2020 Wall Street Journal Holiday Gift Books Selection

Today the salary cap is an NBA institution, something fans take for granted as part of the fabric of the league or an obstacle to their favorite team’s chances to win a championship. In the early 1980s, however, a salary cap was unheard of. The Cap is a first-of-its-kind depiction of the high-stakes negotiations over the proposed NBA salary cap in 1982–83 and all of the twists and turns through the decades that led the NBA and its players to a novel settlement. From lawsuits filed by its biggest stars to attacks from rival leagues to a messy and unsatisfying relationship with television to a general atmosphere of labor unrest in professional sports, the NBA was undeniably at a crossroads by the early 1980s. With the league led by ascendant David Stern and the players union led by the vastly underappreciated Larry Fleisher, these negotiations occurred amid a tumultuous landscape complete with meddling (and sometimes incompetent) owners and players’ growing influence.

The Cap is a compelling story that involves notable players, colorful owners, visionary league and union officials, and a sport trying to solidify a bright future despite a turbulent past and present.