I thoroughly enjoyed Leigh Montville’s “Tall Men, Short Shorts: The 1969 NBA Finals: Wilt, Russ, Lakers, Celtics, and a Very Young Sports Reporter” and wrote a very short review this week of the book, which was published in 2021, for its Amazon page.

By Ed Odeven

“Tall Men, Short Shorts” is an outstanding book. Leigh Montville delivers an engrossing look at the teams, the players, the definitive details of each game in the 1969 NBA Finals. Along the way, the reader is transported back to the year man first walked on the moon and the end of a remarkable era with Bill Russell as Boston Celtics player-coach. With an eye for detail, Montville shines the spotlight on the greatness of Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Elgin Baylor and other prominent players about ups and downs from their careers. The contributions of role players and big moments in every game are comprehensively written about, too.

Contrasting the personalities and broadcasting styles of Lakers play-by-play man Chick Hearn and Johnny Most, the voice of the Celtics, and what they said and how they said it during the series adds another layer to the recollections and reportage.

Montville distinguished himself early in his career as a hard-working, dedicated reporter and columnist. Republishing some of his and his contemporaries’ articles from the 1969 playoffs enhances the book’s overall presentation.

The author is also a humorous guide, taking us on a journey into his life and career, especially with poignant memories and details from the 1969 Finals. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and offers retrospective critiques of his reporting decades later.

This book is a must-read for basketball historians and hoop fanatics.