The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball

Brett L. Abrams and Raphael Mazzone

The nation’s capital has been home to a rich basketball tradition that began more than 80 years ago with a start-up league in the 1920s and continues today with the Washington Wizards. Under Hall of Fame coach and general manager Red Auerbach, the Washington Capitols reached the finals of the Basketball Association of America in just their third year of existence, and such renowned players as Wes Unseld, Chris Webber, and Michael Jordan have all played for a Washington, DC, area team.

In The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball, Brett L. Abrams and Raphael Mazzone chronicle the area’s history of professional basketball, from the sport’s origins as a regional game up through the present day as a multi-billion dollar business. This book captures the highs and lows of the Bullets, the Wizards, and all the other basketball teams in Washington’s history. The authors meticulously researched newspaper and magazine articles, as well as archival material from the Basketball Hall of Fame, to give a complete and comprehensive history of the DC teams. Their findings illuminate the owners, players, and rivalries, and also provide insight into the events, trades, and most significant games that occurred throughout the history of professional basketball in the DC area.

A fascinating look at the history of professional basketball in our nation’s capital, The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball will appeal to all fans of the sport.

Scarecrow Press

Pages: 388 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜

978-0-8108-8554-7 • Hardback • November 2012 • $77.00 • (£59.00)

978-0-8108-8555-4 • eBook • November 2012 • $73.00 • (£56.00)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / Basketball, Sports & Recreation / History, History / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)

The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball

Hardback

eBook

Summary

The nation’s capital has been home to a rich basketball tradition that began more than 80 years ago with a start-up league in the 1920s and continues today with the Washington Wizards. Under Hall of Fame coach and general manager Red Auerbach, the Washington Capitols reached the finals of the Basketball Association of America in just their third year of existence, and such renowned players as Wes Unseld, Chris Webber, and Michael Jordan have all played for a Washington, DC, area team.

In The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball, Brett L. Abrams and Raphael Mazzone chronicle the area’s history of professional basketball, from the sport’s origins as a regional game up through the present day as a multi-billion dollar business. This book captures the highs and lows of the Bullets, the Wizards, and all the other basketball teams in Washington’s history. The authors meticulously researched newspaper and magazine articles, as well as archival material from the Basketball Hall of Fame, to give a complete and comprehensive history of the DC teams. Their findings illuminate the owners, players, and rivalries, and also provide insight into the events, trades, and most significant games that occurred throughout the history of professional basketball in the DC area.

A fascinating look at the history of professional basketball in our nation’s capital, The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball will appeal to all fans of the sport.

Details

Scarecrow Press

Pages: 388 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜

978-0-8108-8554-7 • Hardback • November 2012 • $77.00 • (£59.00)

978-0-8108-8555-4 • eBook • November 2012 • $73.00 • (£56.00)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / Basketball, Sports & Recreation / History, History / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)

Author

Brett L. Abrams is archivist of electronic records in Washington, DC. He is a cultural and urban historian whose previous books include Capital Sporting Grounds: A History of Stadium and Ballpark Construction in Washington, D.C. (2009).

Raphael Mazzone is archivist in Washington, DC, specializing in electronic records and audiovisual material. Mazzone formerly worked at the Associated Press.

Table of Contents

Introduction: An Understudied Subject
1. George Preston Marshall and the Palace Five
2. Red Auerbach and the Washington Capitols
3. Abe Saperstein, Harry Lynn, and the Washington Tapers
4. Earl Foreman, Arnold Heft, Abe Pollin, and the Baltimore Bullets
5. Earl Foreman and the Fourth Washington Capitols
6. Abe Pollin and the Baltimore Bullets
7. Abe Pollin and the Capital-Washington Bullets
8. Abe Pollin and the Washington Bullets
9. Abe Pollin, the Fab Five, and the Washington Bullets-Wizards
10. Abe Pollin, Ted Leonsis, Michael Jordan, and the Washington Wizards
Conclusion: The Teams, the Fans, and the Current State of Basketball in DC
Bibliography
Index

The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball

Brett L. Abrams and Raphael Mazzone

The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball

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