The Cap

“Mendelsohn combines exhaustive research and a smooth narrative to tell the complex story of the salary cap, full of remarkable characters, unpredictable twists, and unforgettable anecdotes. . . . Basketball and sports fans interested in what goes on behind their favorite team’s closed doors will find this an important and accessible account of the NBA’s salary cap and how it has affected professional sports, for better or worse. A unique history.”—Library Journal
“To follow the NBA one must follow the money. To follow the money and to understand how and why players earn the staggering sums they do, intricate knowledge of the league’s labyrinthian salary cap is required. In The Cap Joshua Mendelsohn delivers a most comprehensive and well-written history and breakdown of the NBA’s economic bylaws and, in effect, a compelling evolutionary tale of the professional game, its principal characters, and the guiding fiscal policies behind its explosive global growth.”—Harvey Araton, author of When the Garden Was Eden
"A legal thriller, a close account of the tortuous 10-month negotiations, in the mid-1980s, for the big play that eventually put both the NBA's players and the owners in the win column."—David M. Shribman, Wall Street Journal
“Although focused on the drama and dynamics of the 1983 agreement with the players’ union . . . Mr. Mendelsohn manages to highlight a number of attributes that still distinguish the [NBA] league. . . . The ability of the NBA’s players and executives to take on an outsized role in the response to the killing of George Floyd reflects the rise of the league’s economic and social importance. Understanding how it has been able to secure so much cultural capital—and then use it so much more effectively than man other leagues—deserves attention as the sports industry looks to maintain its relevance in a post-pandemic world.”—New York Times
"Thanks to Joshua Mendelsohn’s new book The Cap, we now have a clearer picture of how exactly the financial framework of the modern NBA was built—and what that means today. It’s worth a read for historians and fans alike."—Daniel Reynolds, SB Nation
“In The Cap we get a blow-by-blow description of the maneuvering, threatening, striking, chaos, and even outright war that forged today’s relationship between the league and its players. Most important, we learn the stories of the people who made it happen, including Bob Cousy, David Stern, Oscar Robertson, Larry O’Brien, Bob Lanier, and Larry Fleisher—the first capologist. It’s a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of the NBA and anyone interested in its Collective Bargaining Agreement.”—Larry Coon, NBA salary cap expert and writer for ESPN.com
“The salary cap is a fixture in today’s pro sports. The Cap chronicles the story of how Larry Fleisher and David Stern—two men locked in a bitter NBA labor dispute—forged a partnership that shaped the future of pro basketball and other sports leagues for years to come. This lively and authoritative account of that battle fought decades ago is a must-read for any true sports junkie interested in sports history. It is all true. I know. I was there.”—Jim Quinn, union lawyer for the NBPA, NFLPA, NHLPA, and MLBPA and author of Don’t Be Afraid to Win: How Free Agency Changed the Business of Pro Sports
"This is a book about the business side of sports that will one that every sports fan should read."—Guy Who Reviews Sports Books