Back فيلادلفيا سفاس ARZ Philadelphia SPHAs German Philadelphia Sphas Spanish Sphas de Philadelphie French Philadelphia Sphas Italian
| Philadelphia Sphas | |
|---|---|
| Conference | American League of Philadelphia (1917–1922) Manufacturer's League (1923) Philadelphia League (1923–1925) Eastern League (1925–1926) American Basketball League (1926–1927, as Warriors) Independent (1928–1929) Eastern Basketball League (1929–1933) American Basketball League (1933–1949, as Sphas) |
| Founded | 1917 (as Philadelphia YMHA) 1918 (as Sphas) |
| Folded | December 31, 1959[1] |
| History | Philadelphia YMHA (1917), Philadelphia Sphas (1918–1921, 1922–1926, 1927–1933, 1937–1959), Philadelphia Passon, Gottlieb, Black (1921–1923 in American League of Philadelphia and Manufacturers League), Philadelphia Warriors (1926–1928 in the American Basketball League), Philadelphia Hebrews (1933–1937), Atlantic City Tides (1949)[2] |
| Arena | Broadwood Hotel (after 1933) |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Team colors | Red, white, blue |
| General manager | Eddie Gottlieb |
| Head coach | Eddie Gottlieb (1917–1927) Harry Litwack |
| Championships | 12 (1 in Philadelphia League, 1 in Philadelphia Basket Ball League, 3 in EBL, 7 in ABL) |
The Philadelphia Sphas, also stylized SPHAs or SPHAS, were an American basketball franchise that existed in professional, semi-professional, and exhibition forms. They played their home games in the ballroom of Philadelphia's Broadwood Hotel. The team's name is an acronym, derived from South Philadelphia Hebrew Association (the group that initially funded the team), and the team's players, at least in its earlier years, were primarily Jewish. Future Philadelphia Warriors owner Eddie Gottlieb founded the team as an amateur group shortly after he and some close friends graduated from high school, and it later became a professional team. The Sphas played in many leagues around the Philadelphia area and the East Coast, most notably the Eastern Basketball League and the American Basketball League (ABL), between which the Sphas won 10 championships. The Sphas won a total of 12 championships, their first two coming from the early Philadelphia League and Philadelphia Basket Ball League.