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Basketball

Page 56

by Alexander Wolff


  I still like to roam new neighborhoods, checking out the courts. In Cranston, Rhode Island, there’s a metal ring that looks like hanging equipment for your worst enemy. In Amherst, Virginia, a huge washtub is nailed to a tree at the edge of a farm. Rims without nets, without backboards, without courts, with just gravel and grass underfoot. One basket in West Branch, Iowa, has a white net blowing in the breeze and an orange shooter’s square on the half-moon board. Backboards are made from every possible material and tacked to anything that stands still in a storm. Rims are set at every height, at the most cockeyed angles, and draped with nets woven out of everything from wire to lingerie. From Port Jervis, New York, to Medford, Oregon, every type and shape of post, court, board, and hoop.

  I once felt joy in being alive and I felt this mainly when I was playing basketball and I rarely if ever feel that joy anymore and it’s my own damn fault and that’s life. Too bad.

  Sources and Acknowledgments

  Great care has been taken to locate and acknowledge all owners of copyrighted material included in this book. If any such owner has inadvertently been omitted, acknowledgment will gladly be made in future printings.

  The editor would like to thank the following people for their assistance in preparing this volume: Henry Abbott, Bruce Anderson, Alex Belth, Flinder Boyd, Karen Carpenter, Santiago Colas, Aram Goudsouzian, Jack Hamilton, Mark Heisler, Jan Hubbard, Jay Jennings, Richard Johnson, Stefanie Kaufman, Michael MacCambridge, William Meiners, Joe Mitch, Josh Robbins, Sam Smith, Glenn Stout, and Matt Zeysing.

  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, from A Season on the Reservation, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Stephen Singular, A Season on the Reservation (New York: William Morrow, 2000). Copyright © 2000 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Stephen Singular. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

  Pete Axthelm, from The City Game (New York: Harper’s Magazine Press, 1970). Copyright © 1970 by Pete Axthelm. Reprinted by permission of SLL/Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc.

  Douglas Bauer, Girls Win, Boys Lose. Sports Illustrated, March 6, 1978. Copyright © 1978 by Douglas Bauer. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  Roy Blount, Jr., 47 Years a Shot-Freak. Sports Illustrated, April 20, 1970. Copyright © 1970 by Roy Blount, Jr. Reprinted by permission of Sports Illustrated.

  David Bradley, The Autumn of the Age of Jabbar. Esquire, March 1984. Copyright © 1984 by David Bradley. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  Jimmy Breslin, The Coach Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight. Sport, December 1972. Copyright © 1972 by Jimmy Breslin. Reprinted by permission of the Estate of Jimmy Breslin.

  Stanley Cohen, from The Game They Played (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977). Copyright © 1977 by Stanley Cohen. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  Pat Conroy, from My Losing Season (New York: Nan A. Talese, 2002). Copyright © 2002 by Pat Conroy. Reprinted by permission of Doubleday, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, and the Random House Group Ltd. All rights reserved.

  Bryan Curtis, The Fiberglass Backboard. Grantland, June 29, 2011. Copyright © 2011 by Bryan Curtis. Reprinted by permission of ESPN, Inc. and the author.

  Frank Deford, The Rabbit Hunter. I’m Just Getting Started: The Best of Frank Deford (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2000). Originally published in Sports Illustrated, January 26, 1981. Copyright © 1981 by Frank Deford. Reprinted by permission of Sports Illustrated.

  George Dohrmann, from Play Their Hearts Out: A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine (New York: Ballantine, 2010). Copyright © 2010 by George Dohrmann. Reprinted by permission of Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

  Brian Doyle, His Last Game. Notre Dame Magazine, Autumn 2012. Copyright © 2012 by Brian Doyle. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  FreeDarko, from The Macrophenomenal Basketball Almanac (New York: Bloomsbury, 2008). Copyright © 2008 by FreeDarko High Council. Reprinted by permission of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.

  Darcy Frey, from The Last Shot (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994). Copyright © 1994 by Darcy Frey. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

  Peter Goldman, Requiem for a Globetrotter. Sport, November 1977. Copyright © 1977 by Peter Goldman. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  David Halberstam, from The Breaks of the Game (New York: Knopf, 1981). Copyright © 1981 by David Halberstam. Reprinted by permission of the Estate of David Halberstam. All rights reserved.

  Donald Hall, Basketball: The Purest Sport of Bodies. Fathers Playing Catch with Sons (San Francisco: Farrar, North Point Press, 1985). Copyright © 1985 by Donald Hall. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

  Mark Jacobson, The Passion of Doctor J. Teenage Hipster in the Modern World (New York: Black Cat, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Mark Jacobson. Reprinted by permission of Grove/Atlantic, Inc. Any third party use of this material, outside of this publication, is prohibited.

  Lee Jenkins, The King: LeBron James, Sportsman of the Year 2012. Sports Illustrated, December 10, 2012. Copyright © 2012 by Lee Jenkins. Reprinted by permission of Sports Illustrated.

  Dave Kindred, Pete Maravich. Heroes, Fools & Other Dreamers (Atlanta: Longstreet Press, 1988). Copyright © 1988 by Dave Kindred. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  Melissa King, It’s All in the Game. Chicago Reader, September 10, 1998. Copyright © 1998 by Melissa King. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  Curry Kirkpatrick, Memories. Sports Illustrated, March 31, 1986. Copyright © 1986 by Curry Kirkpatrick. Reprinted by permission of Sports Illustrated.

  George Kiseda, A Reflection of Society. Philadelphia Bulletin, September 18, 1970. Copyright © 1970 by George Kiseda.

  Michael Lewis, The No-Stats All-Star. New York Times Magazine, February 13, 2009. Copyright © 2009 by Michael Lewis. Reprinted by permission of Writers House LLC.

  Zach Lowe, The Death of Fandom. Grantland, January 30, 2014. Copyright © 2014 by Zach Lowe. Reprinted by permission of ESPN, Inc.

  Jack McCallum, from Dream Team. Prepublication book excerpt from Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever as published in Sports Illustrated, July 24, 2012, under the title “The Greatest Game Nobody Ever Saw.” Copyright © 2012 by Jack McCallum. Reprinted by permission of Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

  James McKean, Playing for Jud. Home Stand (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by James McKean. Reprinted by permission of Michigan State University Press via the Copyright Clearance Center.

  John McPhee, from A Sense of Where You Are (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1978). Based on a profile of the same title published in The New Yorker, January 23, 1965. Copyright © 1965 by John McPhee. Reprinted by permission of Condé Nast.

  Tom Meschery, from Caught in the Pivot (New York: Dell, 1973). Copyright © 1973 by Tom Meschery. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  James Naismith, from Basketball: Its Origin and Development (New York: Association Press, 1941).

  Michael Novak, from The Joy of Sports, revised edition (Lanham, MD: Madison Books, 1994). Copyright © 1994 by Michael Novak. Reprinted by permission of Madison Books, Inc., via the Copyright Clearance Center.

  Rowan Ricardo Phillips, Days of Wine and Curry. The Daily, blog of The Paris Review (www.theparisreview.org/blog/), December 11, 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Rowan Ricardo Phillips. Reprinted by permission of The Paris Review.

  Charles P. Pierce, The Brother from Another Planet. Sports Guy (New York: Da Capo Press, 2001). Copyright © 1972 by Charles P. Pierce. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  Rick Reilly, Last Call? Sports Illustrated, May 11, 1998. Copyright © 1998 by Rick Reilly. Reprinted by permission of Sports Illustrated.

  Edith Roberts, Ind
iana’s Town of Champions. Coronet, October 1954. Copyright © 1954 by Edith Roberts. Reprinted by permission of the Estate of Edith Roberts.

  Steve Rushin, I Believe in B-Ball. Sports Illustrated, December 9, 2002. Copyright © 2002 by Steve Rushin. Reprinted by permission of Sports Illustrated.

  Bill Russell and Taylor Branch, from Second Wind (New York: Random House, 1979). Copyright © 1979 by Bill Russell and Taylor Branch. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  Bob Ryan and Terry Pluto, from Forty-Eight Minutes: A Night in the Life of the NBA (New York: Macmillan, 1987). Copyright © 1987 by Bob Ryan and Terry Pluto. Reprinted by permission of Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

  David Shields, Life Is Not a Playground, from Other People: Takes and Mistakes (New York: Knopf, 2017). Copyright © 2017 by David Shields. Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, and by the Frances Goldin Literary Agency, Inc. All rights reserved.

  Gary Smith, Eyes of the Storm. Beyond the Game: The Collected Sportswriting of Gary Smith (New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000). Copyright © 1998, 2000 by Gary Smith. Reprinted by permission of Grove/Atlantic, Inc. Any third party use of this material, outside of this publication, is prohibited.

  Red Smith, A Case of Malnutrition. Out of the Red (New York: Knopf, 1950). Copyright © 1950 by Red Smith. Reprinted by permission of the Literary Estate of Walter W. “Red” Smith.

  Rick Telander, from Heaven Is a Playground, 4th edition (New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2013). Copyright © 1976 by Rick Telander. Reprinted by permission of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

  John Edgar Wideman, from Hoop Roots (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001). Copyright © 2001 by John Edgar Wideman. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

  Herbert Warren Wind, Farewell to Cousy. The New Yorker, March 23, 1963. Copyright © 1963 by Herbert Warren Wind. Reprinted by permission of the Herbert Warren Wind Trust.

  Alexander Wolff, The Coach and His Champion. Sports Illustrated, March 6, 1989. Copyright © 1989 by Alexander Wolff. Reprinted by permission of Sports Illustrated.

  Index

  Abbott, Henry, xxii

  Abdelnaby, Alaa, 333

  Abdenour, Mike, 228

  Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem (Lew Alcindor), xi–xiii, xviii–xix, 51, 59, 90, 172–86, 197, 199, 206, 213, 219, 238, 335, 404, 418; A Season on the Reservation, 307–12

  Abraham Lincoln High School, 256–63

  Adelman, Rick, 361

  Adidas Superstar Camp, 375–82, 388

  Aguirre, Mark, 199

  Ainge, Danny, 432

  Akron, Ohio, 415, 419–24

  Akron Beacon-Journal, 227

  Alchesay High School, 307–12

  Alcindor, Lew. See Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem

  Alexander, Leslie, 356–58

  Ali, Muhammad, 175, 183, 193, 285

  Allen, Lenny, 337

  Allen, Phog, 75, 221

  Allen, Ray, 419, 431–32

  Allentown Central Catholic High School, 265

  All-Star games, 27, 39, 82, 96, 136–37, 256, 286, 334, 352, 393

  Alston, Rafer, 372

  Amateur Athletic Union, 267, 335, 368–69, 378, 380, 382, 386, 388

  American Basketball Association, 76, 81, 83, 192, 195–97, 203–4, 227, 233

  American Basketball Coaches Association, 17

  Anchorage Northern Knights, 142

  Anders, Benny, 225–26

  Anderson, Jerime, 378

  Anderson, Kenny, 261, 347

  Anderson, Sparky, 158

  Andreas, Harold, 153–54, 169

  Anet, Bobby, 215

  Angell, Roger, 20

  Anthony, Carmelo, 362, 420, 430

  Ariza, Trevor, 370

  Artest, Ron, 362

  Associated Press, 171

  Athletes for Better Education, 106, 113

  Atlanta Hawks, 251

  Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 43, 230

  Atlantic, 126

  Auburn University, 278, 320–31

  Auerbach, Arnold “Red,” xxi, 25, 27, 31–32, 35–39, 174

  Austin, John, 33

  Austin Peay State University, 87

  Axthelm, Pete, xviii, xx, 181; The City Game, 53–63

  Baker League, 137–38, 142

  Banks, Ernie, 114

  Banks, Jackie, 291–92

  Barcelona, Spain, 393–96, 408

  Barkley, Charles, 248, 350, 394–407

  Barlow, James, 55

  Barnes, Marvin, 224

  Barry, Brent, 365

  Barry, Rick, 84

  Basketball Association of America, 21

  Basketball Hall of Fame, 249, 332, 334, 420

  Basketball Times, 366

  Bass, Brandon, 431

  Bates, Billy Ray, 129–49

  Bates, Roy, 169–70

  Battier, Shane, xvi, 353–73, 420

  Bauer, Douglas, xvii–xviii; “Girls Win, Boys Lose,” 116–25

  Bayless, Skip, 391–92

  Baylor, Elgin, 22–23, 127, 193, 249

  Beamon, Bob, 194

  Bee, Clair, 158, 255

  Beiner, Al, 324

  Bell, Marvin, 78

  Bellfield, Oscar, 378

  Belmont Abbey College, 70

  Bender, Bob, 218

  Benjamin Franklin High School, 57–58, 61

  Bennie’s Corners, Ont., 1, 5

  Billy, Pablo, 90

  Bing, Dave, 189

  Bird, Larry, xxii, 129, 187, 190–91, 195, 211, 213, 215–16, 248–55, 334, 393–407, 425

  Blackman, Pete, 224

  Blackman, Rolando, 389

  Blount, Roy, Jr., xvi, xxi; “47 Years a Shot-Freak,” 43–52

  Boe, Roy, 74

  Bohuny, Kim, 395

  Bond, Jay, 337

  Borel Junior High School, 440

  Borgia, Sid, 36–37

  Bornhost, Dave, 322

  Bosh, Chris, 426, 430

  Boston Celtics, xxi, 20, 22–29, 95, 126–28, 137, 148, 150, 187, 189–91, 195, 227–29, 248–55, 332, 357–58, 393, 428–33

  Boston College, 23, 32–33, 35, 189

  Boston Globe, 64, 227

  Boston Herald, 248

  Boston Phoenix, 248

  Boston University, 189

  Boulder Daily Camera, 283

  Bowen, Bruce, 390

  Bowling Green State University, 11–13, 24

  Bradley, Bill, xvii–xviii, xx, 40–42, 211, 286, 313

  Bradley, David, 307; “The Autumn of the Age of Jabbar,” 172–86

  Bradley University, 211, 222

  Branch, Taylor: Second Wind, 126–28

  Brand, Elton, 367

  Brayton, Bobo, 338

  Brell, Gary, 71–72

  Breslin, Jimmy, xvi, xx; “The Coach Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight,” 68–75

  Brewer, Ron, 140

  Bridges, Doug, 322–23, 325–30

  Briggs, Gary, 227–29

  Brown, Al, 271

  Brown, Dee, 253–54

  Brown, Jim, 194

  Brown, Larry, 240

  Brown, Walter, 24, 29, 32

  Brown, Wiley, 217

  Brown University, 41

  Bryant, Kobe, 354–55, 362–68, 370–71, 373

  Bryant, Phil, 381–82

  Buckner, Quinn, 252

  Buckwalter, Bucky, 130, 141, 143, 146, 148

  Buisson, Bobby, 325–31

  Bussey, Evan, 330

  Butler University, 17

  Cady, Edwin, 152

  Caldwell, Joe, 76, 79–80, 82–83

  Calverley, Ernie, 11–13

  Calvin, Mack, 79

  Campbell, Michele, 421, 423

  Camp Graylag, 32–33

  Canisius College, 211

  Cannon, Jimmy, 129

  Cappon, Cappy, 150

  Carlesimo, P. J., 397

  Carlos, John, 175–76

  Carolina Cougar
s, 76–86

  Carroll, Jim, 249

  Carter, George, 82

  Carter, Maverick, 417, 420

  Carter, Vince, 362

  Cauthen, Bob, 322–23, 328

  CBS-TV, 212

  Celina High School, 165

  Celtics Hub, 427

  Chamberlain, Wilt “The Stilt,” 22–23, 64, 173–74, 214, 231, 244–45

  Chambers, Jerry, 216

  Chandler, Tyson, 384

  Chaney, John, 264

  Charleston News and Courier, 330

  Chicago Bulls, 113, 145–46, 190, 201, 283–92, 309, 398, 407, 429, 435–36

  Chicago Reader, 293

  Chicago Stags, 24

  Chicago Sun-Times, 87

  Chicago Zephyrs, 33, 38

  Chones, Jim, 68–75

  Cincinnati Royals, 23, 33–34, 42, 127

  Citadel, The, 320–31

  City College of New York, 97–103, 222

  City Dump (documentary), 97

  Clemson University, 321

  Cleveland Cavaliers, 227–29, 373, 414, 416–17, 419

  Clifton, Sweetwater, 105, 115

  Cohane, Tim, 220–21

  Cohen, Stanley: The Game They Played, 97–103

  Colfax High School, 119–20, 124–25

  Columbia Basin College, 335, 339

  Columbia University, xx

  Conerly, Charley, 51

  Conner, Greg, 322

  Conroy, Pat, xv–xvii; My Losing Season, 320–31

  Continental Basketball Association, 130, 137–41, 145

  Coronet, 14

  Corso, Lee, 165

  Cousy, Bob, xx, 20, 22–29, 70, 95, 127, 189, 194, 216, 231–32

  Cousy, Missie, 33, 37

  Crawford, Joey, 351

  Creighton University, 71

  Croatia, 393

  Crocker, Frankie, 199

  Crum, Denny, 246

  Culp, Ron, 140–41, 144–45

  Cunningham, Gary, 246

  Curry, Steph, xix, 414, 434–38

  Curtis, Bryan, xviii, xxii; “The Fiberglass Backboard,” 389–92

  Curtis, Tommy, 239

  Cuyahoga Falls High School, 153–54, 165, 169

  Dailey, Quintin, 201

  Daily Princetonian, 150

 

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