Sam Smith [Smith - Hard Labor: The Battle That Birthed the Billion-Dollar NBA

To the revolutionists of basketball who pursued liberty and happiness, who mutually pledged their lives, fortune, and sacred honor.

Contents

Our Players

Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals

He was players association president when the suit was filed to prevent the merger with the American Basketball Association. The complaint eventually led to the first formal free agency in American team sports. Robertson is considered among the greatest players in the history of professional basketball. A powerful 65 guard, he is one of two players in NBA history to have averaged a triple-double for a season (Russell Westbrook did it in the 2016-17 season). He was a collegiate player of the year, Olympic gold medal winner, NBA Most Valuable Player, three-time All-Star Game MVP, NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks, and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bill Bradley, New York Knicks

The Princeton basketball star went on to join the 1970s Knicks for two championships and then won election as a U.S. senator from New Jersey for three terms. He ran in the 2000 Democratic presidential primaries. He was a Rhodes Scholar and 1964 Olympic gold medal winner before joining the Knicks for a 10-year career as a relentless, sharp-shooting forward.

Joe Caldwell, Atlanta Hawks

Known as Pogo Joe for his awesome, Olympic-level leaping ability, he was one of the top NBA stars to jump to the fledgling ABA with the Carolina Cougars. He was an All-Star in both leagues and was a member of the gold medalwinning 1964 Olympic team. He was a union activist who was suspended and banned from the ABA for supposedly leading the erratic Marvin Barnes astray. He has fought the suspension, while fighting on and off for the last 40 years, for contracts and pensions he feels he still is owed.

Archie Clark, Philadelphia 76ers

The father of the crossover move known as Shake and Bake, he was once traded for Wilt Chamberlain in a career that included a pair of All-Star Game appearances. He didnt go to college until after an active-duty stint in the Army in Korea. He played 10 seasons and later was a mayoral candidate in his hometown of Ecorse, Michigan, a Detroit suburb. He was one of the founders of the Retired Players Association with Robertson, Dave Bing, Dave Cowens, and Dave DeBusschere.

Mel Counts, Los Angeles Lakers

The perimeter-shooting seven footer spent much of his 12-year career as a backup for Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, playing for two Celtics title teams and four times with the Lakers in the Finals. He was on the winning 1964 U.S. Olympic team and played for six NBA teams.

John Havlicek, Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics legendary man in motion and early era sixth man was a 13-time All-Star who played for eight Celtics championship teams spanning the era from Bill Russell to Dave Cowens. He was known for his hustle and winning plays in championship series. He played on an NCAA champion at Ohio State and was drafted by the NFL Cleveland Browns and played in their training camp. When he retired he was third all-time in points behind only Wilt Chamberlain and Robertson. He is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and named among the 50 greatest NBA players (along with Robertson and Wes Unseld among Robertson case plaintiffs).

Don Kojis, San Diego/Houston Rockets

The high-jumping 65 forward was a two-time All-Star who also was selected in consecutive expansion drafts. He was considered the first to regularly perform the lob dunk finish. He played for six NBA teams in a 12-year career and was the all-time leading rebounder for Marquette U.

Jon McGlocklin, Milwaukee Bucks

The 65 shooting guard known for his high-arcing jumper was a college roommate with the Van Arsdale twins at Indiana U. He played with Robertson on the Cincinnati Royals and then Robertson joined him and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the 1971 champion Milwaukee Bucks. He was an All-Star in 1969 and played 11 seasons for three teams.

McCoy McLemore, Detroit Pistons

The burly 67 forward played for seven teams in an eight-year NBA career. He was on expansion lists three times, with the inaugural Bulls, Suns, and Cavaliers. He was a Houston high school star whom Guy Lewis, in 1960, supposedly was kept from recruiting as the first black basketball player to the U. of Houston. Don Chaney and Elvin Hayes eventually were in 1966. McLemore then played for Cotton Fitzsimmons at Moberly Junior College and Drake before being drafted by the San Francisco Warriors. He died of cancer in 2009.

Tom Meschery, Seattle Supersonics

The poet laureate of the NBA is a published poet with several volumes. He also was regarded as one of the toughest and most physical players in an 11-year career in which he made one All-Star team and had his number retired by the San Francisco Warriors. He also was an assistant coach in the NBA and head coach in the ABA. He was born in Manchuria and with his family was held in an internment camp in Tokyo during World War II before immigrating to the U.S. after the war. He taught high school and studied poetry after basketball.

Jeff Mullins, San Francisco/Golden State Warriors

The 65 shooting guard from Duke played 12 years for the St. Louis Hawks and San Francisco/Golden State Warriors, including the 1975 champion Warriors. He won a gold medal with the 1964 Olympic team and was a three-time All-Star with the Warriors. He then was basketball coach and athletic director at the U. of North Carolina/Charlotte.

Wes Unseld, Washington Bullets

The Hall of Famer and top 50 all-time NBA player was the prime practitioner of the outlet pass in a 13-year career with the Bullets in which he joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only NBA players ever to be Rookie of the Year and MVP the same season. He was a five-time All-Star as a center despite being only about 66, played in four NBA Finals, and was on the 1978 Bullets NBA championship team. He was Bullets coach and general manager after his playing career and winner of the leagues inaugural citizenship award.

Dick Van Arsdale, Phoenix Suns

The 65 guard/forward matched his twin brother, Tom, with a 12-year NBA career with the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns, the latter where he was the first expansion selection and a three-time All-Star. He later was a Suns coach, general manager, and personnel director.

Chet Walker, Chicago Bulls

The 67 forward played 13 years in the NBA for the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls. He is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. He played on seven NBA All-Star teams and was on the 1967 76ers NBA champions. He became a movie producer after playing, with an Emmy Awardwinning TV movie about the mother of NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas and the movie Freedom Road starring Muhammad Ali.

Larry Fleisher

The Harvard-educated lawyer became general counsel of the players association in 1962 at the request of association leader Tommy Heinsohn and helped direct the threatened 1964 All-Star Game boycott that led to the Robertson class action suit for free agency. He also represented players, since he operated the players association without salary. His first client was Bill Bradley. He represented many of the New York Knicks and led regular overseas trips of NBA players that led to the international player influx to the NBA. He died of a heart attack at age 58 in 1989. He is in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

1. Back in the Day

Not many books about basketball begin with a story about Thomas Jefferson. Though perhaps more should, since if basketball were invented in the 18 th century, Jefferson might have been Michael Jordan. We know as the third president of the United States, Jefferson was regarded by many as one of the greatest ever to play his game. Jefferson as a basketball player probably would have resembled Jordan. Jefferson was tall for his era, though not the tallest like George Washington, about 63, muscular with little body fat and kind of loose limbed, with large hands and feet. Good for defense, though in Jeffersons case it protected his view of the natural rights of man. His posture was erect in suggesting confidence and authority. Perhaps he might not have possessed the jumping ability, though his authorship of the Declaration of Independence certainly was a slam dunk.