Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association [Paperback]

Terry Pluto (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 6, 2007

What do Julius Erving, Larry Brown, Moses Malone, Bob Costas, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Slam Dunk Contest have in common? They all got their professional starts in the American Basketball Association.

The NBA may have won the financial battle, but the ABA won the artistic war. With its stress on wide-open individual play, the adoption of the 3-point shot and pressing defense, and the encouragement of flashy moves and flying dunks, today's NBA is still -- decades later -- just the ABA without the red, white and blue ball.

Loose Balls is, after all these years, the definitive and most widely respected history of the ABA. It's a wild ride through some of the wackiest, funniest, strangest times ever to hit pro sports -- told entirely through the (often incredible) words of those who played, wrote and connived their way through the league's nine seasons.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pluto, sports journalist for the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal , coauthored such bestsellers as Forty-Eight Minutes , with Bob Ryan, and Tark , with Jerry Tarkanian. This time, however, he will disappoint his readers. The story of the ABA--which lasted from 1967 to 1976, spawned such stars as Julius Erving and Moses Malone, and originated the three-point shot as well as the annual slam-dunk contest--should be an absorbing one, but it falls victim to Pluto's odd approach. Having interviewed many of the owners, managers, players, officials and commentators involved in the league, he cuts up their comments into short snippets (some only two or three sentences long) and arranges them according to a roughly chronological scenario. The resulting discontinuous, herky-jerky text is difficult to follow. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The ABA was born in 1967 and in nine tumultuous seasons introduced such legendary stars as Julius Erving, Connie Hawkins, George Gervin, and Moses Malone. Pluto, a basketball writer for the Akron Beacon Journal , spins an irreverent history in interview format of the league with the three-point shot, the slam dunk contest, the red, white, and blue ball. The ABA saga includes unsettled finances, ever-changing teams, and constant war with the more established National Basketball Association. As well as the stars, we meet the owners (Earl Foreman, John Y. Brown, and Charles O. Finley), the coaches (Hubie Brown, brother Larry Brown, Bob Bass, and Slick Leonard), the bad boys (Warren Jabali and John Brisker), the characters (Wendell Ladner and Marvin Barnes), and dozens of others. Well-told by participants, this is a history laced with humor from a league filled with fun. A must for any basketball fan and highly recommended for all libraries.
- Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., Ala.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (November 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141654061X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416540618
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Miscellaneous > History of Sports
  • #46 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A phenomenal book, a sports classic December 9, 2004

By Michael Craig

Format:Hardcover

This is one of the best books ever written about sports. An oral history of the American Basketball Association, it is spare in style, which is a good thing because Pluto - a talented writer as he's proven in other sports books - lets his sources tell most of the story. His genius is in the reporting, finding all these people and getting them to tell him (and us) their stories. The ABA was a product of its times and those times will never come again. Even now, that period is becoming just a distant memory. But this is an important part of basketball history and, even better, a great, great group of stories and personalities.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars In Their Own Words December 9, 2007

By Christopher Gwyn VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This book is a sports gem. The wild ride of the American Basketball Association from inception to its eventual collapse and NBA absorption of the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets.
The book is divide into 3 parts.Opening Gambits, Middle Game and Endgame.
The first part deals with the origins of the league from the hiring of its first Commisioner, George Mikan and the idea behind the red, white and blue basketball and the struggles of early ABA teams to stock their rosters to a great section on The Indiana Pacers, one of the leagues best organizations. Everything is told in a series of stories told by the people involved. It is a credit to author Terry Pluto's reporting skills and ability to edit that makes this so enjoyable.
Part 2 deals includes a lengthy section about the greatest player to come out of the ABA, Julius Erving. The Doctor must have been a wonder to behold in his early years as he is spoke of in awe by teammates, opponents, and coaches. Also the many stories of the often bizarre characters that inhabited the ABA are priceless in and of themselves.Of which the reader will often find themself laughing out loud. The section on The San Antonio Spurs is enjoyable in that you learn the humble origins of the current NBA dynasty.
Part 3 covers such franchises as the Kentucky Colonels who were considered underachievers until they finally won an ABA championship in 1975. Probably the most entertaining section of the book chronicles the story of the Spirits Of St. Louis. The tales told of this franchise often boggle the mind if one has any isea how professional athletes are expected to act. The antics of Spirits star Marvin "bad news" Barnes are some of the most outrageous I've ever heard of in my life and I've been a sports fan for decades. Great stories of All time great coach Larry Brown and so many others they are too numerous to name.
In the end the massive contracts the ABA gave out became their undoing and eventually forced capitulation to the rival NBA. It is a fun read and you learn so much about so many unheralded ABA players and coaches.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book if you loved the ABA! June 17, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I very much enjoyed this book, as it brought back a multitude of memories. I lived in Colorado and during my middle school and high school years, I followed the Denver Rockets/Nuggets. They were my team, and this book caused me to wax nostalgia. The book is filled mostly with quotes from those most closely involved with the ABA. The black-and-white photos were also great reminders. Terry Pluto's writing and summations are a quick read. The book gave me the feeling the ABA is still highly regarded and fondly remembered, red, white and blue ball, etc., etc.,. Fun and nostalgic as far as I was concerned.