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ExEcUtIvE sUMMARy
current NBRpa members, now is the perfect time
for them to sign up and take advantage of everything
our conference has to offer—the 2012 legends World
Sports Conference promises to deliver members far
more in value than their $250 annual dues.
look for registration materials in your inbox
soon. In the meantime, please email us any ideas for
conference sessions or topics you wish to be addressed
as part of the 2012 legends World Sports Conference
at memberalert@legendsofbasketball.com.
our other primary focal point at the NBRpa is
solidifying the long-time partnership we have with
the NBa as we negotiate new terms for our Group
licensing agreement. Your Board of Directors has
created a committee that is meeting regularly with one
another and with the NBa to reach the best agreement
possible to support not only our members but also
A fOREvER lEGEND
bob boozer
The recent passing of NBa legend Bob Boozer
has rekindled many wonderful stories of his amazing
basketball career from those who knew and loved
him. and while the stories come from different eras—
college, olympic and professional play—what remains
the same throughout them all is that he was a great
man—a great Hall of Fame basketball player, an
ultimate professional with a great jump shot. Boozer
often used to say that an open 15-foot jumper was like
a layup.
From winning all-american honors at Kansas State
University in 1958-59, the 6-foot-8 power forward
went on to become the first overall pick in the 1959
NBa Draft by the Cincinnati Royals, the start of an
11-year career with six different teams—the Royals,
New York Knicks, l.a. lakers, Chicago Bulls, Seattle
SuperSonics and finally the Milwaukee Bucks where he
was part of their 1971 NBa championship team.
Jerry West was his teammate on the gold medal U.S.
Basketball team at the 1960 olympic Games in Rome.
“In 1960, when we all started playing professional
basketball, that was really the start of the change of
the bigger players in the NBa…part of the era where
players started looking more like the modern-day
athletes,” said West.
“He knew the game and how to play,” said Chicago
teammate Jerry Sloan, referring to Boozer as a pro’s
pro. and his good friend and olympic teammate oscar
the programs and services we offer. look for updates
with regard to our NBa negotiations as the discussions
progress.
as I reflect on my first seven months working
alongside you, I want to say thank you. The opportunity
to serve the NBRpa is truly one-of-a-kind—the
potential of this organization is limitless and I am
excited by the daily progress our Board of Directors
and staff are making. There’s never been a better time
to be a member of the NBRpa and I thank each and
every one of you for your support.
Yours in basketball,
arnie D. Fielkow
Chief executive officer
Robertson described
him as “a big man
who could shoot
outside,” noting that
“he could stretch the
defense.”
Coming of age as
an african-american
player in the late
1950s and early
‘60s, Boozer had
expressed concern
to Kansas State
Coach Tex Winter
about the potential
of being forced to
Bob Boozer during the Basketball Hall
of Fame Class of 2010 reception on
August 13, 2010 in Springfield, Mass.
stay in different hotels when the team was on the road.
But his Wildcat teammate Jack parr doesn’t recall any
racial problems, especially inside the locker room.
“How can you be prejudiced against someone who is so
wholesome and has such a sense of humor and is such
a terrific player?” parr said. He remarked that Boozer
was so special he thinks it would have taken someone
with a real case of prejudice not to recognize that.
after retiring from the NBa, Boozer returned to
his native omaha, Neb. and worked as an executive for
Bell Systems. He was later appointed to the Nebraska
parole Board and also volunteered his time at Boy’s
Town, a facility for troubled youth. Boozer, who died
due to a brain aneurysm at the age of 75, will always be
remembered as one of the great NBa legends.