Black Ball (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA)

A vital narrative history of 1970s pro basketball, and the Black players who shaped the NBA

Against a backdrop of ongoing resistance to racial desegregation and strident calls for Black Power, the NBA in the 1970s embodied the nation’s imagined descent into disorder. A new generation of Black players entered the league then, among them Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Spencer Haywood, and the press and public were quick to blame this cohort for the supposed decline of pro basketball, citing drugs, violence, and greed. Basketball became a symbol for post-civil rights America: the rules had changed, allowing more Black people onto the playing field, and now they were ruining everything.

Enter Black Ball, a gripping history and corrective in which scholar Theresa Runstedtler expertly rewrites basketball’s “Dark Ages.” Weaving together a deep knowledge of the game with incisive social analysis, Runstedtler argues that this much-maligned period was pivotal to the rise of the modern-day NBA. Black players introduced an improvisational style derived from the playground courts of their neighborhoods. They also challenged the team owners’ autocratic power, garnering higher salaries and increased agency. Their skills, style, and savvy laid the foundation for the global popularity and profitability of the league we know today.

This book title, Black Ball (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA), ISBN: 9781645036951, by Theresa Runstedtler, published by PublicAffairs (March 7, 2023) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.

Unlike Amazon and other retailers who may also offer Black Ball (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA) books on their website, we specialize in large quantities and provide personal service, from trusted, experienced, friendly people in Portland, Oregon. We offer a Price Match Guarantee, and QuickQuote form, to make purchasing quick and easy.

Prefer to work with a human being when you order Black Ball (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA) books in bulk? Our Book Specialists are standing by Monday-Friday 8-5 PST, ready to help!