Gershon, Herb

Gershon played professional basketball in the American Basketball League for 10 years in the 1940s. Prior to the founding of the Basketball Association of America (the forerunner of the NBA) in 1946, the ABL was considered the top pro league in the East (it was actually a semi-pro league).

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Oct. 30, 1916 - d. Sept. 24, 1997

Career Highlights:
Gershon began his career in the ABL with the Baltimore Clippers in 1939-40 and played in 19 games. The Clippers finished in fifth place (15-16) and were eliminated in a round-robin playoff. The following year, the Clippers finished last with a record of 11-18; Gershon saw his scoring average rise from 1.5 to 3.5.

In 1941, the Baltimore franchise folded and Gershon went to play for the Trenton Tigers where he would remain with for the next six seasons. This stability was considered remarkable for the era. Many players moved teams year to year; one of Gershon's teammates in 1941-42 with Trenton was Si Boardman, who played with five different teams his first five seasons in the league. In his first year with Trenton, Gershon was the team's second leading scorer with 164 points. He finished tied for fifth in the league (6.6 average), but the Tigers missed the playoffs.

In 1942-43, only five teams remained in the ABL (many professional leagues suffered during World War II), and Trenton finished first with a record of 11-2, but lost the championship to the Philadelphia Sphas (the nickname stood for the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association). Gershon averaged 4.6 points per game and was one of only four players to appear in every game for Trenton. He remained a mainstay for the Tigers over the next four seasons, playing in 115 of 124 games.

In 1945-46, he registered a career-high 217 points. The following year Gershon helped Trenton win the league championship. By this time, the ABL had recovered and expanded to 10 teams. Trenton finished third in the Southern Division but won the title when they reached the finals in the playoffs and their opponents, the Baltimore Bullets (31-3) chose to play in the World Professional Tournament instead of the ABL finals (the Tournament was held from 1939-49 and attracted the top pro teams in the country).

After winning the title with Trenton in 1946-47, Gershon played for another franchise for the first time since 1941 when he appeared with the Brooklyn Gothams in 1947-48. He averaged 4.4 points per game as the Gothams missed the playoffs with a 8-20 record. He played one game for the Gothams the next year and then retired from the ABL. By this time, the BAA had formed and was rapidly becoming the dominant professional league. By 1950, it had swallowed the National Basketball League (a major league based in the Midwest) and was renamed the NBA. The ABL folded after the 1952-53 season.

Origin:
New York

Career Dates:
Gershon played in the ABL with Baltimore from 1939-41, with Trenton from 1941-47, and for Brooklyn from 1947-49.

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