1939 Rens Empire Short Sleeve Tee

The 1939 Rens Empire Short Sleeve Tee. Celebrate the 1939 World's Champion New York Rens with the 1939 Rens Empire Short Sleeve Tee, in 100% cotton.

In 1939, the Rens won the inaugural World's Championship of Professional Basketball, becoming not only New York City's first basketball world's champions, but basketball's first World's Champions, period. This team made New York City the center of the basketball world.

That same year the New York World's Fair took place in Flushing, Queens, putting the Empire State on the global stage, and since they already ruled the basketball empire it's only fitting to celebrate the Rens with this Art Deco styled commemorative tee.

The New York Rens were also the sport's first Black-owned, fully professional African American team.


New York Rens team photo, ca. 1932-35. Left to right: Charles “Tarzan” Cooper, Eyre “Bruiser” Saitch, John Holt, Clarence “Fats” Jenkins, Bill “Yank” Yancey, James “Pappy” Ricks, William “Wee Willie” Smith. (Black Fives Archives)

More on the team here.

• Colors: Navy, White
• 100% cotton
• Fabric weight: 5.0–5.3 oz/yd² (170-180 g/m²)
• Open-end yarn
• Tubular fabric
• Taped neck and shoulders
• Double seam at sleeves and bottom hem
• Blank product sourced from Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, Mexico

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, a process that adds a few days to the overall fulfillment. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

NOTE: Please allow up to 7 days for fulfillment prior to shipping. Also, since this is a custom-printed item, we cannot cancel the order once in production nor accept returns or exchanges, so please carefully review your order, including sizing. Thank you.

• Traceability:
• Knitting—Honduras, the Dominican Republic
• Dyeing—Honduras, the Dominican Republic
• Manufacturing—Nicaragua, Honduras, Haiti, El Salvador, or the Dominican Republic
• Contains 0% recycled polyester
• Contains 0% dangerous substances

Black Fives®, Rens®, New York Rens®, and Physical Culture Supply Co.™ are trademarks of Black Fives Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.

Size guide