bobkuska

Rudy LaRusso: ‘He Gets the Job Done,’ 1967

Rudy LaRusso does what he must. It’s made him wealthy as one of pro basketball’s top forwards.

Oscar Robertson: What He Wants Most Now, 1970

Oscar Robertson is a complex man playing a complex game in complex times. He has mastered the game as no one ever has.

Carl Braun: Perennial Freshman, 1953

Lapchick could go on for hours talking about Braun, the 25-year-old Manhasset, N.Y., athlete who was picked up from Colgate University after he turned professional when he signed with the New York Yankee chain as a pitcher for a $4,000 bonus in 1947.

The Big E vs. Wilt, 1968

So Elvin Hayes prodded, spoke of getting ready for the real Wilt Chamberlain. But something kept getting in the way.

E Stands for Elvin . . . And Excellence, 1969

Elvin Hayes, the Big E, the two-time All-America from Houston University, started the current National Basketball Association season as the most heralded rookie since Oscar Robertson

Bob Pettit: So Steady He’s Overlooked, 1964

“Bobby has the greatest desire of any athlete who ever lived,” says Marty Blake, general manager of the Hawks. “It is remarkable St. Louis should have had two such athletic heroes as Stan Musial and Pettit cut out of the same mould.”

Nate Thurmond: He Can’t Get ‘Up’ for Every Game, 1970

“When I play the best—guys like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Wes Unseld—I get inspired. You know how great Russell was. I wanted to play my best against him.”

Doc Rivers Spills on How to Beat Jordan’s Bulls, 1998

The Bulls dynasty must someday come to an end. In fact, Bulls management itself—in its eagerness to rebuild—may dismantle the team. If that’s the case, this season will be the last to beat Jordan’s Bulls. Here’s how you do it.

Gus Johnson: Will Erratic Star Become a Superstar?

Johnson, more confidently, concludes: “There’s no limit to what I can do out there.” True. The basketball world, and especially the Bullets, curiously await future developments.

Everything You Wanted to Know about Muggsy Bogues—But Weren’t Afraid to Ask, 1987

Bogues, 22, is a human assist machine, a whirling magician who appears from out of nowhere to slap the ball away from towering opponents, push it upcourt, fake a drive to his left, and then flick a bounce pass to a teammate on the right for an easy layup.