# Indianapolis Jets

The Indianapolis Jets were a Basketball Association of America (BAA) team based in Indianapolis. They were founded as the Indianapolis Kautskys and used that name until the team joined the BAA. They played for one year in the BAA and then ceased operations due to the formation of the Indianapolis Olympians.

## Franchise history

In 1931, Frank Kautsky, an Indianapolis grocer, formed a professional basketball team and named it the Indianapolis Kautskys. Their first game they ever played was on November 24, 1931, which they won 37–18 against the Kokomo 66ers in Kokomo, Indiana. Their first home game would be on December 11, where they'd win 31–17 over the Fort Wayne Firemen. After playing in the National Professional Basketball League (NPBL) in 1932–33 and the Midwest Basketball Conference (MBC) in the 1935–36 and 1936–37) seasons, the Kautskys became one of the original members of the newly formed National Basketball League (NBL) in 1937.
The franchise's best season was in 1946–47; led by Arnie Risen, they set the franchise mark for most wins (27) and won the World Professional Basketball Tournament.
With the Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals, and Fort Wayne Pistons, the team moved to the Basketball Association of America (BAA) for the 1948–49 season. At that time the team's name was changed to the Indianapolis Jets because the BAA prevented its teams from having commercial sponsors, similar to how the Fort Wayne Pistons removed the Zollner sponsor from their original name.
Following the 1948–49 season, the Jets folded alongside the Providence Steamrollers on August 3, 1949. This coincided with the BAA and the NBL merging to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). For the 1949–50 season, a new Indianapolis franchise, the Indianapolis Olympians, was created.

## Season-by-season records

Note: W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs |
| Indianapolis Kautskys (NPBL) ||||||
| 1932–33 | 7 | 4 | 0.636 | Did not qualify |
| Indianapolis Kautskys (MBC) ||||||
| 1935–36 | 9 | 3 | 0.750 | Round Robin Tourney |
| 1936–37 | 2 | 5 | 0.286 | Did not qualify |
| Indianapolis Kautskys (NBL) ||||||
| 1937–38 | 4 | 9 | 0.308 | Did not qualify |
| 1938–39 | 13 | 13 | 0.500 | Did not qualify |
| 1939–40 | 9 | 19 | 0.321 | Did not qualify |
| 1941–42 | 12 | 11 | 0.522 | 0–2 |
| 1945–46 | 10 | 22 | 0.312 | Did not qualify |
| 1946–47 | 27 | 17 | 0.614 | 2–3 |
| 1947–48 | 24 | 35 | 0.407 | 1–3 |
| Indianapolis Jets (BAA) ||||||
| 1948–49 | 18 | 42 | 0.300 | Did not qualify |

## Players

* Ernie Andres
* George Chestnut
* Norman Cottom
* Gene Cramer
* Gus Doerner
* Glynn Downey
* Hal Gensichen
* George Glamack
* Bruce Hale
* Bob Kessler
* Branch McCracken
* Charles "Stretch" Murphy
* William Perigo
* Cy Proffitt
* Arnie Risen
* Herm Schaefer
* Jim Springer
* Dave Strack
* Earl Thomas
* John Wooden
* Jewell Young
* Ash Resnick

## Basketball Hall of Famers

Indianapolis Jets Hall of Famers :
| Players |||||
| No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
| — | Arnie Risen | C | 1945–1948 | 1998 |
| — | John Wooden | G | 1932–1937 1938–1939 | 1960 |
| — | Charles "Stretch" Murphy | C | 1932–1934 | 1960 |
| — | Branch McCracken | C/F/G | — | 1960 |