Pro Basketball Goes to War (1965-1970)

Balls of Confusion: Pro Basketball Goes to War (1965-70) is the first of a two-part story about one of the most transformative events in pro basketball history: the war between the National Basketball Association and its challenger the American Basketball Association (ABA).From this nine-year battle for the heart of the game, modern pro basketball emerged in the mid-1970s and grew into today’s global, multibillion-dollar sports industry. Part One takes a definitive behind-the-scenes look at both leagues marching to war, their marketing schemes, their labor woes, their legal challenges, and their coming to terms with the 1960s and the nation’s changing attitudes on race. If you love sports history and pro basketball’s throwback days of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Connie Hawkins, and Julius Erving, this is a book for you, with part two soon to follow.


Author Bio:

Bob Kuska is a retired science writer but an active basketball historian. He has published three previous books: Hot Potato: How New York and Washington, D. C. Gave Rise to Black Basketball and Changed America’s Game Forever; Cinderella Ball: A Look Inside Small College Basketball in West Virginia; and Shake and Bake: The Life and Times of NBA Great Archie Clark. He lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, with his wonderful wife, Lynn, and their three charming pups.

Release Date: November 15, 2024