Leroy Edwards - Professional Career

Professional Career

When Edwards decided to play professional basketball he was considered the premier player in the country. In 1936 he signed his first pro contract with the Oshkosh All-Stars, a team in Wisconsin that played in the National Basketball League (NBL). This league was the forerunner to the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for them from 1936 to 1949.

He was a prolific scorer with either hand, left or right, could shoot from the outside and was an excellent defensive player. He accomplished so much at a time when game scores and point totals were much lower than today. In those days, the actual playing time was shorter. The game had 15-17 minute halves and no 24 second shot clock. Play was slower and teams would play zone defense and hold on to the ball for long periods of time, making it very difficult for a player to score many points in a game. Today, NBA games consist of four 12 minute quarters and each team takes over 60 shots per game.

Edwards held a number of game scoring records. He was the first professional basketball player to score 35 points in a game when he did so against the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons on March 5, 1942. He led the NBL in scoring his first three years and in 1939 he led the league in every recorded offensive statistic. He ended his career as the second highest scorer in National Basketball League history.

During Edwards's 12-year career, he was selected to the NBL First Team All-League six times and the Second Team All-League twice. He was also the League MVP three times. Oshkosh won the league championship six times and participated in 9 of 10 World Tournaments held in Chicago between 1939 and 1948. Edwards' team had the best record of all teams that were invited to the World Championship Tournaments, winning 20 games and losing 10. The Oshkosh All Stars were crowned the World Professional Champions in Chicago in 1942, and Edwards was the all-time leading point scorer in World Championship Tournament history. On February 14, 1945, United Press International recognized him as one of the Top 5 Basketball Players of All Time.