MOSES AND THE DOCTOR

Joining forces and winning big.

This informative, enjoyable dual biography ably mines its titular superstars’ many contrasts. Moses Malone was a taciturn teenager when he made his 1974 debut in the American Basketball Association (ABA), a league known for its red-white-and-blue basketball, frequent financial troubles, and high-flying virtuosos like Julius “Dr. J” Erving, one of the sport’s “most eloquent” personalities. Charting careers that coincided with a 1983 NBA title for the Philadelphia 76ers, Epplin shows us underappreciated sides of his famed subjects. Erving was among the most elegant of players, “the legitimizer of playground improvisation” whose powerful dunks went largely unwitnessed due to the ABA’s lack of TV contracts. He worked hard to boost basketball’s marketability and to correct misapprehensions about Black athletes, “ask[ing] friends to sit with him during interviews and then critique his performance, pointing out every misstep and verbal tic.” Malone was neither balletic nor interested in talking to reporters. A tireless rebounder, his “approach to his job was as blunt as his demeanor: suit up, sweat and bang, go home.” Epplin does terrific work on Malone’s personal and professional growth. Avoiding invasive news coverage of his high school hardwood exploits in Virginia, “he often sneaked into his house through a back window.” He was subsequently uncomfortable “entrusting his narrative to journalists” who’d “intimated that Malone was unintelligent and inarticulate.” On the court, Malone’s cleverness on the offensive glass earned him easy layups, hindering his development of a jump shot. After securing Philly’s first NBA title since 1967, their accomplishment was celebrated with a parade that fleetingly transcended civic disputes, bringing “together forces often in tension with each other.” A sobering epilogue reflects on dark post-retirement moments for both men. This is smart sports history that keeps sight of important social context.

Stars with distinct skill sets give Philly a hoops title.