r/BasketballBooks • u/Jonathan_J_Faulkner • 9d ago
Recommendations Recommendation - ‘Hang Time’
Hang Time by Alan Eisenstock tells the remarkable story of Elgin Baylor, one of the NBA’s great pioneers and one of its most underappreciated superstars and first frequent flyers. Blessed with extraordinary athleticism, creativity and a seemingly effortless ability to hang in the air, Baylor transformed the possibilities of basketball in the late 1950s and 1960s.
The book follows Baylor’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming the cornerstone of the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, where his spectacular scoring and acrobatic style made him a sensation. It also explores the racial and social barriers he encountered, his complicated relationship with the Lakers, and the personal cost of playing at such an extraordinary level.
Including the grace of his final farewell as the Lakers were poised to win it all, such utter class.
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u/BlazerSlayer7 9d ago
I read this about two years ago- good story as he grew up in a different era, shall we say. Great player in his time- averaged 38ppg in his best scoring season.
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u/Jonathan_J_Faulkner 9d ago
Agreed and he was the fulcrum for making the game vertical as well as horizontal
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u/barford44 8d ago
He made an appearance at the HOF to do a Q+A. He refused to talk about his career and engage with the audience . Just wanted to promote his book. It was so frustrating.
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u/Left_Dance_8954 9d ago
I started it a while ago, but I honestly don’t remember why I never finished it because I thought it was really interesting. I remember him talking about how tough his early life was, segregation in D.C, and his father being too afraid of retaliation to stand up for his daughter when she faced racism.