Dolph Schayes and the Rise of Professional Basketball - (Sports and Entertainment) by Dolph Grundman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Grundman presents readers with a portrait, the first of its kind, of Dolph Schayes--the star of the Syracuse Nationals basketball team during the 1950s and '60s. Schayes may not have one of the most recognizable names in basketball history, but his accomplishments are staggering--he was named one of the fifty greatest players of all time by the NBA and he held six NBA records (including one for career scoring) at his retirement. The text follows Schayes from his early days as the child of Jewish Romanian immigrants, through his illustrious basketball career, first at New York University (during New York's "golden age of basketball") then as part of the Syracuse Nationals. In writing about Schayes' career, Grundman also reflects on many of the revolutionary changes that were happening in the professional basketball world at the same time; changes that affected not only Schayes and his contemporaries, but also the entire essence of the sport.

Review Quotes

The book is a reminder that today's flashy NBA didn't arise de novo as an overnight success. The modern product was built on the work of dedicated athletes. . . . A very enjoyable read.

-- "The Adirondack Daily Enterprise"

Dolph Grundman takes readers on a fascinating basketball journey for two-plus decades, from 1948-1970, of not only the evolution of the NBA, but of a Bronx, New Yorker who was one of the first true superstars of the budding league--Dolph Schayes. Grundman's work could be viewed as two books in one. Two stories are told simultaneously, and history on the hardwood never slows to a running out the clock pace.-- "Utica Observer Dispatch"

A solid book that follows through on exactly what is promised: chronicling Schayes's career and also using it to explore the NBA's early development and to describe the playing styles and backgrounds of Schayes's fellow competitors. It stands as a much-needed record of an underappreciated basketball star, an illuminating lens into the early years of the NBA, and an essential starting point for scholars who wish to use Schayes to further explore other themes.-- "Sport in American History"

An important addition to the works on pre-1960 professional basketball.-- "Journal of Sport History"

An insightful and informative cultural history of collegiate and professional basketball in the mi-20th century.-- "Choice"

About the Author

Dolph Grundman is professor of history at Metropolitan State College of Denver, Colorado. He is the author of Jim Pollard: The Kangaroo Kid.