CRCleveland Rebels
NBA Champions history, aggregated from our sourced basketball champions list.
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
CRCleveland Rebels — 0 nba champions.
Franchise history
The Cleveland Rebels were a charter member of the Basketball Association of America, the league founded in 1946 that became the NBA in 1949. In the BAA's inaugural 1946-47 season, Cleveland went 30-30, finishing third in the Western Division, with early pro stars Ed Sadowski and Kenny Sailors on the roster and two different coaches over the year. Financially the team lost money regardless: team president Al Sutphin later said the club lost about $75,000 and admitted he lacked the desire to keep promoting pro basketball in the city. The Rebels suspended operations on June 9, 1947, the first of four BAA charter franchises to fold that summer. There was no relocation or successor; Cleveland had no NBA team again until the Cavaliers joined as an expansion franchise in 1970.
Sources
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