Terry Pluto's book 'Bolas perdidas' recounts the history of the American Basketball Association, the basketball league that coexisted with the NBA between 1967 and 1976. The account is built on the voices of people who lived through the competition, a method suited to a league whose history was not preserved on film and whose stories were passed on orally.
The ABA's origins were not purely sporting. Dennis Murphy, its main promoter, recalled seeing that the NBA had 12 teams and concluding there was room for many more. He said he did not know exactly why, but decided it was worth trying. The account also notes that, at the time, the three existing television channels preferred to schedule bowling rather than NBA playoffs.
Pluto presents the ABA as a garage-like venture that produced wild ideas which later became revolutionary. In 1976, according to the book, someone proposed holding a dunk contest, using a red, white and blue basketball and adding a three-point line. Pluto says that is what happened.
Published by Contra, 'Bolas perdidas' is subtitled 'la loca historia de la ABA contada por sus protagonistas.' It reconstructs the league through the people who lived it, turning their accounts into a coherent and contextualized narrative.
Sources: El País Deportes.