When the Barclays Center drew 17,732 fans for the Brooklyn Nets’ home opener in November, everyone in attendance thought they were celebrating the birth of the first pro basketball team in borough history. But historian Claude Johnson wants everyone to know that the Smart Set Athletic Club, also known as the one of the “Black Fives,” deserves that title.
“These were the negro leagues of basketball that did for their sport what Jackie Robinson did for baseball,” said Mr. Johnson, founder of the Black Fives Foundation.
SLIDESHOW: Click the image above to see pictures of pioneering early 20th Century Brooklyn basketball players.
