The Detroit Eagles were a professional basketball team based in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

. Managed by Dutch Dehnert

Dutch Dehnert

Henry G. "Dutch" Dehnert was an American basketball player whose career lasted from 1915 to 1935....

, they played in the National Basketball League

National Basketball League (United States)

Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America  to form the National Basketball Association  in 1949.- League history :The...

 from 1939 to 1941, then became a barnstorming

Barnstorm (sports)

Barnstorming in athletics refers to sports teams or individuals that travel to various locations, usually small towns, to stage exhibition matches....

 team. The team folded during the 1942–43 season after most of the roster had been drafted to serve in the military.

The Eagles won the 1941 World Professional Basketball Tournament

World Professional Basketball Tournament

World Professional Basketball Tournament was an invitational tournament for professional basketball teams in the United States held in Chicago, Illinois by the Chicago Herald American. The annual event was held from 1939 to 1948...

 in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 with a 39-37 victory over the Oshkosh All-Stars

Oshkosh All-Stars

The Oshkosh All-Stars were a professional basketball team based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. From 1937 to 1948 they played in the National Basketball League, a forerunner to the NBA. The team appeared in the NBL finals five consecutive years , winning twice...

. They returned to the tournament in 1942, but this time lost to Oshkosh 43-41.

Notable players

• Buddy Jeannette
  Buddy Jeannette
  Harry Edward "Buddy" Jeannette was a professional basketball player and coach.Jeannette was widely regarded as the premier backcourt player between 1938 and 1948. He was named to the First Team of the NBL four times, and won titles with the NBL's Sheboygan Red Skins and Fort Wayne Pistons...
  
  
• Ed Sadowski
  Ed Sadowski (basketball)
  Edward Anthony Sadowski was an American professional basketball player.Born in Akron, Ohio, Sadowski starred at Seton Hall University during the late 1930s and early 1940s. A 6'5" center, he led Seton Hall to its only undefeated season in 1939-1940...
  
  
• Press Maravich
  Press Maravich
  Petar "Press" Maravich was an American college and professional basketball coach. He received the nickname "Press" for always having gossip-styled updates in his hometown of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh suburb. Maravich Sr...
  
  
• Slim Wintermute
  Slim Wintermute
  Urgel "Slim" Wintermute was an American collegiate and professional basketball player.-Collegiate career:...