Pete Croatto

I've read a lot of the best books about the NBA and its history. This book is a worthy addition to the club.

Croatto was able to convey the enthusiasm and sense of wonder that the NBA's early employees had. When he talks about the men and women who spent long days and nights, the reader feels that sense of accomplishment come through off the page. In the chapter about Marvin Gaye singing the National Anthem, I felt the nervousness and tension that everyone must have felt. There was so much in the line. Advertisers could have left. David Stern, commissioner and colossal figure, could have hated it and launched into one of his withering critiques. The sense of relief when Stern says he loved it was palpable to me as a reader.

The structure of the book was very engaging. His wasn't a straight ahead account of the NBA's handling of the various problems that plagued the league right after the ABA merger. Croatto takes detours into the pop culture and current events of the time to give context to those problems. This technique is not only enjoyable, but it gives the story a dimension I haven't seen in other books about this topic.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book.… (altro)