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King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution By Aram Goudsouzian Bill Russell was not was not the first African American to play professional basketball, but he was its first black superstar. From the moment he stepped onto the court of the Boston Garden in 1956, Russell began to transform the sport in a fundamental way, making him, more than any of his contemporaries, the Jackie Robinson of basketball. In King of the Court, Aram Goudsouzian provides a vivid and engrossing chronicle of the life and career of this brilliant champion and courageous racial pioneer.

Russell's leaping, wide-ranging defense altered the game's texture. His teams provided models of racial integration in the 1950s and 1960s, and, in 1966, he became the first black coach of any major professional team sport.

Yet, like no athlete before him, Russell challenged the politics of sport. Instead of displaying appreciative deference, he decried racist institutions, embraced his African roots, and challenged the nonviolent tenets of the civil rights movement.
This beautifully written book—sophisticated, nuanced, and insightful—reveals a singular individual who expressed the dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. while echoing the warnings of Malcolm X.

"... Russell defended the way Picasso painted, the way Hemingway wrote: in time, he changed how people understood the craft. Until Russell, the game stayed close to the floor. No longer. Twice Bob Pettit drove past his defender for presumably easy layups. Twice Russell pounced, redirecting the star forward’s efforts toward a Boston teammate. “I think we just witnessed the birth of a star and the start of a bright new era in Celtics history,” proclaimed radio announcer Johnny Most. “I just saw Bob Pettit shaking his head in total disgust — and that is a great sight for every Celtics fan. Bob Cousy marveled at Russel’s explosive quickness, his radical disruptions of established patterns.
As Boston’s star guard walked off the Garden’s floor, he thought that the future had arrived. ..."

You'll can also browse this book in an Amazon Books 'limited preview' !

 • Author: Aram Goudsouzian
 • Format: eBook & Book
 • Number of Pages: 448 pages
 • File Size: 1969 KB
 • Browse Duration in Minutes: 60
 • Wireless Delivery: Included within a minute of placing your order
 • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
 • Publisher: University of California Press
 • Book Publishing Date: 1st. Edition ~ April 1st, 2010
 • eBook Publishing Date: November 2010
 • Language: English

 • Also available: In the classic hardcover edition

 • Basketball Books & eBooks by or about Bill Russell

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