The First Tip-Off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA

by Charley Rosen

"Charley Rosen has undertaken the challenge of documenting the latest and greatest history of the game professionally--and has done so to great success. . . . . When I finished the book it seemed as if I had gone through another season, injuries and all. . . . Rosen skillfully leads readers through the NBA's first steps along its journey toward what it has become today.”
-- Phil Jackson, from the Foreword "Rosen, a wonderful sportswriter . . . had forgotten more basketball history than the best fans will ever know."
Booklist , on No Blood, No Foul Go back to a time when basketball players wore knee pads and itchy cotton jerseys. When even the team's leaders were grateful for dry towels, hot showers, and $60 paychecks. When winning was all that mattered. In this vividly rendered and meticulously researched book, endorsed with a Foreword by Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, sportswriter Charley Rosen takes you on a rollicking tour of the NBA's first season. Filled with rare archival photographs and exclusive interviews, The First Tip-Off brings to life a cast of unforgettable characters--including Chuck Connors, clown prince of the BAA, and Jumping Joe Fulks, ex-Marine turned basketball's first superstar--as Rosen deftly unfolds the dramatic events of that formative season. It's enough to make you believe once again in the spirit of the sport.

Genres: Basketball, Sports

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 31, 2008

About the author

Charles Elliot Rosen is an American author and former basketball player and basketball coach. Rosen has been selected for induction into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame with the Class of 2024.

Reviews

[Ben Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed the book because it showed in detail on how the NBA was created and how it was played out in its early years. Yet, there were still some parts that were a little slow in boring but overall I really enjoyed it. The book starts off describing the first ever game and the first ever point ever in the NBA. Then it went through year by year how the NBA evolved and got to the way it is today. It would show how teams did per year and it would share real life experiences of players and coaches involved with early years of the game. These real life experiences that they shared were parts of the book that I really enjoyed especially when they went in depth with Kevin Connors, a player on the early Boston Celtics. I also liked how they compared the play of that time to how it is played today and how it compared to the college game at the time.

[Levi Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the birth of the NBA. the story starts off with news report tracking down the first ever NBA shooter. this story is fascinating and amazing I highly recommend to all fans of the series. i enjoyed learning how Ossie was the first shooter in NBA history. i liked this book and enjoyed every moment of it.

[Joe Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

I loved learning so much about the NBA by reading The First Tip Off. Lots of great material presented in the book.

[Demarco C]

I picked this book because one of my good friends recommended it to me so i was just like why not.The title relates to the book because it talks about the first basketball game ever played in history.I think the author wrote this book to tell people who like or play basketball a littel bit about the history of basketball and how it was first played and show what the there basketball gear was like compered to now.A typical audience for this book would be for people who like basketball.three things that i learned about this book was that the first game was it was played in Springfield collage and that it was played in 1891.The theme to me in this book was if you really like basketball why not play it,Because it talked about not just the first game it also talked about the fun of the game also.i think this makes a connection to my life because i love playing basketball and that is what the book was about.And i would recommend this book its really good and if you like basketball you are going tot like this book.

[Ford Nelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I didn't really like the book because it is way before my time, I didn't understand what was going on and all the terms. The book is about the birth of basketball and I didn't finish it so I don't know what happens at the end. Like I said before it was old for me

[Bruce Hicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a few interesting tid bits, but was quite dry.