Former NBA player-coach Ray Scott, author of The NBA In Black And White: The Memoir of a Trailblazing NBA Player and Coach

ABOUT RAY SCOTT AND THE NBA IN BLACK AND WHITE

A memoir of hard lessons learned in the racially segregated and sometimes outright racist NBA of the early '60s by celebrated NBA player and first Black Coach of the Year, Ray Scott.

Ray Scott was part of the early wave of Black NBA players like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain who literally changed how the game of professional basketball is played, leading to the tremendously popular financial blockbuster the NBA is today. Scott was a successful 6'9" forward/center after being chosen by the Detroit Pistons as the #4 pick of the 1961 NBA draft, and then again after he was named head coach of the Pistons in 1972, winning Coach of the Year in the spring of 1974-the first Black man ever to capture that honor.

Scott's is a story of quiet persistence, hard work, and, most of all, respect. He credits the mentorship of NBA player and coach Earl Lloyd and talks about fellow Philly native Wilt Chamberlain and friends Muhammad Ali and Aretha Franklin, among many others. Scott has lived through one of the most turbulent times in our nation's history, especially the time of assassinations of so many Black leaders at the end of the 1960s. Through it all, his voice has remained quiet and measured, transcending all the sorrows with steadiness. This is his story, told in collaboration with well-known basketball writer, former college player, and CBA coach Charley Rosen. Racism in the world of sports is still all over the news-from Brian Flores's racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, to Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva being allowed to compete in the Olympics while African-American runner Sha'Carri Richardson was banned, to the prolonged detainment of Black WNBA star Brittney Griner in Russia. And while we still have much work to do to make equality a reality, The NBA in Black and White answers the question "How did we go from there being only white players in the NBA to the highest paid athletes in the NBA being Black?" and reminds us of the progress we've made toward equal opportunity and fair compensation for people of color.

Philly native John Raymond "Ray" Scott's college career began at the University of Portland. After three seasons in the professional Eastern Basketball League, he was chosen as the 4th pick in the 1961 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. He spent six years with the Pistons as a stand-out rebounder and deadly shooter from the perimeter, and another five years playing for the Baltimore Bullets and the Virginia Squires. Then, in October 1972, Scott was promoted from Assistant to Head Coach of the Detroit Pistons, thanks in part to strong support from former coach Earl Lloyd who, a decade earlier, had scouted Scott and recommended that he be the Pistons top pick. Two years later he was named NBA Coach of the Year, the first African-American to win the coveted award. From 1976 to 1979, Scott was Men's Basketball Head Coach at Eastern Michigan University. Today, he lives with his family in Eastern Michigan, not far from Detroit. This is his first book. 

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE NBA IN BLACK AND WHITE

"Scott, who became the first Black coach to be named NBA Coach of the Year in 1974, delivers a moving reflection on his influential career.Fans of the sport will relish Scott's insights, including how the game's been changed by the emphasis on three-point shooting.A valuable addition to hoops history." - Publishers Weekly

"This is a truly wonderful book that reveals the difficulties of the quota system and all the other obstacles that African American NBA players had to face when the league began to integrate in the mid-1950s and beyond. It also tells how Ray and many other great Black players managed to achieve the fulfillment of their respective talents. Indeed, Ray was the rare successful NBA player who became a successful NBA coach. Along the way, the plight of 'ordinary' Black citizens...