When Upstate New York Ruled the NBA

With an ever-rising sea of content—not to mention the shocking rise of AI—there’s only one logical conclusion: there’s not much at stake for an indie site like this. So while I could torture myself and write about the latest political crisis, wasting time on a forgotten part of sports history in a forgotten part of the country seemed like the better play. And that’s how we landed on Upstate New York and the NBA, the basketball league that formed in 1949 from the merger of the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League.

 

What Is Upstate New York?

Definitions of Upstate New York can vary, but the general consensus is that it’s the not cool part of New York. Well, it’s damn cold, but you get the (snow) drift. In the eyes of many, aside from Long Island, New York City, and a couple counties (Westchester and Rockland) just north of the city, everything else is Upstate, also known as somewhere you might attend college or prison but don’t actually want to live.

Here’s a map.

And here’s what the Simpsons had to say about the location of interest.

 

As you can see, Upstate has become synonymous with population loss and economic decline, sending droves of residents to the Carolinas and Florida to take advantage of those states’ strip malls. But what is often overlooked is that to decline, you have to have once been decent. In other words, the argument could be made that we’re talking about the Rome of the US. Heck, New York still goes by the nickname Empire State, and there’s even a town called Rome (which definitely has ruins). And when times were good, this place could ball.

 

The NBA in Upstate New York

Prior to the fall of the Empire, Upstate cities were a natural home to the NBA. It was only fitting, of course, that after the Ontarian James Naismith invented basketball in Massachusetts, the state sandwiched in between would showcase the product.

Syracuse Nationals (1949 – 1963)

Having an NBA team in Syracuse, which even at its peak population of 220,583 in 1950 was just the 47th-largest American city, was perhaps a bit of a stretch. That said, the Nationals enjoyed reasonable success, even winning the NBA championship in 1955. But in 1963, new owners took one look around town and decided that Philadelphia was a better spot, birthing the Philadelphia 76ers, who have since won another two championships.

Rochester Royals (1949 – 1957)

About 75 miles west of Syracuse was the country’s 32nd-largest city (as of 1950, based on a population of 332,488). There, the Rochester Royals were championship material as well, capturing the NBA crown in 1951, one year after the new league’s color barrier was broken in the Flour City. Rochester even hosted the All-Star Game in 1956.

By 1957, however, ownership realized Upstate New York was boring, and the franchise began a progressive march westward, landing in Cincinnati, Kansas City-Omaha (at which time it was renamed the Kings to avoid confusion with Kansas City’s baseball team), and finally Sacramento. Sadly, the team—still owned in part by Rochesterians—hasn’t won a title since it ditched the shores of Lake Ontario.

Buffalo Braves (1970 – 1978)

Located another 60 miles west, the city of Buffalo was the country’s eighth-largest at the dawn of the 20th century. That ranking fell to 15 by 1950 and 28 by 1970. Still, with 462,768 residents, the Queen City was of sufficient size to land an NBA team. Needless to say, the experiment didn’t last long, and by 1978, the franchise was in San Diego playing as the Clippers. A few years later, it set up shop in Los Angeles.

Unlike the other Upstate cities, Buffalo is still home to two big-time sports teams—the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL and the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. Both franchises, also in existence for over a half century, share something else in common with the Braves/Clippers—they have never won a championship. We’ll call it The Curse of the Niagara.

 

So what’s the point of all this? Hey, as they say, when in Rome (NY), do as the Romans do.