Loose Balls by Terry Pluto

Loose Balls by Terry Pluto

Loose Balls, by Terry Pluto, is a classic read for ABA fanatics. It describes all of the behind the scenes events in the league that eventually made the conservative NBA cool. The NBA may have won the financial battle, but the ABA won the artistic war. With its stress on wide-open individual play, the adoption of the 3-point shot and pressing defense, and the encouragement of flashy moves and flying dunks, today’s NBA is still—decades later—just the ABA without the red, white and blue ball.

What do Julius Erving, Larry Brown, Moses Malone, Bob Costas, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs, The Denver Nuggets, The New York Nets and the Slam Dunk Contest have in common? They all got their professional starts in the American Basketball Association.

Loose Balls is, after all these years, the definitive and most widely respected history of the ABA. It’s a wild ride through some of the wackiest, funniest, strangest times ever to hit pro sports—told entirely through the (often incredible) words of those who played, wrote and connived their way through the league’s nine seasons.

Related links:

• ABA Tribute Site
• ABA Tribute Facebook Page
• Amazon Reviews