Sunday Stories: The Birth of the Golden State Warriors

Before they were the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco's beloved basketball team was founded in Pennsylvania as the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association (SPHAS). A thriving Jewish basketball culture had emerged alongside the invention of basketball in the late nineteenth century, as Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe settled in urban "ghettos," Jewish youth began to assimilate into American culture. Alongside other Jewish teams, the SPHAS steadily gained fame—eventually becoming the Philadelphia Warriors and later San Francisco's own Golden State Warriors. Just in time for March Madness, join The CJM this month for a look at the Jewish history behind one of San Francisco's most famous teams.