In the Backcourt with Pistol Pete Maravich: The Heart, Mind, and Soul of a Basketball Genius

In December 1987, a chance meeting between two former high school teammates led to an in-depth conversation exposing the motivations, convictions and pressures behind a remarkable basketball career. That meeting stood out to Billy Trott at the time because of the openness and sense of peace with which Pete Maravich revealed insights about his life, even including his thoughts about death. But it took on much more profound meaning seven days later, when Pete suddenly died of an unknown heart defect while playing a pickup game at the age of 40. Trott was never able to forget that conversation or the feeling that he was meant to share Pete’s words. He has sought to illuminate the paradoxes and tragedies that surrounded Pete's life, to refute common misperceptions, and to discuss the inspiration that his life had become. Using the chance encounter as a springboard, Trott has set forth his own observations about the formative period of Pete’s creative genius, collected firsthand accounts from others who knew Pete in his youth,and conducted research with medical experts to put together a unique portrait of the historic talent known as “Pistol Pete.” Read more