Larry Bird is on record with this—the player he most hates to see guarding him is Mike Bantom.
Author Archives: bobkuska
Gene Shue: Here’s to a Great One, 1963
Gene Shue had some ideas he thinks will improve pro basketball, and he doesn’t mind expressing his opinion on what he considers to be problems of the present game.
Dave DeBusschere: The Man Who Filled Four Positions, 1971
DeBusschere is, without a doubt, New York’s Most Valuable Player.
Bucks Steal a Star in Unknown Curtis Perry, 1972
Some fellows sit on the bench for years, and people think they’re not good basketball players. All they need is a break.
John Shumate Comes Back, 1976
When it was over, Shumate staggered up the ramp and groped along the cinderblocks, stopping to steal the whirring in his head, resting it on a shelf that juts out into the corridor.
Arizona is Full of Convalescents, But Not Many Look as Healthy as John Shumate, 1976
It had been more than half a year since the Notre Dame strongman, the Suns’ No. 1 draft choice, had done any exercise more strenuous than walking his dog.
Louis Dunbar: Best of the Big Bunch, 1974
It was an awesome sight for opponents when Dunbar played in the Houston backcourt for a team labeled “the Big Bunch”
Willie Naulls: What Else Does He Have to Do? 1962
Naulls has grown to shrug off the doubters.
Eastern League: A Typical Shootout in a Run-and-Gun League, 1974
The opponent is Allentown, tied with Scranton for the Western Division lead with an 11-6 record.
Cyril Baptiste: The Destruction of a $450,00 Basketball Player, 1973
“He could never conquer the demons,” Baptiste’s mentor and coach Leroy Floyd reflected on his life. “He always gave people good advice, but he didn’t always take it himself.”
From Way Downtown 