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Documentary. 85 mins. USA, English.
On November 1, 1946, in the opening game of the fledgling Basketball Association of
America (BAA), Ossie Schectman scored the opening basket for the New York Knickerbockers
against the Toronto Huskies. Schectman and his teammates Sonny Hertzberg, Stan Stutz, Hank
Rosenstein, Ralph Kaplowitz, Jake Weber, and Leo "Ace" Gottlieb went on to win
the opening game 68 – 66 and finish the season with a 33 – 27 record. In 1949,
the BAA became the National Basketball Association (NBA), and Schectman’s shot is
considered the first basket in the NBA.
In fact, several of the BAA and NBA teams had evolved out of the semi-pro teams,
settlement houses, playgrounds, schoolyard and community center leagues, and college teams
that sprung from the Jewish inner-city neighborhoods of the early 20th century. While the
era of Jewish professional basketball players has passed, the story of these sports
pioneers illustrates how the American 20th Century was shaped by the experiences of many
immigrant groups.
The First Basket follows these Jewish basketball experiences, from ash cans placed on the
stoops of brownstones, to the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. The First Basket is indeed ‘the greatest Jewish basketball
documentary ever!
ScreeningsThe Palm Beach International Film Festival, USA, 2008
The Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, USA 2008
International Jewish Motifs Film Festival, Warsaw, Poland, 2008
The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, Canada, 2008
Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival, Hong Kong, 2007
Jewish Eye World Jewish Film Festival, Israel, 2007
18th Annual Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2007
The Washington, DC International Film Festival, USA, 2007
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