The Black Fives: The Epic Story of Basketball's Forgotten Era (Hardcover)

$15.00

by Claude Johnson

*out of print*

Description

From the introduction of the game of basketball to Black communities on a wide scale in 1904 to the racial integration of the NBA in 1950, dozens of African American teams were founded and flourished. This period, known as the Black Fives Era (teams at the time were often called "fives"), was a time of pioneering players and managers. They battled discrimination and marginalization and created culturally rich, socially meaningful events. But despite headline-making rivalries between big-city clubs, the savvy moves of innovative businessmen, and the undeniable talent of star players, this period is almost entirely unknown to basketball fans.
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Historian Claude Johnson has made it his mission to change that. An advocate fiercely committed to our history, for more than two decades Johnson has conducted interviews, mined archives, collected artifacts, and helped to preserve this historically important African American experience that otherwise would have been lost, establishing The Black Fives Foundation. This essential book is the result of his work, a landmark narrative history that braids together the stories of these forgotten pioneers and rewrites our understanding of the story of basketball.

About the Author

Claude Johnson is a historian and founder of the Black Fives Foundation. He has a BS in civil engineering and economics from Carnegie Mellon and an MS in mechanical engineering from Stanford. During a 20-year career in corporate America, Johnson held management and executive positions at IBM, American Express, NBA Properties, Nike, Phat Farm, and Benetton Sportsystem. He left to become a stay-at-home dad to his three student-athlete three sons, each of whom became NCAA Division I student-athletes; the oldest two in football and his youngest in basketball.

Product Details

Category: Biography

Language: English

Format/Binding: Hardcover

Book Condition: New

ISBN-10: 1419744364

ISBN-13: 978-1419744365

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Date Published: May 24, 2022

Pages: 480

Terms of Sale

NOTE: $10 sale books have been discounted from the list price and may have visual imperfections (most often on the cover) but are still in good condition for reading and gifting.

All book sales are final. No returns or exchanges.

Purchaser will receive a new book that has never been read.

The book will be shipped within 7 business days of receipt of order via a major mail carrier (USPS, UPS, FedEX, or DHL) and may take up to 14 days to arrive depending on the carrier and destination.

International shipping is also available.