died, Walter Kennedy, the commissioner of the NBA from 1963–1975, said, "His personal involvement in the beginning of the NBA ... and his strong belief that pro basketball was destined to be a major sport were important factors in the growth and success of the NBA." 1951 point shaving scandals In the late 1940s, there were rumors and suspicions that college basketball players were being paid by bookies to engage in point shaving. Kase later wrote that the Journal-American had been probing tips and leads for several years, but had been "bumping into impenetrable stone walls in past years." Kase began interviewing acquaintances in the gambling community. During the 1948–1949 season, Kase assigned a reporter to investigate the story on a full-time basis. Over the following year, Kase and the reporter devoted much of their time to the investigation. Concerned that his sportswriters may have connections to the players or gamblers, he secured additional assistance from several of the Journal-Americans best crime reporters. The Journal-American'''s investigation eventually focused on Eddie Gard, a player for the Long Island University basketball team who was believed to be acting as a bagman for the gambling interests. In early January 1951, Kase met secretly with New York District Attorney Frank Hogan. Kase shared his findings with Hogan and agreed to withhold the story until Hogan could develop the case further. Using the evidence collected by Kase, Hogan began tailing Gard and tapped his phone. The investigation resulted in the arrest and prosecution of three star players from the City College of New York's 1950 national championship team. In exchange for his cooperation, Hogan gave Kase the exclusive rights to the inside story when the arrests were made in mid-January 1951. Kase wrote in the Journal-American that "a first blush of sympathy for the corrupted weaklings has given way to a cold rage because of their lack of loyalty to their school and a calloused greed for their Judas pieces of silver." After Kase's expose, the point shaving scandal spread as players at Long Island University, the University of Kentucky and Bradley University were also implicated. It was ultimately shown that five players on Kentucky's 1949 NCAA championship team were involved or implicated in point shaving. Two of the players were suspended for life by the NBA, and Kentucky did not play the 1952–1953 season because of the scandal. The college basketball point shaving scandals