The Rise of Pro Basketball in Philadelphia
Original Airdates: Mar. 13-16, 2026
TVC 728.4: Ed welcomes back actor, author, and documentary filmmaker James Rosin. Jim wrote, produced, and directed Philly Hoops, a deep dive into the early years of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises, The Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors), that also traces the rise of professional basketball in the City of Brotherly Love, including the history of the Philadelphia SPHAs, the first professional basketball team in Philadelphia, and a look at the life and legacy of Eddie Gottlieb, the man who not only owned and operated the SPHAs, but was the original owner and coach of the Philadelphia Warriors franchise, not to mention one of the founders of the NBA. Philly Hoops is available on DVD through Amazon.com as well as MovieZyng.com.
Photo of Wilt Chamberlain by Paul Vathis. Courtesy Wirephoto Archives.
Will Chamberlain’s 100-point game
Original Airdates: Mar. 13-16, 2026
TVC 728.5: Actor, author, and documentary filmmaker James Rosin talks to Ed about Wilt Chamberlain’s historic 100-point game for the Philadelphia Warriors, which occurred on Mar. 2, 1962 in Hershey, Pennsylvania (the Warriors beat the New York Knicks that night, 169-147); how many of the Warriors players during the first sixteen years of the franchise, including Chamberlain, had direct ties to the city of Philadelphia; and the sale of the Warriors to San Francisco in 1962. Jim’s documentary Philly Hoops is available on DVD through Amazon.com as well as MovieZyng.com.
Photo of the SPHAs courtesy Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.
The Philadelphias SPHAs and the Harlem Globetrotters
Original Airdates: Mar. 13-16, 2026
TVC 728.6: Actor, author, and documentary filmmaker James Rosin talks to Ed about how the Philadelphia SPHAs, the first professional basketball team in Philadelphia, were also one of the best teams on the East Coast during the first part of the twentieth century, competing against—and often beating—some of the best teams in the country, including the Harlem Globetrotters; and how the SPHAs eventually morphed into the Washington Generals, the traveling exhibition team that became the Globetrotters’ permanent perennial opponent. Jim’s documentary Philly Hoops is available on DVD through Amazon.com as well as MovieZyng.com.
