The WCNBA was organized as a minor league in 1946 by Abe Saperstein and Jesse Owens as a means to provide the west coast with a platform for African-American players.
During World War II in the mid-1940s, the African American population grew as wartime jobs demanded workers to relocate to the shipyards and military institutions along the California, Oregon and Washington coasts.
He knew Jesse Owens, the track and field athlete and four-time Olympic gold medalist, and asked him to join.
Most teams played under 30 games and the league folded due to "poor attendance, a lack of financing, and difficulty in accessing ballparks.
Oakland far outpaced the rest of the league in the shortened season, with Seattle and San Francisco finishing above .500.