Before They Let Us Play Vol. 3 — Cagers, Rens, and Trotters: Basketball's Separate Game (Standard Companion Edition — EPUB)

Barred from the early pro game, Black basketball built the New York Rens — a Harlem team that piled up more than 2,300 wins across its history, a documented 88-game winning streak in 1932–33, and the first World Professional Basketball Tournament title in 1939 — and the Globetrotters, a serious Chicago barnstorming team before the comedy, who beat George Mikan's Minneapolis Lakers in 1948. The 1950 NBA door is taught as the ladder it actually was: Harold Hunter was the first to sign an NBA contract (April 26, 1950) but was cut and never played; Chuck Cooper was first drafted; Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton was first to sign and play; Earl Lloyd was first to play in a game (October 31, 1950). Texas Western's 1966 title win over Kentucky is printed at its documented score: 72–65.

All 6 chapters, each closing with its sources and method note, in the clean EPUB edition — readable on any e-reader, tablet, or phone. The Interactive Edition (separate listing) adds recorded narration by Marcus, the timeline, and the educator quiz.

The chapters: The Early Game and the Color Line · The New York Rens — The Best Team Nobody Counted · The Globetrotters Were a Real Team First · 1950 — The NBA Door Cracks · Texas Western, 1966 — The Game That Changed the Lineup · Bill Russell — Winningest, and Then a Coach

They built their own game. Then they took the whole game.

Edition and price: Standard Companion Edition — EPUB $9.99 (this listing) · Interactive Edition $14.99 (separate listing). A TEKS correlation sheet for this volume is available with the Before They Let Us Play Educator materials.