The only book to tell the unbelievable true story of the NBA's tumultuous first seasonIn The First Tip-Off, veteran basketball writer Charley Rosen brings readers back to the NBA's humble beginnings, when a colorful cast of characters laid the foundation for the empire that is today's NBA. Basketball pioneers, like Red Auerbach, Chuck Connors, Ed Sadowski, Joe Fulks, and Peter "Press" Maravich - father of "Pistol Pete" - all play a role in a league of hard fouls, shady refs, meager facilities, and old school basketball. Featuring a Foreword by Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson and exclusive interviews with the surviving players of that first season, Rosen weaves a fascinating and poignant portrait of a league struggling to gain a foothold in the American consciousness.