1939 Rens Greatest Long Sleeve

The 1939 Rens Greatest Long Sleeve Tee. Yes, the New York Rens were "the greatest drawing card in basketball." Show off this historical artifact from the Black Fives Archives, a graphic from the letterhead of New York Rens owner Robert "Bob" Douglas.


In 1939, the New York 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. Celebrate the New York Rens, 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.

• 100% cotton
• Classic fit with long sleeves and rib cuffs
• Pre-shrunk jersey knit
• Seamless double-needle 7⁄8'' (2.2 cm) collar
• Double-needle bottom hem
• Taped neck and shoulders
• Quarter-turned to avoid crease down the middle

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction and waste. Your purchase directly supports sustainable manufacturing practices, so thank you for choosing thoughtfully and helping us make history responsibly.

• Traceability:
- Knitting or weaving—Honduras
- Dyeing—Honduras
- Manufacturing—Honduras or Nicaragua
• Contains 0% recycled polyester
• Contains 0% dangerous substances

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.

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

Size guide