Shake and Bake: The Life and Times of NBA Great Archie Clark - Hardcover

by Bob Kuska (Author), Archie Clark (Author)

Shake and Bake is the story of Archie Clark, one of the top playmaking guards in the 1970s pre-merger NBA. While not one of the game's most recognized superstars, Clark was a seminal player in NBA history who staggered defenders with the game's greatest crossover dribble ("shake and bake") and is credited by his peers as the originator of today's popular step-back move.

Signed as the Lakers third-round draft pick in 1966, Clark worked his way into the starting lineup in his rookie year. But Clark was more than a guaranteed double-double whenever he stepped on the floor. He was a deep-thinking trailblazer for players' rights. Clark often challenged coaches and owners on principle, much to the detriment of his career and NBA legacy, signing on as a named litigant in the seminal Robertson v. NBA antitrust case that smashed the player reserve system and jump-started the modern NBA.

So lace up your high-top Chuck Taylors, squeeze into a pair of short shorts, and shake and bake back in time to the days of Wilt, Russell, Oscar, Jerry, Elgin, Hondo--and Archie.

Author Biography

Bob Kuska is a career science writer. He is the author of Hot Potato: How Washington and New York Gave Birth to Black Basketball and Changed America's Game Forever and Cinderella Ball: A Look inside Small-College Basketball in West Virginia (Bison Books, 2008). Archie Clark is a retired American professional basketball player. He played guard from 1966 to 1976 for the Lakers, 76ers, Bullets, Supersonics, and Pistons.