Tall Men, Short Shorts: The 1969 NBA Finals: Wilt, Russ, Lakers, Celtics, and a Very Young Sports Reporter

This part memoir, part sports story (Wall Street Journal) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Big Bam chronicles the clash of NBA titans over seven riveting games-Celtics versus Lakers, Russell versus Chamberlain-covered by one young reporter. Welcome to the 1969 NBA Finals!

It’s 1969, and the greatest basketball player of all time-Bill Russell-and his juggernaut Boston Celtics squeak through one more playoff run and land in the NBA Finals again. Russell’s opponent is the fearsome seven-foot, one-inch next-generation superstar, Wilt Chamberlain, recently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers to form the league’s first dream team. Bill Russell and John Havlicek versus Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor. Covering this epic series is a wide-eyed young sports writer named Leigh Montville, who would go on to become an award-winning legend himself at The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated, and who is sent to L.A. (for the first time!) to write about his luminous heroes, the biggest of big men.

What follows is a raucous, colorful, joyous account of one of the greatest seven-game series in NBA history: seven breathtaking, see-saw games, highlight-reel moments from an unprecedented cast of future Hall of Famers, all set against the tumult of the late sixties and the burgeoning of a league on its way to becoming a billion-dollar industry. Tall Men, Short Shorts is a masterpiece of sports journalism with a charming touch of personal memoir. Leigh Montville has crafted his most entertaining book yet, richly enshrining luminous players and moments at a unique American time.