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| books about wilt chamberlain: A View from Above Wilt Chamberlain, 1991 The basketball superstar discusses his views on other basketball greats, his early career with the Harlem Globetrotters, and his views on politics, drugs in sports, and fame |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Wilt Robert Cherry, Jerry West, 2004 At once authoritative and entertaining, Wilt is the first standard biography about this American legend--the unique and unforgettable Wilt Chamberlain, one of the 20th-century's greatest and most controversial athletes. Two 8-page photo inserts. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Wilt, 1962 Gary M. Pomerantz, 2010-06-02 On the night of March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, right up the street from the chocolate factory, Wilt Chamberlain, a young and striking athlete celebrated as the Big Dipper, scored one hundred points in a game against the New York Knickerbockers. As historic and revolutionary as the achievement was, it remains shrouded in myth. The game was not televised; no New York sportswriters showed up; and a fourteen-year-old local boy ran onto the court when Chamberlain scored his hundredth point, shook his hand, and then ran off with the basketball. In telling the story of this remarkable night, author Gary M. Pomerantz brings to life a lost world of American sports. In 1962, the National Basketball Association, stepchild to the college game, was searching for its identity. Its teams were mostly white, the number of black players limited by an unspoken quota. Games were played in drafty, half-filled arenas, and the players traveled on buses and trains, telling tall tales, playing cards, and sometimes reading Joyce. Into this scene stepped the unprecedented Wilt Chamberlain: strong and quick-witted, voluble and enigmatic, a seven-footer who played with a colossal will and a dancer’s grace. That strength, will, grace, and mystery were never more in focus than on March 2, 1962. Pomerantz tracked down Knicks and Philadelphia Warriors, fans, journalists, team officials, other NBA stars of the era, and basketball historians, conducting more than 250 interviews in all, to recreate in painstaking detail the game that announced the Dipper’s greatness. He brings us to Hershey, Pennsylvania, a sweet-seeming model of the gentle, homogeneous small-town America that was fast becoming anachronistic. We see the fans and players, alternately fascinated and confused by Wilt, drawn anxiously into the spectacle. Pomerantz portrays the other legendary figures in this story: the Warriors’ elegant coach Frank McGuire; the beloved, if rumpled, team owner Eddie Gottlieb; and the irreverent p.a. announcer Dave “the Zink” Zinkoff, who handed out free salamis courtside. At the heart of the book is the self-made Chamberlain, a romantic cosmopolitan who owned a nightclub in Harlem and shrugged off segregation with a bebop cool but harbored every slight deep in his psyche. March 2, 1962, presented the awesome sight of Wilt Chamberlain imposing himself on a world that would diminish him. Wilt, 1962 is not only the dramatic story of a singular basketball game but a meditation on small towns, midcentury America, and one of the most intriguing figures in the pantheon of sports heroes. Also available as a Random House AudioBook |
| books about wilt chamberlain: The Rivalry John Taylor, 2005-10-11 A BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN ACCOUNT OF THE NBA’S GLORY DAYS, AND THE RIVALRY THAT DOMINATED THE ERA In the mid-1950s, the NBA was a mere barnstorming circuit, with outposts in such cities as Rochester, New York, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Most of the best players were white; the set shot and layup were the sport’s chief offensive weapons. But by the 1970s, the league ruled America’s biggest media markets; contests attracted capacity crowds and national prime-time television audiences. The game was played “above the rim”–and the most marketable of its high-flying stars were black. The credit for this remarkable transformation largely goes to two giants: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. In The Rivalry, award-winning journalist John Taylor projects the stories of Russell, Chamberlain, and other stars from the NBA’s golden age onto a backdrop of racial tensions and cultural change. Taylor’s electrifying account of two complex men–as well as of a game and a country at a crossroads–is an epic narrative of sports in America during the 1960s. It’s hard to imagine two characters better suited to leading roles in the NBA saga: Chamberlain was cast as the athletically gifted yet mercurial titan, while Russell played the role of the stalwart centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty. Taylor delves beneath these stereotypes, detailing how the two opposed and complemented each other and how they revolutionized the way the game was played and perceived by fans. Competing with and against such heroes as Jerry West, Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Elgin Baylor, and playing for the two greatest coaches of the era, Alex Hannum and the fiery Red Auerbach, Chamberlain and Russell propelled the NBA into the spotlight. But their off-court visibility and success–to say nothing of their candor–also inflamed passions along America’s racial and generational fault lines. In many ways, Russell and Chamberlain helped make the NBA and, to some extent, America what they are today. Filled with dramatic conflicts and some of the great moments in sports history, and building to a thrilling climax–the 1969 final series, the last showdown between Russell and Chamberlain–The Rivalry has at its core a philosophical question: Can determination and a team ethos, embodied by the ultimate team player, Bill Russell, trump sheer talent, embodied by Wilt Chamberlain? Gripping, insightful, and utterly compelling, the story of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain is the stuff of sporting legend. Written with a reporter’s unerring command of events and a storyteller’s flair, The Rivalry will take its place as one of the classic works of sports history. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Season of the 76ers Wayne Lynch, 2008-03-04 Season of the 76ers: The Story of Wilt Chamberlain and the 1967 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers, chronicles the unprecedented, record-setting championship journey of the team that finally stopped the Boston Celtics and became the new kings of the NBA. Destroying a dynasty. That was the mission of Wilt Chamberlain and 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers. For eight straight years, the Boston Celtics had dominated the National Basketball Association. Each and every season during that stretch, a new NBA championship flag was hoisted to the top of the hallowed Boston Garden. No team had been able to stop them. Nobody thought any team could or would. Sportswriter Wayne Lynch tells the story of the legendary Chamberlain's personal triumph over Boston and their leader, Bill Russell, arch rivals who had annually thwarted Chamberlain's championship dreams and had left him branded a loser. But Chamberlain couldn't defeat the Celtics alone. He was reunited with fiery and focused Coach Alex Hannum, the only NBA coach ever to have beaten Boston for the championship. He was surrounded by the best supporting cast of his career: Hal Greer and Chet Walker, two talented offensive stars transplanted from a bygone NBA franchise; Luke Jackson, the league's first true power forward; Billy Cunningham, a sixth man loaded with instant energy and offense; Wally Jones and Larry Costello, a pair of basketball reclamation projects; and, Matty Guokas and Bill Melchionni, a couple of hometown rookies. Chamberlain remade his game, forsaking his own incredible scoring prowess in favor of handing out assists to teammates. In turn, the 76ers remade basketball history, rocketing to an unmatched 46-4 record out of the gate and not stopping until they reached 68-13, a regular season mark never previously achieved in NBA history--or even imagined back then. The book gives fans a fascinating, month-by-month look at the team's amazing season, a season that also saw Chamberlain pursued by both a rival basketball league and the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. It also recounts in vivid, play-by-play detail one of the most historic playoff series in the annals of the NBA. The 76ers battled the Celtics again in a much-anticipated post-season confrontation. But this time the results would be different. Amid chants of Boston is dead from the long-suffering, Celtics-hating fans at Philadelphia's Convention Hall, the 76ers won the series quickly and decisively. They went on to defeat sharp-shooting Rick Barry and the San Francisco Warriors for the NBA title. Packed with pictures, playoff box scores, and reproductions of the 76ers' championship yearbook, this book is not only the biography of a great team, it is a fun- and fact-filled sports collectible. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: The Book of Basketball Bill Simmons, 2010-12-07 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The wildly opinionated, thoroughly entertaining, and arguably definitive book on the past, present, and future of the NBA—from the founder of The Ringer and host of The Bill Simmons Podcast “Enough provocative arguments to fuel barstool arguments far into the future.”—The Wall Street Journal In The Book of Basketball, Bill Simmons opens—and then closes, once and for all—every major NBA debate, from the age-old question of who actually won the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the one about which team was truly the best of all time. Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons’s one-of-a-kind five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball. And ultimately he takes fans to the heart of it all, as he uses a conversation with one NBA great to uncover that coveted thing: The Secret of Basketball. Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), The Book of Basketball offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game’s finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Wilt Chamberlain Robert Greenberger, 2001-12-15 Presents the life and career of professional basketball player Wilt Chamberlain, discussing the teams he played for, his two championships, and his coaching career. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Wilt Chamberlain George Sullivan, 1971 |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Golden Days Jack McCallum, 2017 During their 1971-72 championship season, the L.A. Lakers won thirty-three games in a row ... a run of uninterrupted dominance that predated by decades the overwhelming firepower of today's Warriors, a revolutionary team whose recent seasons include some record-threatening win streaks of their own. Tying together the two strands [of the] story is Hall of Famer [Jerry] West, the ferociously competitive Laker guard who later became one of the key architects of the Warriors--Amazon.com. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Tall Tales Terry Pluto, 2000-10-01 An account of the NBA from 1956 to 1966, after the introduction of the 24-second shot clock, highlights those who dominated the sport during its glory days, including Red Auerbach, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Boston Celtics. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Cousy Bill Reynolds, 2010-05-11 Bob Cousy is one of the greatest figures in American sports history. He was a first-team All-NBA player ten years in a row, the MVP of the 1957 season. He led the NBA in assists for eight straight years. He played in six NBA championships with the Boston Celtics. In a sense, he was the first modern player and flashy playmaker, the first improviser, the first player to look inside the boundaries of a basketball court and see endless possibilities -- jazz musician as point guard. To teammates, coaches, and opponents, he was the greatest basketball player of all time. But to millions of fans, he was simply Cooz. In Cousy: His Life, Career, and the Birth of Big-Time Basketball, veteran sportswriter Bill Reynolds -- with the full cooperation of Bob Cousy -- reveals the man often called the Babe Ruth of basketball, the dazzling athlete who brought showtime basketball to the NBA and changed the game forever. Bob Cousy, the originator of the behind-the-back dribble and the no-look pass, joined the Boston Celtics in 1950, when the fledgling NBA was still competing with rodeo and professional wrestling for column inches in the sports pages. When Cousy retired thirteen years later, the NBA had joined baseball and football as a premier American entertainment. This absorbing portrait not only recounts Cousy's record-breaking career but also reveals the superstar's little-known personal life -- from his impoverished childhood in New York City, when he was ironically cut from his high school basketball team in both his freshman and sophomore years, to his eventful life after his playing career, when he coached Boston College and the Cincinnati Royal in the NBA. Readers will discover the mind of a man so tortured by the fear of failure that he had recurring nightmares, walked in his sleep, and developed a nervous tic. Before Jerry West and Oscar Robertson, before Kareem and Dr. J., before the Lakers brought showtime basketball to the national stage, the Celtics dominated the NBA for more than a decade. And Cousy was the team's biggest star. As Reynolds examines the inner workings of a truly one-of-a-kind athlete, Cousy: His Life, Career, and the Birth of Big-Time Basketball examines as never before an era of basketball largely unknown to modern fans, with portraits of many of the NBA's vintage superstars, such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor, as well as perhaps the greatest basketball coach of all time -- the Boston Celtics' Red Auerbach. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Let Me Tell You a Story Red Auerbach, John Feinstein, 2007-09-03 Did I ever tell you about Wilt Chamberlain? Did I ever tell you about Bob Cousy? Did I ever tell you about Joe DiMaggio? Whenever Arnold Red Auerbach starts a sentence with those six words -- Did I ever tell you about . . . -- anyone within earshot should prepare to hear a marvelous story. As a living legend among sports fans, Red Auerbach -- the fiery coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships, eight of them consecutive -- has long been renowned for his formidable personality: brash, opinionated, and unfailingly accurate. As a coach, he had a great eye for talent, drafting such Hall of Famers as Bill Russell and Larry Bird, and managed to build a powerful franchise with an abiding legacy. Red never stood still along the sidelines and was never seen without his trademark cigar. Now in retirement, at age eighty-seven, he remains a lively part of the game, still consulted by coaches, players, and general managers. And his admirers continue to be legion. Not long ago a former president postponed a meeting with Bill Gates so as not to pass up the chance to talk with Red. For the past several years, John Feinstein has met regularly with Red Auerbach and his friends in a series of raucous, unforgettable sessions. Out of those smoke-and-laughter-filled rooms have emerged the stories of Red's life, from his childhood on the playgrounds of Brooklyn to his triumphs at the famed Boston Garden, where he coached for sixteen years. Just listen as Red colorfully recalls all the players and coaches he has worked with and played against: Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Wilt Chamberlain, Sam Jones, and Michael Jordan -- you name them, the basketball greats are all here. Red holds nothing back. In Let Me Tell You a Story, Red Auerbach's unique experiences in sports and John Feinstein's unparalleled skills as a storyteller combine to produce one of the most richly entertaining books ever written about the game of basketball. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Wilt, Ike, and Me David Richman, 2018-07-08 During the 1965 NBA season, Wilt Chamberlain moved into 76ers owner Ike Richman's home and suddenly Ike's 16-year-old son, David, got a new roommate-the most famous athlete in the world. Their daily life took on a normal routine - until game time, when David's casual friend would turn into a mighty superstar, the beloved hero of ten thousand adoring basketball fans. Wilt was at his peak and soon, the Championship was within reach. However, the enchanted tale takes a tragic turn. Ike suffers a fatal heart attack at courtside, and David's young world is shattered. But unexpectedly, he has some profound, mystical experiences that help restore his spirit. Wilt, Ike & Me is a poignant story of epic characters, set in a bygone era. As it journeys from the everyday, to the fantastic and even the metaphysical, the touching family saga is filled with triumph and tragedy. But ultimately, its true hero is the human heart, with its remarkable ability to transcend both time and death. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: The City Game Pete Axthelm, 2011-06-28 DIVA fascinating chronicle of New York basketball, from the concrete courts of the city’s parks to the bright lights of Madison Square Garden/divDIV/divDIVThe New York Knickerbockers, one of the NBA’s charter franchises, played professionally for twenty-four years before winning their first championship in 1970, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in a thrilling seven-game series. Those Knicks, who won again in 1973, became legends, and captivated a city that has basketball in its blood./divDIV /divDIVBut this book is more than a history of the championship Knicks. It is an exploration of what basketball means to New York—not just to the stars who compete nightly in the garden, but to the young men who spend their nights and weekends perfecting their skills on the concrete courts of the city’s parks. Basketball is a city game, and New York is the king of cities./div |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Tall Men, Short Shorts Leigh Montville, 2022-05-24 This part memoir, part sports story (Wall Street Journal) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Big Bam chronicles the clash of NBA titans over seven riveting games—Celtics versus Lakers, Russell versus Chamberlain—covered by one young reporter. Welcome to the 1969 NBA Finals! They don’t set up any better than this. The greatest basketball player of all time - Bill Russell - and his juggernaut Boston Celtics, winners of ten (ten!) of the previous twelve NBA championships, squeak through one more playoff run and land in the Finals again. Russell’s opponent? The fearsome 7’1” next-generation superstar, Wilt Chamberlain, recently traded to the LA Lakers to form the league’s first dream team. Bill Russell and John Havlicek versus Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. The 1969 Celtics are at the end of their dominance. The 1969 Lakers are unstoppable. Add to the mix one newly minted reporter. Covering the epic series is a wide-eyed young sports writer named Leigh Montville. Years before becoming an award-winning legend himself at The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated, twenty-four-year-old Montville is ordered by his editor at the Globe to get on a plane to L.A. (first time!) to write about his luminous heroes, the biggest of big men. What follows is a raucous, colorful, joyous account of one of the greatest seven-game series in NBA history. Set against a backdrop of the late sixties, Montville’s reporting and recollections transport readers to a singular time – with rampant racial tension on the streets and on the court, with the emergence of a still relatively small league on its way to becoming a billion-dollar industry, and to an era when newspaper journalism and the written word served as the crucial lifeline between sports and sports fans. And there was basketball – seven breathtaking, see-saw games, highlight-reel moments from an unprecedented cast of future Hall of Famers (including player-coach Russell as the first-ever black head coach in the NBA), coast-to-coast travels and the clack-clack-clack of typewriter keys racing against tight deadlines. Tall Men, Short Shorts is a masterpiece of sports journalism with a charming touch of personal memoir. Leigh Montville has crafted his most entertaining book yet, richly enshrining luminous players and moments in a unique American time. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: NBA 75 Dave Zarum, 2020 A 75-year history of the National Basketball Association.-- |
| books about wilt chamberlain: The Cap Joshua Mendelsohn, 2020-10-01 A legal thriller, a close account of the tortuous 10-month negotiations, in the mid-1980s, for the big play that eventually put both the NBA's players and the owners in the win column.—David M. Shribman, Wall Street Journal 2020 Wall Street Journal Holiday Gift Books Selection Today the salary cap is an NBA institution, something fans take for granted as part of the fabric of the league or an obstacle to their favorite team’s chances to win a championship. In the early 1980s, however, a salary cap was not only novel but nonexistent. The Cap tells the fascinating, behind-the-scenes story of the deal between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association that created the salary cap in 1983, the first in all of sports, against the backdrop of a looming players’ strike on one side and threatened economic collapse on the other. Joshua Mendelsohn illustrates how the salary cap was more than just professional basketball’s economic foundation—it was a grand bargain, a compromise meant to end the chaos that had gripped the sport since the early 1960s. The NBA had spent decades in a vulnerable position financially and legally, unique in professional sports. It entered the 1980s badly battered, something no one knew better than a few legendary NBA figures: Larry Fleisher, general counsel and negotiator for the National Basketball Players Association; Larry O’Brien, the commissioner; and David Stern, who led negotiations for the NBA and would be named the commissioner a few months after the salary cap deal was reached. As a result, in 1983 the NBA and its players made a novel settlement. The players gave up infinite pay increases, but they gained a guaranteed piece of the league’s revenue and free agency to play where they wished—a combination that did not exist before in professional sports but as a result became standard for the NBA, NFL, and NHL as well. The Cap explores in detail not only the high-stakes negotiations in the early 1980s but all the twists and turns through the decades that led the parties to reach a salary cap compromise. It is a compelling story that involves notable players, colorful owners, visionary league and union officials, and a sport trying to solidify a bright future despite a turbulent past and present. This is a story missing from the landscape of basketball history. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: I Love Being the Enemy Reggie Miller, 1999-04 Reggie Miller on the New York Knicks: I'm telling you right now, I hate the Knicks. Absolutely hate those kids....Face it: The Knicks are dirty players. Let me take the back. They're not dirty players, but when things aren't going New York's way, they're going to do whatever it takes to win. And if that means hurting someone, then they'll do it. I'm not going to say that's dirty, but sometimes they take it to the extreme. On the mental side of the game: Everybody in the NBA knows how to play basketball or else they wouldn't be there. But what separates the good players from the great players is their mental capacity, not only to overcome their opponent, but to get through the tough spots...I always feel mentally stronger than any opponent I step on the same floor with. He might have more talent than I do, but I don't think anybody is mentally stronger than me. I'll match wills with anybody. On determination: On Cheryl Miller: Cheryl, I got 39. Reggie, that's great. Yeah, so how'd you do? Uh, I got 105. Thing was, Cheryl didn't say it to be mean, But, damn, 105 points in one game? But I got my revenge a few years later... We got out to the court and shesaid, Your ball. I told her she could have it first. So she kind of crouched down, made her usual strong first move, got right past me and put up the shot.Cheryl paused for a moment and then said, in a real serious tone, We're going to play Hors |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Football Legends in the Making Matt Doeden, 2014 Joe Montana, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, Dan Marino. These football legends rule the record books. But who will fans still be talking about years from now? Find out which of your favorite football players are legends in the making. Produced in partnership with Sports Illustrated KIDS. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: The Best Book of Basketball Facts & Stats Marty Strasen, Sports Team Analysis and Tracking Systems, Inc, 2004 A reference guide to all National Basketball Association teams, important players, coaches, games, and statistics. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Basketball on Paper Dean Oliver, 2020-02-15 Journey inside the numbers for an exceptional set of statistical tools and rules that can help explain the winning, or losing, ways of a basketball team. Basketball on Paper doesn't diagram plays or explain how players get in shape, but instead demonstrates how to interpret player and team performance. Dean Oliver highlights general strategies for teams when they're winning or losing and what aspects should be the focus in either situation. He describes and quantifies the jobs of team leaders and role players, then discusses the interactions between players and how to achieve the best fit. Oliver conceptualizes the meaning of teamwork and how to quantify the value of different types of players working together. He examines historically successful NBA teams and identifies what made them so successful: individual talent, a system of putting players together, or good coaching. Oliver then uses these statistical tools and case studies to evaluate the best players in history, such as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Charles Barkley and how they contributed to their teams' success. He does the same for some of the NBA's oddball players-Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and Dennis Rodman and for the WNBA's top players. Basketball on Paper is unique in its incorporation of business and analytical concepts within the context of basketball to measure the value of players in a cooperative setting. Whether you're looking for strategies or new ideas to throw out while watching the ballgame at a sports bar, Dean Oliver'sBasketball on Paper will give you amazing new insights into teamwork, coaching, and success. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Russell Rules Bill Russell, David Falkner, Alan Hilburg, 2002-05-01 The star center of the Boston Celtics and five-time NBA Most Valuable Player reveals the eleven essential steps to attaining success in your professional and personal life, offering the insights, memories, and enduring philosophy that made him a star. Reprint. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Personal Foul Tim Donaghy, 2010-10-29 A searing look at pro basketball from the perspective of a referee who succumbed to a gambling addiction, which ultimately led to a prison sentence. With a foreword by the FBI Special Agent who worked the Gambino case, Personal Foulreveals in unflinching honesty how the fast life of professional sports can tempt and trap the unwary and unwise. In the end, Tim Donaghy returns to the redemptive power of telling the truth about his experiences, his addictions, and his insight into what happened on and off the court. An unforgettable page turner, this book will confirm readers' suspicions about the influence of the front offices of major league sports, the corrosive power of money, fame and power, and needing to heed the inner voice of right and wrong. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Hang Time Elgin Baylor, Alan Eisenstock, 2018 Elgin Baylor's memoir of an epic all-star career in the NBA--during which he transformed basketball from a horizontal game to a vertical one--and his fights against racism during his career as a player and as general manager of the LA Clippers under the infamous Donald Sterling People think of Elgin Baylor as one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game--and one of the NBA's first black superstars--but the full extent of his legacy stretches beyond his spectacular, game-changing shots and dunks. With startling symmetry, Baylor recounts his story: flying back and forth between the U.S. Army and the Lakers, his time as a central figure in the great Celtics-Lakers rivalry and how he helped break down color barriers in the sport, his 1964 All-Star game boycott, his early years as an executive for the New Orleans Jazz, and twenty-two years as general manager for the notorious L.A. Clippers and Donald Sterling, spent fighting to draft and sign young, black phenoms--only to be hamstrung by his boss at every turn. No one has seen the league change, and has worked to bring change, more than Baylor. Year after year, he continued to fight and persevere against racism. At the beginning of his career, he was forced to stay in separate hotel rooms. From those days to today's superstardom, he has had a front-row view of the game's elevation to one of America's favorite sports. For the first time, Elgin Baylor tells his full story. He's played with the legends, lived with them, and knows more about the NBA than anyone living, and is finally ready to set the record straight. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: City/Game William C. Rhoden, 2020-02-11 The players, people, flavor, and contributions New York has given the game. From the playgrounds to the NBA, New York has invented a way of playing basketball, and City/Game is not only about the three renowned NBA teams--the Knicks, the Nets, and the Liberty--and their predecessors, but also the many high-school and college basketball teams with legendary rivalries. Through art and testimonials from the fans, coaches, and players, we learn about Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Kenny Anderson, and Chris Mullin, all birthed on the city blacktop and who took their skills to the NBA hardwood. Explore the famous street-ball courts on a map of the five boroughs, including Rucker Park and the Cage on West 4th Street, home to Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kyrie Irving; read about New York's style of play--like the infamous one-handed jump shot--and glossary of NYC-style trash talk and slang; see celebrity row photographs courtside at the Garden and Barclay's Center; revel in the images, headlines, and objects related to the 1970 and 1973 championship Knicks. Packed with new and archival images, this book brings the energy of the sport through original essays by noted writers and highlights from players, fans, and rising stars of the New York scene and features interviews with NBA greats including Queens-born Kenny Smith and Bronx-born former Knick Rod Strickland. A great book for any basketball fan to relive old memories and learn new details. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Spinning the Globe Ben Green, 2009-08-19 Before Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Julius Erving, or Michael Jordan––before Magic Johnson and Showtime––the Harlem Globetrotters revolutionized basketball and spread the game around the world. In Spinning the Globe, author Ben Green tells the story of this extraordinary franchise and iconic American institution. We follow the Globetrotters' rise from backwoods obscurity during the harsh years of the Great Depression to become the best basketball team in the country and, by the early 1950s, the most popular sports franchise in the world. Green brings to life their struggles with racism and segregation, and their influence upon a nation's views about race and sport. We witness the Globetrotters' fall from grace to the brink of bankruptcy in the early 1990s, and their ultimate rebirth under Mannie Jackson today, as they once again amaze kids and families around the world. Now in paperback, this is the true and complete story of their amazing eighty years as a team, told with lyrical prose and masterful storytelling by Ben Green. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan Pat Jordan, 2016-04-19 The acclaimed author of A False Spring profiles athletes famous and obscure in this captivating and incisive anthology Once a young pitching prospect with the Milwaukee Braves, Pat Jordan went on to become one of America’s most revered sports journalists, writing for Sports Illustrated, Esquire, the New York Times Magazine, and a host of other major league publications. The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan showcases his finest journalism, with twenty-six extraordinary articles covering virtually the entire range of professional sports in America—from baseball, football, and basketball to boxing, tennis, and Formula One racing. Jordan offers indelible portraits of some of the most legendary sports figures of our time, exposing the imperfections often obscured by the bright lights of fame. He explores the miracle of the Williams sisters and their brash, charismatic father, Richard, and turns his unflinching gaze on such controversial sports personalities as Roger Clemens and O. J. Simpson. Other highlights include a poignant account of Duke basketball legend Bobby Hurley’s rehabilitation after a devastating car accident, a profile of transsexual tennis star Renée Richards, and fascinating side-trips to the Professional Poker Tour, the child beauty pageant circuit, and a depressed, blue collar town in Pennsylvania where high school football offers the only solace. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: King of the Court Aram Goudsouzian, 2010 King of the Court provides a highly nuanced and sophisticated analysis of the great African American basketball player from his earliest days up to the present time. With great skill and much insight, Goudsouzian makes clear that Russell was a very complicated man who was full of contradictions in his own private life and in relationship to his business associates, teammates, opponents, the media, and the larger sporting public.—David K.Wiggins, George Mason University Not only is King of the Court one of the most impressive and important sports biographies to come along in many a season, easily in the same class as David Maraniss's When Pride Still Mattered (on Vince Lombardi) and Wil Haygood's Sweet Thunder (on Sugar Ray Robinson), it is also one of the truly incisive books on the intersection of race, civil rights, and popular culture that have appeared in some time. Having grown up in Philadelphia, I was always a Wilt Chamberlain man and always will be, but King of the Court convinced me that Bill Russell defined his age in ways that Chamberlain never did. Russell was a man for all seasons. This is a biography befitting Russell's stature.—Gerald Early, author of One Nation Under a Groove: Motown and American Culture Before there were crossover dribbles or slam dunk competitions, before they even kept statistics for blocked shots, Bill Russell dominated the game we call basketball. The respect he demanded as a black man during America's turbulent Civil Rights era made him the personification of a winner in life. King of the Court, like Russell's defense, locks it down, and puts it all in its proper context. Long live the King!—Dr. Todd Boyd, author of Young, Black, Rich, and Famous: The Rise of the NBA, the Hip Hop Invasion, and the Transformation of American Culture Bill Russell's life story is only incidentally about basketball. For him the sport was not a life; it was his vehicle for social change, a platform that showcased his vision for America as much as his athletic talent. In his magnificent biography, Aram Goudsouzian captures the nuance and meaning of Russell's career. After reading the book, one will never look at Russell or sports in quite the same way.—Randy Roberts, Purdue University Brings back the excitement of the great days of the NBA and its legendary players, led by the king of them all, Bill Russell. Best book I've read on basketball in 40 years.—Bill McSweeny, co-author, with Bill Russell, of Go Up for Glory |
| books about wilt chamberlain: NBA Legends Dan Peel, 2021-03 The word legend is thrown around all too easily these days, but there can be no doubt that the NBA players featured in this book are the very best to have ever graced a basketball court. They are true legends of the game. Spanning the decades and covering all the league's most iconic eras, this book uncovers the fascinating stories and incredible accomplishments of the greatest basketball players. From the game's first superstars, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Jerry West, to the modern-day greats of the late Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Garnett. There are also in-depth features on Lakers legends Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal, as well as Celtics great Larry Bird, while it also explores 23 reasons why Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time. It's not just about great players, though. Without great coaches there would be no great players, legendary teams, or memorable matchups. That's why this book also runs down the 10 most successful and influential coaches from NBA history, looks back at the 10 greatest championship-winning teams, and relives 10 of the best ever games. It also includes a review of the 50 most iconic NBA players of all time. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Strange But True Basketball Stories Howard Liss, 1983 Eighteen true stories of unique events in basketball include accounts of the Rio Grande College team, the Harlem Globetrotters, Wilt Chamberlain, and other high scorers and fancy shooters. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Inherent Vice Thomas Pynchon, 2012-06-13 The funniest book Pynchon has written. — Rolling Stone Entertainment of a high order. - Time Part noir, part psychedelic romp, all Thomas Pynchon—private eye Doc Sportello surfaces, occasionally, out of a marijuana haze to watch the end of an era. In this lively yarn, Thomas Pynchon, working in an unaccustomed genre that is at once exciting and accessible, provides a classic illustration of the principle that if you can remember the sixties, you weren't there. It's been a while since Doc Sportello has seen his ex- girlfriend. Suddenly she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. It's the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Doc knows that love is another of those words going around at the moment, like trip or groovy, except that this one usually leads to trouble. Undeniably one of the most influential writers at work today, Pynchon has penned another unforgettable book. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Best NBA Forwards of All Time Patrick Donnelly, 2014-09-01 Get to know some of the greatest NBA forwards, past and present. Featuring Bob Pettit, Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and more, this title is sure to excite! Basketball fans will love Spotlight stats and informative boxes for each player. Not to mention great full-color and historic action photographs. Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. SportsZone is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: B Is for Baller James Littlejohn, 2025-09-16 The perfect read for little ballers everywhere -- newly updated with today's stars! Featuring dozens of iconic NBA and WNBA superstars like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Sue Bird, Kobe Bryant, and Caitlin Clark, B is for Baller is the ultimate alphabet book for young hoops fans--whether they're taking their first shot at the ABCs or already perfecting their threes! James Littlejohn's words leap off the page and bring legends to life, while Matthew Shipley's colorful, stylish illustrations are sure to delight fans young and old. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Hoop Crazy Clair Bee, Cynthia Bee Farley, Randall K. Farley, 1999 Updated ed. of a work published in 1950. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: They Changed the Game Ariana Broerman, Matthew Broerman, 2024-08-06 How did we go from peach baskets to breakaway rims? From underhand lobs to 100-mph fastballs? The history of sports is full of hard-won victories, but they weren't all about being the fastest or scoring the most points. Lavishly illustrated, They Changed the Game tells 50 stories of pioneering players, obscure rules, and defining moments that have shaped the games we love. Spanning sports of all kinds, from football and tennis to speed skating and the Paralympic Games, this book celebrates how our most beloved pastimes evolved--and commemorates the trailblazers who made it all happen. Told through the artwork of talented artists from all over the world, this is a vibrant and stylish celebration of creativity both on and off the field. Winner of the National Indie Excellence Award for Best Sports Book, the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Best Illustration, and the Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: West by West Jerry West, Jonathan Coleman, 2012-10-09 Jerry West is one of the most revered and enigmatic sports icons of all time, but beneath the surface lies a complicated man who shares his true story with unflinching candor. WEST BY WEST recounts West's difficult journey from an abusive childhood in West Virginia (and the loss of a beloved brother to war) to his All-American success at West Virginia University, and his brilliant 40-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He speaks openly for the first time about his lifelong battle with depression, low self-esteem, and his complex relationships with NBA legends Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pat Riley, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant, with owners Jack Kent Cooke and Jerry Buss, coach Phil Jackson, and many more. Unsparing in its self-assessment, WEST BY WEST is a profound confession and a magnificent inspiration, a book that generated much discussion when it was published last year and is sure to be talked about for years to come. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Sports Illustrated Basketball's Greatest The Editors of Sports Illustrated, 2014-10-21 Who's the greatest center of all time, Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Where does Shaquille O'Neal land in the rankings? Would you pick Tim Duncan or Charles Barkley as the better power forward? Who's your best Sixth Man? Where does LeBron James rank among small forwards? Sports Illustrated has polled its basketball experts, including Jack McCallum, Chris Ballard, Alexander Wolff, Lee Jenkins, Ian Thomsen, Chris Mannix, and Mark Bechtel, to determine the Top 10 in more than 20 categories. The rankings appear alongside stunning photography and classic stories from SI's archives. This is the best of the best in the NBA, or, more simply, Basketball's Greatest. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man? Charles Barkley, 2021-01-26 In this controversial national bestseller, former NBA star and author of I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It Charles Barkley takes on the major issue of our time. Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man is a series of charged, in-your-face conversations about race with some of America's most prominent figures, including Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Ice Cube, Marian Wright Edelman, Tiger Woods, Peter Guber, and Robert Johnson. |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Second Wind Bill Russell, Taylor Branch, 1980 |
| books about wilt chamberlain: Mr. Clutch Jerry West, Bill Libby, 1969 Jerry West, hillbilly kid and greatest paradox in pro basketball, tells his own story and gives a lively picture of a tense and fast-paced game. |
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