"1939" Rens Short Sleeve Tee

The "1939" Tee. Founders Edition. In 1939, the New York Rens won the inaugural World's Championship of Professional Basketball, becoming not only New York City's first World's Champions of basketball, 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
• 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

Disclaimers: 
• Due to the fabric properties, the White color variant may appear off-white rather than bright white.

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, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

• 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

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.

Each item in this capsule is made to order, reducing overproduction and waste. Your purchase directly supports sustainable manufacturing practices, so thank you for choosing thoughtfully and helping us make history responsibly.

Size guide