Knight Time
Mark Heisler and Steve Delsohn, who wrote Bob Knight: The Unauthorized Biography, talk about their book, Bob Knight, and basketball.
Columnist Mark Heisler covers the NBA for the Los Angeles Times. Steve Delsohn is a correspondent for ESPN. Both live in California and together penned Bob Knight: The Unauthorized Biography.
texasmonthly.com: Which aspect of Bob Knight’s life and career most inspired you to further explore and chronicle his life?
Mark Heisler: There’s no doubt that the different parts, you know the fact that he’s got a temper and gets in trouble a lot, certainly sets him apart from the crowd. But I’ve been around the guy enough to know he is just a truly fascinating guy, a charismatic guy, as smart as anything, and as anybody will attest, anybody who follows basketball knows he is just a tremendous coach—probably more so than most people even understand, because one of his problems is, or was at Indiana, he began doing it with lesser players, and almost seemed to prefer it that way. They’re gonna be nicer, you know they would do exactly what he said. He could make his lesser players the equal of other peoples’ greatest players. And he’s just fascinating, the whole package. You don’t see it every day.
Steve Delsohn: It’s a combination of excellence and borderline madness in a guy whose behavior is extreme, and whose success is also extreme. There seems to be no neutral ground with Knight and that’s really why he’s such a fascinating character.
texasmonthly.com: In your opinion, why did Coach Gerald Myers of Texas Tech go out of his way to secure the head coaching position for Knight after he was fired from Indiana University and criticized so harshly?
MH: Well, even with the baggage, Knight is a tremendous coup for a school like Texas Tech, which would’ve been way down the food chain if Knight hadn’t been in trouble, out of work. Sports is a very competitive thing and your troubles in one area don’t necessarily mean very much in another.
SD: Well, of course, there was the new and expensive arena, with the meager attendance history, so you know they wanted to fill the place. Knight is a proven moneymaker. Also, there was an old friendship there that went back years. When Myers looked at Knight, he saw someone who could resurrect the program, and when Knight looked back at Myers, he saw someone who would grant him autonomy with his team, which has always been a big thing for Bob Knight.
texasmonthly.com: Do you think that Texans, more than most Americans, sympathize with and encourage Knight?
MH: I’m a person who believes that people are more alike than common lore would lead you to believe, so I think that anybody would’ve been happy for Knight to come in and take over his basketball team. I guess there’s something to say in Texas for self-reliance, and his wife certainly believed that the Southwest would be a good place for him. If he wins, people are going to like him, and if he pulls the same stuff as the past couple of years at Indiana, he’ll get in trouble there the same way he did at Indiana. I think the same standards really do apply.
SD: No, the bottom line is always gonna be the same. As long as Knight wins at Tech the university will stand behind him. If he starts to lose, he’ll be held more accountable for his actions. Maybe Texans are more tolerant of his temper than others; I don’t really know, but I think the same thing would happen anywhere, really. You win, it’s all good, start to lose, and people will question your actions, ask what’s going on.
texasmonthly.com: Your book has been critically lauded for the extensive inclusion of sources, both lovers and loathers of Knight, many who had never previously gone on record. Of all of your interviewees, who do you think provided the most valuable insights into Knight’s life and career?
MH: First of all, Steve Delsohn did most of the reporting on this. When I saw what he had I was amazed because I didn’t know there would be that much lying around waiting to be gathered on Knight. A lot of his players were great. One guy who was especially good was Christopher Simpson, who was the VP of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Indiana. He gave us a lot of insight into the backstage action that was going on in the months leading up to Knight’s dismissal, because he was [former Indiana University president] Myles Brand’s right-hand man but also close friends with Knight. He knows both sides, quite directly, although Knight later acted like they had never been friendly in any way. There was a long list of players—Pat Graham, Todd Leary, Steve Risley, Isiah Thomas. Andre Emmett, who was the big star for Texas Tech when Knight was there, had a lot to say and was very straight about it, unbiased.
SD: That’s hard. See, a lot of different people brought different insights. One interview that stands out is Steve Risley, who played at IU in the early eighties, and his detailed account of how Knight used the word “nigger” while reaming out Isiah Thomas, a star player. You know there was tons of controversy surrounding the incident, and Knight fervently denied it, but Risley remembered everything vividly; he’d been sitting on it all these years. He was just a real straight shooter in the interview.
texasmonthly.com: Do you think that getting fired from IU in 2000 resulted in any discernible change of behavior in Knight? Why or why not?
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