1946 New York Knicks First Home Game Program at Madison Square Garden

Charter members of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which became the NBA in 1949, the Knicks are one of two founding teams that are still in their original city (The Boston Celtics are the other). Ned Irish, who ran basketball operations at Madison Square Garden, started the Knicks in 1946 as one of the 11 original BAA teams. On November 1, 1946, the Knicks played the Toronto Huskies in the league’s first game, winning the contest 68-66, in Toronto. The offered program was issued for the first home game ever played by the Knickerbockers, at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 1946. The game, versus the Chicago Stags resulted in a loss for the home team (78-68), but marked a significant occasion in New York sports history nonetheless. The program is partially scored in pencil on the interior, but is otherwise in excellent condition.