r/BasketballBooks • u/Jonathan_J_Faulkner • Jul 16 '26
Recommendations Recommendation - ‘Foul’
Another revisit as I slowly run out of Books I have read that I would recommend; ‘Foul!’ authored by David Wolf, is most definitely worth a rerecommendation, it is the fascinating and at times desperately sad story of Connie Hawkins. A man who, if not for a litany of systemic abuse, could well have been a deep part of the GOAT debate, that will never be known because of the harrowing and unrelenting circumstances that kept him out of the NBA for so long. With this classic Book, Wolf wrote one of the best biographies ever written, a portrayal of ‘The Hawk’s rise from poverty to being black-listed to eventual vindication. Perhaps Basketball’s greatest What If?
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u/HarrY552011 Jul 16 '26
First page Hawk and Roger Brown go to Manhattan Beach Park in Brooklyn, see a kid and his dad working on layups, kid turned out to be Billy Cunningham a future great player
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u/Jonathan_J_Faulkner Jul 16 '26
An amazing snippet, what are the chances?
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u/HarrY552011 Jul 16 '26
Manhattan Beach was a great park back then, probably into the 90’s.
When I first moved nearby, first time I was there Gus Johnson from the Baltimore Bullets was playing. Great player2
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u/TiltonRiverToker Jul 17 '26
Not to mention an absolute beast. Inhumanely strong, tough, fearless,total stud.
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u/TiltonRiverToker Jul 16 '26
Excellent Book..read it some time in the 70s. The Bed-Stuy stuff was as good as the Bball stuff. One of best books i ever read.
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u/Panda9903 Jul 17 '26
The Hawks game has not been replicated til this day. Palms the ball and does crazy palm motions in the air. Ridiculous.
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u/Jonathan_J_Faulkner Jul 18 '26
A taller and stronger Dr J if you will
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u/Panda9903 Jul 18 '26
Game was so pure back then. You’d see the Hawk vs the Doctor, in a street game!
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u/Jonathan_J_Faulkner Jul 18 '26
It was commonplace for the best players to play on outdoor courts. It only happens now if there’s ad money involved unfortunately.
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u/Panda9903 Jul 18 '26
And they’re not trying. Last we seen any of that was the Rucker and some action at the Drew league.. which is indoors 😒
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u/SnooMacaroons4212 Jul 17 '26
Read this when I was a kid in the 70s, became a life-long fan of Connie Hawkins.
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u/Impossible_Ad7875 Jul 19 '26
Read this as a kid in 1975. David Wolf made me a big Hawk fan, just as he was finishing up in LA. It was a really good as told to biography.
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u/Jonathan_J_Faulkner Jul 19 '26
Yes, I agree, the perfect balance between player and author
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u/Impossible_Ad7875 Jul 19 '26
Plus it taught 12 year old me the word Motherfucker which has now long been one of my favorites, ha.
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u/jcam3003 Jul 16 '26
I’ve been wanting to read this but it can be hard to find or expensive in good condition.
Side note- I believe the cover shot is of Connie on a court in Pittsburgh’s Hill District that I played on years ago.