The Right Man For The Job: Why Oscar Robertson Was the Ideal NBPA President Tom Primosch Haverford College Department of History Advisor: Professor Linda Gerstein First Reader: Professor Linda Gerstein Second Reader: Professor Bethel Saler May 2021 Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................................3 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................4 Part One: Robertson’s Experiences Growing Up Early Years...........................................................................................................................8 Crispus Attucks and The Klan.............................................................................................9 Robertson’s High School Stardom.....................................................................................14 Mayor Clark’s Decision.....................................................................................................15 Part Two: Robertson’s College Days Branch McCracken’s Insult................................................................................................17 Robertson’s NCAA Tenure..................................................................................................22 The Territorial Draft..........................................................................................................24 Part Three: The NBA’s History of Racism Abe Saperstein’s Globetrotters...........................................................................................27 The Quota System..............................................................................................................32 The Stokes Game................................................................................................................36 Part Four: Robertson’s Actions As Union President A Brief History of the Players Union.................................................................................39 Robertson’s Status as a Labor Leader...............................................................................42 The Robertson Lawsuit......................................................................................................48 The Robertson Settlement..................................................................................................52 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................57 Bibliography..................................................................................................................................64 2 Abstract This thesis aims to showcase why Oscar Robertson was the ideal person to take over as president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) in 1965. It also argues that the current state of NBA free agency would not be possible if Robertson had not led a lawsuit against the NBA in 1970. During the 1950s and 1960s, working conditions in the NBA were subpar and the reserve clause meant that NBA owners had the authority to keep a player on their team for as long as the owner desired. NBA players were not allowed to negotiate new contracts with other teams unless the team that drafted them renounced their rights. Conditions were particularly abysmal for Black players because in addition to the lack of a pension, inadequate health care, and minimal agency, they also had to deal with racism from fans, coaches, and owners. In 1965, after Celtics player Tommy Heinsohn stepped down from his role as president of the NBPA, it was clear that the new president needed to be someone who could take on an active and forceful role as a catalyst for change. The new president needed to be able to fight back against the reserve clause, promote solidarity within the union, and advocate for better benefits for both active and retired players. Ideally it would also be a Black player who was talented enough to command the respect of his fellow players and the owners. This was important because the league was becoming increasingly filled with Black players and the new union president needed to reflect the NBA’s shifting demographics. As a Black superstar who was well aware of the poor working conditions in the NBA, and who possessed a keen understanding of the bad faith arguments that the owners continuously made to try and uphold the reserve clause, Robertson was the perfect candidate. His willingness to be combative and stand up for what he was fighting for made him a thorn in the side of the owners. His days spent enduring racism at Crispus Attucks High School and the University of Cincinnati had informed his understanding of the reserve clause as an issue of both labor and race. He was fully aware that it was necessary to prevent a merger between the NBA and the American Basketball Association (ABA) since the existence of two leagues was the only way that players were able to negotiate with multiple teams and earn more favorable contracts. With the lawsuit in 1970, Robertson, along with NBPA general counsel Larry Fleisher, sought to stop the NBA and the ABA from merging, while also challenging the reserve clause. Regardless of whether or not he foresaw the NBA becoming the multibillion-dollar industry that it is today, Robertson was fundamentally cognizant of the fact that the players were not getting what they deserved and that something had to be done about it. This thesis will show how Robertson entered into the role of NBPA president, challenged the NBA owners, and came out on top. 3 Introduction Nearly eleven years ago, LeBron James commanded the undivided attention of the entire basketball world. In 2010, after spending seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James entered into unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. He had been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2008 and 2009 and a frenzied bidding war was destined to occur once the 2010 season ended. The Cavaliers were desperate to retain James’ services but other franchises, including the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat, were eagerly waiting for the opportunity to offer him a lucrative contract. The unrestricted free agency period began promptly on July 1st and with every passing hour, the rumors around James’ potential destination continued to swirl. Unrestricted free agency had existed in the NBA since 1988 but there had never been a scenario where a player as dominant as James was being courted by so many different teams. This of course is not news to anyone who follows the NBA, but it’s important to contextualize how monumental a moment this was in basketball history. James chose to announce his new team during an hour-long television program, aptly dubbed The Decision. This was also a historic moment since there was no precedent for an NBA player announcing his free agency destination during a live television broadcast that had been specifically put together for him to announce where he was signing. A Black athlete turning his free agency decision into a bit of spectacle was a new occurrence in the American sports world and, as you might imagine, James’ decision was not well-received. Cavaliers fans were understandably upset that he was choosing to play for another team but it was the method James chose for his announcement that generated the most anger. Many people felt that there was too much fanfare and that it was absurd for ESPN to devote an entire hour to an announcement that ultimately took less than a minute to make. Sportswriter Don Ohlmeyer described The Decision as “an affront to humility, 4 loyalty, moderation...and a celebration of greed, ego and excess.”1 Washington Post columnist Leonard Shapiro called James “egomaniacal”, which is an interesting way to describe someone who took the $2 million dollars in ad revenue that was generated from The Decision and donated it to charity.23 Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert penned a rather ridiculous letter to LeBron, which included a statement of his belief that “some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there”, along with a description of James’ actions as “heartless and callous.”4 Perhaps the most eye-opening sentence in Gilbert’s irate message came when he called James’ decision a “shocking act of disloyalty,” a phrase that paints James as a cruel traitor who owed the Cavaliers something, even though it was the Cavs franchise that had been indebted to James ever since he was taken with the number one overall pick in 2003.5 The magnitude of what James did was summed up by historian Jamal Ratchford when he wrote that James “challenged the normative player-owner-spectator relationship” and “asserted control and ownership of his present and future.”6 Ratchford was correct in his contention that James challenged the relationship between player, owner, and spectator, and it was precisely that challenging of the player-owner-spectator relationship that caused Gilbert to become so outraged. Gilbert’s reaction was one of disgust and disbelief. How dare his employee take control of his employment 1 Don Ohlmeyer, “The Decision Dilemma,” ESPN, July 21, 2010, https://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=ohlmeyer_don&id=5397113 2 Leonard Shapiro, “Coverage of LeBron James's Decision Brings ESPN's Integrity Into Question Yet Again,” Washington Post, July 13, 2010, https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/13/AR2010071305908.html