The Wizard of Odds How Jack Molinas Almost Destroyed the Game of Basketball

Among the most talented and brainiest to ever play the game of basketball, Jack Molinas is also credited, by some, with having single-handedly corrupted it. Here is the long-awaited life story of Molinas, from Molinas's sparkling academic career and his days as an NBA All-Star, to his criminal convictions for fixing games and his involvement with the Mafia, culminating in his gruesome murder. The Wizard of Odds is a dark testament to the terrible human power of self-destructiveness.

A native of the Bronx and longtime pal of basketball guru Phil Jackson, CHARLEY ROSEN led the league in technical fouls during each of his six years as a coach in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association. Since then he has become the world’s foremost writer of fiction and nonfiction on the subject of basketball, chronicling the drama that takes place both on and off the court. His many novels include The House of Moses All-Stars, a New York Times Notable Book, and Sammy Wong: All-American. His non-fiction works include The Scandals of ’51: How the Gamblers Almost Killed College Basketball and More than a Game, with Phil Jackson. Rosen is an analyst for hoopshype.com and a devotee of the Triangle Offense. He lives in Accord, NY.