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The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game
Perhaps the greatest all-around player in basketball history, Oscar Robertson revolutionized basketball as a member of the Cincinnati Royals and won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks. When he was twenty-three, in 1962, he accomplished one of basketball’s most impressive averaging the triple-double in a single season—a feat never matched since. Cocaptain of the Olympic gold medal team of 1960; named the player of the century by the National Association of Basketball Coaches; named one of the fifty greatest players in NBA history; and inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980—Robertson’s accolades are as numerous as they are impressive.
But The Big O is also the story of a shy black child from a poor family in a segregated city; of the superstar who, at the height of his career, became the president of the National Basketball Players Association to try to improve conditions for all players. It is the story of the man forced from the game at thirty-four and blacklisted from coaching and broadcasting. But two years after he left basketball, after six years of legal wrangling, Robertson won his lawsuit against the NBA, eliminating the option clause that bound a player to a single NBA team in perpetuity and ending restrictions on free agency.
The Big O is the story of how the NBA, as we now know it, was built; of race in America in the second half of the twentieth century; and of an uncompromising man and a complex hero.
But The Big O is also the story of a shy black child from a poor family in a segregated city; of the superstar who, at the height of his career, became the president of the National Basketball Players Association to try to improve conditions for all players. It is the story of the man forced from the game at thirty-four and blacklisted from coaching and broadcasting. But two years after he left basketball, after six years of legal wrangling, Robertson won his lawsuit against the NBA, eliminating the option clause that bound a player to a single NBA team in perpetuity and ending restrictions on free agency.
The Big O is the story of how the NBA, as we now know it, was built; of race in America in the second half of the twentieth century; and of an uncompromising man and a complex hero.
376 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 26, 2020
Visionary
Oscar Robertson played basketball in vastly different eras and is considered an elite player in all of those eras. His rendition of his life's experiences is a study of excellence, civil rights, and entrepreneurship. Outstanding autobiography.
Oscar Robertson played basketball in vastly different eras and is considered an elite player in all of those eras. His rendition of his life's experiences is a study of excellence, civil rights, and entrepreneurship. Outstanding autobiography.
February 22, 2025
Memoir. Many consider Oscar Robertson as the
best all-around pro basketball player ever. A radio
announcer called him "the Big O"& his pro team-
mates called him "Oz." Oscar felt like a general
on the court b/c he directed the plays & found the
'open man' who could shoot the basket and score.
He did not believe in ball-hoggers. For brevity I
will refer to basketball as b-ball.
Oscar was named one of the 50 best NBA players of
all time.
Oscar was born in Tennesse & he and his parents
& bros. moved to Indianapolis, for wk opportunities,
when Oscar was 4. Indiana is a b-ball crazy state.
Oscar called his older brother "Flap" Bailey Jr. an
even better b-ball shot than he. Powerhouse
Indiana University passed on Flap b/c they wanted
to limit the number of black players. Huh? After
college, Flap played a time w/ Harlem Globetrotters.
He also mentioned his brother Henry.
Oscar tended to be shy + reserved. He attended an
all black HS w/ black teachers. The principal had
a PhD and most teachers had a Master's degree.
Oscar helped his b-ball team win 2 state champion-
ships. The city + state wanted to prevent race riots
so they had modified celebrations (compared to
previous white HS b-ball champs). Players recog-
nized prejudice when they saw it. Oscar became
a National Merit scholar, with the goal of being a
businessman.
Oscar chose University of Cincinnati (UC) & arrived
there at age 17. Several businessmen mentored him
& became life-long friends. UC profs told him they
would fail him. Restaurants, movies & clubs were
whites-only. He and black friends found jazz clubs.
He helped to greatly improve UC's b-ball team. But
they did not become NCAA champs. Oscar's honor:
College Player of the Year.
Oscar & Jerry West won a b-ball team Olympic Gold Medal
in Rome. He + his wonderful wife Yvonne honeymooned
in Rome. She was a teacher born in Alabama whose father
owned a dry-cleaning business. She helped him relax and
see beyond just b-ball. When in Rome, Oscar met boxer
Cassius Clay who also won a Gold Medal. Clay advised him
to remain calm when in a tight b-ball game.
Oscar spent 10 yrs with the NBA Cincinnati Royals, plagued
with front-office mismanagement. Twice he held out for a
higher salary. He disliked interacting w/ media. He learned
via a reporter that the Royals traded him to Baltimore. This
was before NBA players had agents or pensions. His atty
friend Jake "J. W" Brown had helped word his original con-
tract, which permitted Oscar a choice of team if he were
traded. He went to the Milwaukee Bucks where he helped
turn the team around and 1 yr they became NBA champs.
The Bucks paid him what he was worth.
Oscar, as NBA Player Rep. brought an anti-trust lawsuit
against the NBA in April 1970. The players wanted to
prevent the merger of the ABA with the NBA, force NBA
owners to provide NBA pensions & medical insurance for
NBA players injured on the job. And to do away with the
reserve clause which tied a NBA player to 1 team for life,
unless traded by the team. The players won 6 yrs later!
Oscar gave many examples of blatant racism, on + off the
court. After he retired, CBS chose him as a b-ball analyst
but they wanted to control his comments about refs and
other teams. Why not allow him to be himself?
Oscar compared NBA players of his day to today. He said,
players had b-ball skills, knowledge, strategy and knew
several options in a tight jam. But some of the players of
today considered b-ball skills as dunking the ball &
dribbling behind the player's own knees.
Oscar had questioned NBA coaches + refs, + owners thought
him 'trouble' because of his work on behalf of the player's
union. Oscar would've made an excellent NBA coach and/
or General Manager. Too bad the NBA front-office and NBA
owners were too narrow-minded to make this happen.
Oscar + family (they had 3 daughters) moved back to Cinti.
and he became CEO of several successful businesses. His
business developed a chemical to help prevent the spread of
MRSA. By chance I met and briefly spoke w/ Oscar at a 2008
college scholarship event.
More later?
best all-around pro basketball player ever. A radio
announcer called him "the Big O"& his pro team-
mates called him "Oz." Oscar felt like a general
on the court b/c he directed the plays & found the
'open man' who could shoot the basket and score.
He did not believe in ball-hoggers. For brevity I
will refer to basketball as b-ball.
Oscar was named one of the 50 best NBA players of
all time.
Oscar was born in Tennesse & he and his parents
& bros. moved to Indianapolis, for wk opportunities,
when Oscar was 4. Indiana is a b-ball crazy state.
Oscar called his older brother "Flap" Bailey Jr. an
even better b-ball shot than he. Powerhouse
Indiana University passed on Flap b/c they wanted
to limit the number of black players. Huh? After
college, Flap played a time w/ Harlem Globetrotters.
He also mentioned his brother Henry.
Oscar tended to be shy + reserved. He attended an
all black HS w/ black teachers. The principal had
a PhD and most teachers had a Master's degree.
Oscar helped his b-ball team win 2 state champion-
ships. The city + state wanted to prevent race riots
so they had modified celebrations (compared to
previous white HS b-ball champs). Players recog-
nized prejudice when they saw it. Oscar became
a National Merit scholar, with the goal of being a
businessman.
Oscar chose University of Cincinnati (UC) & arrived
there at age 17. Several businessmen mentored him
& became life-long friends. UC profs told him they
would fail him. Restaurants, movies & clubs were
whites-only. He and black friends found jazz clubs.
He helped to greatly improve UC's b-ball team. But
they did not become NCAA champs. Oscar's honor:
College Player of the Year.
Oscar & Jerry West won a b-ball team Olympic Gold Medal
in Rome. He + his wonderful wife Yvonne honeymooned
in Rome. She was a teacher born in Alabama whose father
owned a dry-cleaning business. She helped him relax and
see beyond just b-ball. When in Rome, Oscar met boxer
Cassius Clay who also won a Gold Medal. Clay advised him
to remain calm when in a tight b-ball game.
Oscar spent 10 yrs with the NBA Cincinnati Royals, plagued
with front-office mismanagement. Twice he held out for a
higher salary. He disliked interacting w/ media. He learned
via a reporter that the Royals traded him to Baltimore. This
was before NBA players had agents or pensions. His atty
friend Jake "J. W" Brown had helped word his original con-
tract, which permitted Oscar a choice of team if he were
traded. He went to the Milwaukee Bucks where he helped
turn the team around and 1 yr they became NBA champs.
The Bucks paid him what he was worth.
Oscar, as NBA Player Rep. brought an anti-trust lawsuit
against the NBA in April 1970. The players wanted to
prevent the merger of the ABA with the NBA, force NBA
owners to provide NBA pensions & medical insurance for
NBA players injured on the job. And to do away with the
reserve clause which tied a NBA player to 1 team for life,
unless traded by the team. The players won 6 yrs later!
Oscar gave many examples of blatant racism, on + off the
court. After he retired, CBS chose him as a b-ball analyst
but they wanted to control his comments about refs and
other teams. Why not allow him to be himself?
Oscar compared NBA players of his day to today. He said,
players had b-ball skills, knowledge, strategy and knew
several options in a tight jam. But some of the players of
today considered b-ball skills as dunking the ball &
dribbling behind the player's own knees.
Oscar had questioned NBA coaches + refs, + owners thought
him 'trouble' because of his work on behalf of the player's
union. Oscar would've made an excellent NBA coach and/
or General Manager. Too bad the NBA front-office and NBA
owners were too narrow-minded to make this happen.
Oscar + family (they had 3 daughters) moved back to Cinti.
and he became CEO of several successful businesses. His
business developed a chemical to help prevent the spread of
MRSA. By chance I met and briefly spoke w/ Oscar at a 2008
college scholarship event.
More later?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews