The AAFC 's first season was not set to start until the fall of 1946 .
Graham occupied the intervening months by joining the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League ( NBL ) , a forerunner of the National Basketball Association .
The AAFC 's first season was not set to start until the fall of 1946 , and Graham occupied the intervening months by joining the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League ( NBL ) , a forerunner of the National Basketball Association .