THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE ACCORDION??

Let me tell you about a man and his love of music. I know this is a blog about NBA players and the fella I am about to talk about was one of those, but he was also a musician. Tony Lavelli, don’t worry if you’ve never heard the name because neither had I until I started this blog, and ended up scouring the internet for completely and utterly wacky stories, instead I found him.

As the 1950s were shaping and the early years of the NBA were beginning to form, there were odd characters, to say the least. I’m not going to say that there were people on the level of Dennis Rodman or Darryl Dawkins but strange nevertheless. At this time the NBA was not the elite money- making organization that we see today. The league was just starting its roots and many players were not as worried about basketball as they were other things. Step in Tony Lavelli. Mr. Lavelli was a tremendous athlete when he was enrolled at Yale University. He was named to the All-American team three times with his final year being on the First Team. That same year he led the NCAA in scoring. His skill on the court gained him the honor of graduating Yale with the fourth-highest points scored in college (at that time). Even with his natural-born ability basketball was not his first love… that was music. Music was the reason he was at Yale, and basketball was a way to impress his friends. True story, during his teenage years Tony Lavelli often times found himself ridiculed by his peers. To impress them he took up basketball and boy he was impressive on the court. He developed an accurate hook shot that left defenses powerless to stop him. His love for music was still there and would not just disappear. Music became so important to him that he was not going to let basketball come between them. Lavelli almost forewent his opportunity to play in the NBA so he could continue a career in music. This guy is an idiot, right? Wrong. He was so clever that he worked out a contract with the Celtics. If he was to play for them he had to get a little something extra in return. Lavelli—with a little help from sports executive Leo Farris —proposed to join the team on the condition that they would pay him an extra $125 per game to play his accordion during half-time breaks at Boston’s home, Boston Garden, and certain visitors’ arenas. What a man is all I can add to that. During the early years of the NBA, the halftime shows that Lavelli played helped the Celtics and the league gain some prominence. Even some basketball historians credit these halftime shows as the key to holding the early age Celtics together. Fans absolutely loved and adored Lavelli’s halftime shows like they were the Superbowl performances of today. Wherever he went his accordion followed. Before games he would sit a play for fans that would greet him in front of the stadium or he would play in the locker room while everyone was getting dressed for the game ahead. It did not matter where this man would play. I credit that to the passion that music can bring all of us.

Lavelli only played two NBA seasons before embarking on a journey that followed his passion for music. The calling must have been too strong, but I can’t blame a guy for following his passion. He spent most of his life as a songwriter and he also performed at nightclubs in his spare time. Basketball did not just end there. During the 1950s Lavelli played for the College All-Stars. This team served as the opponents for the Harlem Globetrotters. And guess what? He still got to play his accordion at those halftime shows as well. So Mr. Lavelli you just gained a fan…me. I think it’s time to find some accordion music to listen to. Polka perhaps?

As always thank you for listening to me talk about a musician who just happened to be good enough to play professional basketball. Leave a comment of who your favorite musician is and maybe a playlist or two. See y’all next time, James