3 Books Signed by Gervin, Hawkins, McLendon, Gaines, Gates and Carril.
Lot 339. 3 Books Signed by Gervin, Hawkins, McLendon, Gaines, Gates and Carril. All 6 are enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. All 3 books are hardbacks. The 1990 book “Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association” has large, bold gem mint 10 autographs on the title page by George Gervin who added “Ice,” Connie Hawkins and John B. McLendon, Jr. McLendon was the first African American to coach basketball at a predominantly white university, the first African American head coach in any professional sport and a major contributor to the development of modern basketball. The 1990 book by Terry Pluto is ex-m with a slight stub in the lower right corner of the cover; the dust jacket is ex. “The Smart Take from the Strong: The Basketball Philosophy of Pete Carril” was written by Carril with Dan White. The book is a 1997 first edition, nm-m in a nm dust jacket. Carril's signature is mint 9. He was the head coach at Princeton for 30 years. The third book, “Elevating the Game” by Nelson George, is a 1992 stated first edition, ex-m book and dust jacket. Subtitled “Black Men and Basketball,” the book has title page nm-m 8 to mint 9 or better autographs by McLendon, William “Pop” Gates, (Clarence) Big House Gaines and the author. Gates and William “Dolly” King were the first African American players in the National Basketball League. PSA/DNA Pre-Certified. Winning Bid $25.
