This is the biography of NBA Hall of Fame player Elgin Baylor, an innovator in his sport, a civil rights trailblazer, and a superstar. It is the story of how a kid from the streets of segregated Washington, DC, who didn't attend college until he was over twenty, revolutionized basketball.

NBA Hall of Fame player Elgin Baylor was an innovator in his sport, a civil rights trailblazer, and a true superstar. He influenced future NBA All Stars such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, and is considered by many to be one of the most important players in NBA history. A prolific scorer who baffled opponents with his twists and turns and inventive moves, Baylor was a force both on and off the court for the Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers. In Elgin Baylor: The Man Who Changed Basketball, Bijan C. Bayne tells the story of how a kid from the streets of segregated Washington, DC, who didn’t attend college until he was over twenty, revolutionized basketball and stood up for his rights. In a time when few nationally prominent black athletes spoke out about racial inequality in the United States, Baylor refused to tolerate discrimination. On the court, with his balletic moves and urban style of play, Elgin Baylor lifted the game of basketball off the floor and into the air. Elgin Baylor: The Man Who Changed Basketball includes personal reflections from Baylor’s old schoolyard companions, former teammates, players he coached in the NBA, and noted sports journalists, bringing to life his childhood, college career, and professional life with intimate detail. Basketball fans, historians, and those interested in the impact of sports on the Civil Rights Movement will all find this first-ever biography of Elgin Baylor both fascinating and inspirational.

Part reference, part trivia, part brain teaser, and absolutely the most unusual and thorough compendium of basketball stats and facts ever assembled! Did you know that Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld are the only two players in basketball history to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season? Or that Mark Jackson had more than 10,000 assists in his career, but is not in the Hall of Fame? How about that Kevin Love has the longest consecutive streak of double-doubles, with 53? Inspired by The Baseball Maniac’s Almanac—first created by legendary sportswriter Bert Randolph Sugar—The Basketball Maniac’s Almanac includes thousands of fascinating lists, tables, data, and stimulating facts never before compiled in one place! Inside, you’ll find all of the big name basketball heroes like Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Rick Barry, Kevin Durant, Jerry West, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, and a lot of information that will be new to even the most devoted fans: Hall of Famers drafted #1 overall Points leaders by state of birth Most blocked shots by players under six-feet tall Career leaders in four-points plays Oldest player selected to an All-Star Game Players with career Quadruple-Doubles Former ABA players leading the NBA in 3-pointers Most career technical fouls Fathers and sons both drafted in the first round Coaches winning Coach of the Year award and championship in the same season And so much more! Not just a collection of facts or records, this is a book of glorious fun that will astound even the most bookish basketball fan. Read up and amaze your friends, family, and anyone who loves the game of basketball!

The Eastern Professional Basketball League (1946-78) was fast and physical, often played in tiny, smoke-filled gyms across the northeast and featuring the best players who just couldn’t make the NBA—many because of unofficial quotas on Black players, some because of scandals, and others because they weren’t quite good enough in the years when the NBA had less than 100 players. In Boxed out of the NBA: Remembering the Eastern Professional Basketball League, Syl Sobel and Jay Rosenstein tell the fascinating story of a league that was a pro basketball institution for over 30 years, showcasing top players from around the country. During the early years of professional basketball, the Eastern League was the next-best professional league in the world after the NBA. It was home to big-name players such as Sherman White, Jack Molinas, and Bill Spivey, who were implicated in college gambling scandals in the 1950s and were barred from the NBA, and top Black players such as Hal “King” Lear, Julius McCoy, and Wally Choice, who could not make the NBA into the early 1960s due to unwritten team quotas on African-American players. Featuring interviews with some 40 former Eastern League coaches, referees, fans, and players—including Syracuse University coach Jim Boeheim, former Temple University coach John Chaney, former Detroit Pistons player and coach Ray Scott, former NBA coach and ESPN analyst Hubie Brown, and former NBA player and coach Bob Weiss—this book provides an intimate, first-hand account of small-town professional basketball at its best.

Against the backdrop of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, California, the Los Angeles Lakers have become not only one of professional basketball’s most treasured gems, but an internationally-renowned sports icon. With the wizardry of players who require only one name—Elgin, West, Wilt, Kareem, Magic, Shaq, Kobe—the Lakers grew from a promising Midwestern team starting afresh in the City of Angels and becoming one of the most successful corporate giants in the history of athletic competition. This definitive encyclopedia of the Lakers provides all vital data pertaining to each season of the team’s first 50 years in Los Angeles, including biographies of Hall of Famers, other great performers, and coaches; complete rosters; season-by-season schedules and statistics; draft picks; and records and individual accomplishments.

EBONY is the flagship magazine of Johnson Publishing. Founded in 1945 by John H. Johnson, it still maintains the highest global circulation of any African American-focused magazine.

The weekly source of African American political and entertainment news.