Hoopin’ It Up with Pete Croatto and the History of the Modern NBA

Pop Literacy

“The narrative of the NBA’s rise to become arguably the world’s second-most popular sport is frequently summed up as a rapid-fire afterthought: BirdMagicMichaelStern,” author Pete Croatto writes in his stellar new book From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA.

He’s talking about superstar players Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan, and the late David Stern, the NBA’s attorney-turned commissioner, who, as a foursome, are often credited as the forces behind the NBA’s evolution as the pro league that reigns as high in American pop culture as it does in American sports.

And while BirdMagicMichaelStern most definitely deserve every bit of credit heaped upon them, as Croatto shares in this brilliantly written and researched history (he interviewed more than 300 people for the book!), there are plenty of other reasons for the NBA’s ascension, including the civil rights movement, fashion, television, what are among the most clever marketing campaigns of all time, and a performance of the national anthem that will still inspire goosebumps.

Pete talks with us about all that and more in this episode, including his thoughts about the future of the NBA and its sister league, the WNBA.

Read more about it:

• From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA (Atria Books)
• Pete Croatto’s Grantland feature about Marvin Gaye’s iconic performance of The Star-Spangled-Banner at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game in L.A., which inspired From Hang Time to Prime Time
• Marvin Gaye’s performance on YouTube

Other great sports books we love

• The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam
• The Jordan Rules by Sam Smith
• A Season on the Brink by John Feinstein
• When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, with Jackie MacMullan
• Coach Wooden and Me Our 50 Year Friendship On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby