The Providence Steamrollers were a

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Ba ...

team based in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

. As of 2022, the Steamrollers were the last professional sports franchise from one of the Big Four leagues to be based in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Franchise history

The Steamrollers were one of the original eleven NBA franchises (when the league was called the Basketball Association of America). The franchise posted an all-time record of 46–122 (.274) before folding after three seasons. The Steamrollers still hold the dubious NBA record for the fewest games won in a season with six, in the 1947–48 season. However, the 2011–2012 Charlotte Bobcats hold the record for the lowest winning percentage in NBA history, with .106. During that 1947–48 season, the Steamrollers' coach

Nat Hickey Nicholas J. "Nat" Hickey (born Nicola Zarnecich; January 30, 1902 – September 16, 1979) was a Croatian-American professional basketball coach/player and baseball player. He turned to coaching basketball after his retirement from playing full-tim ...

activated himself as a player for two games, the second of which was two days before his 46th birthday, setting a still-standing record as the oldest player in NBA history.

Players of note

Ernie Calverley Ernest A. Calverley (January 30, 1924 – October 20, 2003) was an American professional basketball player. He was an All-American while playing for the University of Rhode Island. He played professionally with the Providence Steamrollers of the ...

– Second-team All-NBA and led league in assists during NBA's first season * George Nostrand – Tallest player in the NBA's first year *

Howie Shannon Howard Shannon (June 10, 1923 – August 16, 1995) was an American basketball player and coach. He played professionally in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the early years of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He later coa ...

– Leading NBA rookie in 1949 *

– Oldest player in NBA history *

Kenny Sailors Kenneth Lloyd Sailors (January 14, 1921 – January 30, 2016) was an American professional basketball player active in the 1940s and early 1950s. A guard, he is notable for inventing the jump shot as an alternative to the two-handed, flat-footed ...

– Led team in scoring in 1948 and 1949

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...

Draft

Coaches and others

* Robert Morris (1946–47) *

Hank Soar Albert Henry Soar (August 17, 1914 – December 24, 2001) was an American football running back and defensive back in the National Football League who went on to have a long career as an umpire in Major League Baseball. Soar played nine seasons f ...

(1947–48) *

(1948) * Ken Loeffler (1948–49)

Season-by-season records

References

External links

Providence Steam Rollers history
Defunct National Basketball Association teams Basketball Association of America teams Basketball teams in Rhode Island Sports in Providence, Rhode Island Basketball teams established in 1946 Basketball teams disestablished in 1949 1946 establishments in Rhode Island 1949 disestablishments in Rhode Island {{ProvidenceRI-stub