The Black Fives: The Epic Story of Basketball’s Forgotten Era

by Claude Johnson

The Black Fives is a groundbreaking, timely history of the largely unknown early days of Black basketball, bringing to life the trailblazing players, teams, and impresarios who made the game.

“For a game that has meant so much to the world, Claude Johnson somehow presents a definitive account for a part of basketball’s history that for so long was kept away from us. Claude is a superhero storyteller, and this book is a bona fide superpower.” —Justin Tinsley, author of It Was All a Biggie and the World That Made Him

From the introduction of the game of basketball to Black communities on a wide scale in 1904 to the racial integration of the NBA in 1950, dozens of African American teams were founded and flourished. This period, known as the Black Fives Era (teams at the time were often called “fives”), was a time of pioneering players and managers. They battled discrimination and marginalization and created culturally rich, socially meaningful events. But despite headline-making rivalries between big-city clubs, the savvy moves of innovative businessmen, and the undeniable talent of star players, this period is almost entirely unknown to basketball fans.

Historian Claude Johnson has made it his mission to change that. An advocate fiercely committed to our history, for more than two decades Johnson has conducted interviews, mined archives, collected artifacts, and helped to preserve this historically important African American experience that otherwise would have been lost, establishing The Black Fives Foundation. This essential book is the result of his work, a landmark narrative history that braids together the stories of these forgotten pioneers and rewrites our understanding of the story of basketball.

Genres: Sports, History, Nonfiction, Basketball

480 pages, Hardcover

Published May 24, 2022

Reviews

[Star Gater · Rating 3 out of 5]

NetGalley audiobook.

This is a fact overload book. I was expecting a story.

The Black Fives is a great resource for all things factual. There is a purpose as well as an audience for both types of books. I would recommend this as the next step, as opposed to the first.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for accepting my request to read and review The Black Fives.

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of important information is included in this book that once it gets to the basketball achievements and what they mean to the Black community as a whole, it is a very good read. But to get there, a reader has to wade through a lot of background information and personalities, something I had a very difficult time in achieving. I'll give it three stars - five for the information and importance, but only two for ease of reading. Admittedly, I skimmed through a good part of the book just to be able to keep up - when I was reading more carefully, I was getting more confused.

[Nash Rougvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claude Johnson bootstrapped a hell of a historical record with this piece. You can tell that a so much of the work comes from otherwise forgotten primary sources, and it leads to a narrative that is filled with myriad fascinating, if not tangentially-related factoids. The stories of Will Madden, E.B Henderson, and Cum Posey all merit books of their own, and the constant switching between the three - especially in the setting-establishing first third of the book - make for a fragmented and sometimes confusing read at first. But, if you can binge this book, it is very rewarding.

This feels like the start of bigger projects diving deeper into the lives of the protagonists here, and does leave me wanting more. The sheer volume of history covered in The Black Fives means that much of the narrative is matter-of-fact - which is out of necessity - but I really loved the more editorial storytelling about Will Madden in the first and last chapters of the book, and I would love to read more "biased" and animated biographies of characters like Will and Cum.

[Craig Willms · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have said, this book is overloaded with detail and suffers because of it. It took nearly 100 pages just to get into basketball on the court. Too many instances of detailing what NYSE Messengers do and why they were important at the time and marginally relevant facts and bio. I feel like the author is trying to cover too much in one book.

When it does cover basketball, the rivalries, contests, developments of the game and players stories are great.
I just wish there was a better flow and greater attention to the game.

[Russell Goulet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with so much wonderful information about basketball players that never have received the accolades that they had deserved. There are many stories that otherwise would be lost and the facts opened my eyes to the many players that never got the chance to shine in the light of the NBA. The title includes the Forgotten Era, but here is hoping that the era is not as forgotten as it once was. I did receive the book through a Goodreads giveaway.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comprehensive text explores the often overlooked history of Black basketball. At times it was difficult to read because of the immense level of detail, and the wide array of people introduced throughout the book, but even with this limitation The Black Fives proved to be a magnificent read. I learned so much about the history of American basketball, as well as the industrious men and women that developed the game on and off the court. A must read for sports fans!

[Everett Corder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly thorough and provides incredible context to the sporting events with things going on in the rest of the world. Painstakingly researched and an interesting read.

[Paris Chanel]

Heavily researched. This book is about more than just basketball.

[Eric C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not what I expected. It was more of a overall history lesson vs. Black basketball history. I skimmed through the majority of the book because it was a difficult read.