The Basketball Court
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He left college after two years and in 1942 enlisted in the U.S. Army. He spent most of the war as a tank-warfare instructor, stationed at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, and later at West Point, During his stay in the Army, Connors moonlighted as a professional basketball player, playing for the Brooklyn Indians (1943-44), Wilmington Blue Bombers (1944-45) and Paterson Crescents (1945-46) in the American Basketball League. His best season was with the Crescents, when he averaged 8.8 ppg in 18 games. Following his military discharge in 1946, he joined the newly formed Boston Celtics of the Basketball Association of America. In the 1947-48 season he played for the Albany-Troy Celtics and the Mohawk Redskins in the New York State League. Connors is one of only twelve athletes in history to have played for both Major League Baseball and in the NBA. He is credited with being the first professional basketball player to break a backboard. Connors smashed the wooden backboard with a monster set shot during warm-ups in the first-ever Boston Celtics game on November 5, 1946 at Boston Arena. He played in 53 games for the Celtics, scoring 239 points. HOOPEDIA.COM |
New York. 
