The First Tip-Off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA
, by Rosen, Charley- ISBN: 9780071487856 | 0071487859
- Cover: Hardcover
- Copyright: 10/3/2008
The only book to tell the unbelievable true story of the NBA's tumultuous first season .InThe First Tip-Off, veteran basketball writer Charley Rosen brings readers back to the NBA's humble beginnings, when a colorful cast of characters laid the foundation for the empire that is today's NBA. Basketball pioneers, like Red Auerbach, Chuck Connors, Ed Sadowski, Joe Fulks, and Peter �Press� Maravich-father of �Pistol Pete�-all play a role in a league of hard fouls, shady refs, meager facilities, and old school basketball. Featuring a Foreword by Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson and exclusive interviews with the surviving players of that first season, Rosen weaves a fascinating and poignant portrait of a league struggling to gain a foothold in the American consciousness. .