NBA Champions ·
1948 Baltimore Bullets
The 1948 Baltimore Bullets captured the NBA championship behind Don Barksdale, head coach Buddy Jeanette, and a balanced starting five. Grady Lewis anchored the bench. Ring Holders Club uses curated roster ratings for this title team — not official NBA statistics.
The 1948 Baltimore Bullets stand among the 1948 NBA champions — a team built to survive the grind of a long postseason and win four rounds when it mattered most. In Ring Holders Club, this squad appears in the draft pool with year-specific player ratings reflecting each member's contribution during that title run, not career averages.
Head coach Buddy Jeanette guided a starting five of Chuck Reiser, Joe Holland, Don Barksdale, Paul Hoffman, Connie Simmons. Don Barksdale led the group as the highest-rated contributor in our curated model, setting the tone on both ends of the floor.
Off the bench, Grady Lewis provided the sixth-man punch that championship rotations need — the kind of high-minute reserve who keeps lineups fresh through long playoff series.
The 1947–48 season culminated in a Finals victory that added another chapter to NBA history. Playoff basketball in that year rewarded depth, matchups, and the ability to adjust series to series — qualities this roster embodied in our simulation data.
For the Baltimore Bullets, the 1948 ring broke a drought or opened a new chapter in the early NBA era, when the league was still finding its identity.
In Ring Holders Club you may draft any of these seven members — five starters, the sixth man, and the head coach — when their championship year appears on the spin wheel. That makes the 1948 Baltimore Bullets a high-stakes reveal: Don Barksdale and Buddy Jeanette are premium picks, but role players like Connie Simmons can still swing a simulated series.
Historical context on this page is written for entertainment and education. Player ratings and roster roles are curated estimates based on public records such as Basketball-Reference. Ring Holders Club is not affiliated with the NBA, its teams, or its players.
Championship roster
| Player | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck Reiser | SG | 74 |
| Joe Holland | PG | 73 |
| Don Barksdale | SF | 80 |
| Paul Hoffman | PF | 76 |
| Connie Simmons | C | 78 |
| Grady Lewis | 6th man | 72 |
| Buddy Jeanette | Coach | 82 |
Ratings are year-specific curated estimates for Ring Holders Club — not official NBA stats.