman’s grandson, Jordon Williams, said.
Williams said Newman, who died in 1991, had an appetite for risk, willing to put it on the line if it meant advancing the game.
Williams has been on a mission to learn more about his grandfather and make sure Newman is not forgotten. In a hockey-rich nation, Newman fell in love with basketball as a kid, watching his older brother play and sneaking out of his room to watch games with his dad.
Newman had big dreams and ideas, but it began with a simple premise: basketball is accessible, and he wanted as many people as possible to play. It was a grassroots approach before there was even such a thing.
“He believed all you needed was running shoes, shorts and a T-shirt,” Williams said. “He didn’t care what religion or culture you were.”
In 1989, Newman told The Standard in St. Catharines, Ontario that “I appreciate all sports. But basketball requires quick thinking, skills, great athletic ability, the action is instantaneous and it doesn’t cost much for equipment.”
Newman coached teams in Canada and led the Merritton-Hayes Hellcats senior and junior teams to three national championships in 1944 and 1945. He realized the importance of a feeder system, creating a pipeline from one level to the next, similar to the way national basketball federations have worked for decades.
As talk of a pro basketball league began, Newman wanted to be part of it and attended meetings in New York. What amazes Williams today is that his grandfather was just 26 years old when he helped bring pro basketball to Toronto. After exhibition games that Newman organized in Toronto sold out Maple Leaf Gardens, other influential basketball leaders took note.
“I think in the States his story is more appreciated because of his entrepreneurial passion,” Williams said. “The chutzpah to go to New York and those initial meetings with big-shot owners (Boston Celtics’ Walter Brown and the Knicks’ Ned Irish) and come back with a franchise is amazing.”
Newman, who was also a steel executive, died when Williams was 11 and Williams has gotten to know more about his grandfather through extensive research. He has a collection of newspaper clippings from Canadian newspapers that detail Newman’s involvement in basketball.
“I’m rediscovering him, and I see his fingerprint on everything today,” said Williams who is the last living member of his grandfather’s family.
For Williams, Nov. 1 is an emotional and meaningful date, and he would love to see Newman receive recognition in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor.
“How does this guy not get recognized?” Williams said. “He deserves to be in.”
Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
