Robert Douglas Founds the New York Renaissance Basketball Team

Caribbean-born Robert L. Douglas founded the New York Renaissance (the 'Rens') basketball team in 1922, basing the squad at the Renaissance Casino Ballroom in Harlem. As the first Black-owned, fully professional basketball team—offering players guaranteed season-long contracts—the Rens became one of the most dominant teams in the country and a symbol of Black athletic excellence during the Black Fives era.