Anybody who could call themselves even the most casual basketball fan in the 70s, 80s, and 90s knows who Peter Vecsey is. He served his country as a Green Beret in the Army as a young man from Long Island who was working full-time at the Daily News when drafted. He is the brain trust behind one of the most recognizable hoops columns in newspaper history, “Hoop Du Jour,” which he wrote in the New York Post from 1976 thru 2012. He also was a mainstay on NBA On NBC and TBS during the 80s and 90s. I guess you could say that Peter Vecsey is the most interesting man in journalism.
There have been many criticisms and critiques of Vecsey’s style over the years as he made some of the game’s biggest stars the topic of conversation weekly, and it was usually for a good reason. However, there aren’t many basketball minds like his left in this world. He made reporting and writing about basketball a true art form, and with over 5 decades of knowledge and experience, Vecsey took the time to have a chat with Fadeaway World’s Nick Mac about it all in a 1-on-1 sit down.
The interview’s full transcript is below.
Interview With Peter Vecsey
The interview started out as any other with smiles and introductions. Mr. Vecsey noticed I had worn my late brother’s Pistol Pete Maravich jersey, which he had commented on when I posted it on Twitter a couple of weeks ago.
Peter Vecsey: “I see you got your Pistol jersey on, should I go grab mine?”
Nick Mac: “That would be amazing Peter, what better way to honor Pistol than that?”
After a very brief recess, Peter returns donning one of Maravich’s Eastern Conference All-Star jerseys.
Peter Vecsey: “You know I could have asked for anything from him over the years. We were pretty good friends. I could have asked for shoes, a warmup, or a jersey but I never did.”
Nick Mac: “Wow. You were that tight with Maravich?”
Peter Vecsey: “Are you kidding me? He used to call me Pistol! I don’t know if you know this but I played in the last organized game of basketball that he ever played. We shared the same backcourt. I came off the bench and Oscar Robertson started. Maravich won the MVP of the game that was played at Kutsher’s and I’ll never forget that he hit me with a behind-the-back pass on a fast break which I converted”
Nick Mac: “Of course he did”
Peter Vecsey: “Yeah. Then after the game, he told me “Don’t tell me I never gave you anything”
Nick Mac: “Hahahaha, I would have loved to have been there”
Peter Vecsey: “Yeah he was a great guy, we both didn’t like the same people so we got along well”
Nick Mac: “Switching gears a little bit. Something unprecedented happened in the sports world the other night with Damar Hamlin collapsing during Monday Night Football and the game being stopped and suspended almost immediately. Can you think of a time that this occurred on the court other than Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis at practice?”
Peter Vecsey: “No. I cannot remember a time that the game was stopped and suspended after somebody went down like that. They did the right thing by stopping the game because it scared the crap out of everybody. I pray for that young man and his family. The only time I can remember being somewhere with something like that happening is at an ABA game at Nassau Coliseum with a referee. He passed away in the locker room”
Nick Mac: “Incredible. I, too, send my thoughts and prayers to Damar, his family, and the Bills. To see something like that unfold on live television was unbelievable. Now, speaking of the ABA and switching to less somber news, why do you think that the NBA has seemingly gone out of its way to erase or move away from the history of the ABA?”
Peter Vecsey: “ I do not think it is a concerted effort from the NBA. They certainly haven’t done anything to enhance history as far as statistics go. I mean Major League Baseball has done its part by now counting the stats from the Negro Leagues. Are you kidding me? They don’t think the points, rebounds, assists, and 3-pointers from the ABA are worth anything? It’s infuriating. Guys like Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Rick Barry, all of their numbers would increase and by a lot.”
Nick Mac: “I have to say it bothers me that people in my circle look at me sideways when I mention guys like Mel Daniels and Artis Gilmore”
Peter Vecsey: “It bothers me too. One of my biggest gripes with the Hall Of Fame is I am in it, supposedly, and when Mel Daniels asked me to present him into the Hall Of Fame, Jerry Colangelo said no because I was in the Media Wing of the Hall. After that, I put the plaque they gave me up for auction. It really pissed me off.”
Nick Mac: “I can certainly understand why. Let’s talk about your career for a bit. Growing up, I had my Big 4 which was you, Bob Ryan, Sam Smith, and Mike Lupica. These were the guys I read more than any other. Did you have guys that you followed closely like that growing up and breaking into the business?”
Peter Vecsey: “Growing up I had many guys I would read. My father was a journalist and an editor who worked two jobs to provide for us when we were kids. I read Dick Young who was with the Daily News, Jimmy Powers, and Leonard Koppett. Many guys that I looked up to in that regard.”
Nick Mac: “Now, you attended one of the more famous high schools on Long Island, Archbishop Molloy. How was that growing up?”
Peter Vecsey: “I was a member of the first-ever class at Molloy. I have the yearbook in this room somewhere from 1958. Molloy has a lot of traditions. You mentioned Kenny Anderson who held his camps there after his career was over. There was Kenny Smith, Kevin Joyce, Brian Winters, who became an NBA Head Coach, and even more recently, Cole Anthony. Coach Lou Carnesecca got his start there before taking the top recruit from my class and heading to St. John’s.”
Nick Mac: “I would also like to speak about your Rucker Park days. You coached teams that won championships at Rucker Park. I don’t think that many understand the magnitude of and the energy that came from Rucker Park during their heyday in the 70s and 80s. Can you talk about that a bit more?”
Peter Vecsey: “I do think that people have caught on to the aura of the Rucker. Those were some of the best times of my life coaching teams there. I had Julius Erving right out of UMass, Billy Paultz, Mike Riordan, Charlie Scott, and a few others. But we were going up against the likes of Tiny Archibald and other guys who were established pros. I also played on the team. We were beaten the first year I was up there but we came back and beat them the following year. These guys were running practices though. I mean, practice for the Rucker are you kidding me? We were lucky if we showed up on time.”
Nick Mac: “Well Peter, I only have one more question from the fans here of Fadeaway World.”
Peter Vecsey: “Let’s do it.”
Nick Mac: “Well, the first is, say your back coaching and you have to field a team to save your life. What is Peter Vescey’s all-time starting five?”
Peter Vecsey: “Well, I’ll say this first. I need guys who are coachable and skilled. They need to be both, it’s not gonna be just 5 superstars. Let me start with Julius (Erving) as you probably suspected. Then, let’s see, I have to go with Bird. Then, I am a Wilt fanatic so he’s going to be there for sure. I want to say Joker (Nikola Jokic) too, he is just incredible, and the last one I need a guard so I have to go with Stephen Curry.”
Nick Mac: “Wow, a couple of modern-day players from you is not what I expected”
Peter Vecsey: “Oh man, if I know a Curry game is on, I am finding the television to watch. He is incredible and to see the shooting, just shooting, get the attention it does because of him is unbelievable. The only problem is, at every level, everyone thinks they can shoot like him. There is only one Stephen Curry. Same with Jokic. He is an unbelievable player that I enjoy watching as often as possible.”
Nick Mac: “Peter, I want to thank you from one journalist to another and as an avid reader of yours over the years, for joining us today and spending some time with me.”
Peter Vecsey: “Thank you for having me and I wish you all the continued success possible.”
Peter Vecsey: Journalism’s Most Interesting Man
Growing up, the “Hoop du Jour” column written by Peter Vecsey was like The Bible in our home. We rushed to grab the New York Post multiple times per week to see who Peter’s next target was or what quirky nickname he came up with for the next big star or bust. Sitting down with him for close to 45 minutes gave us a deeper look into the mind of one of the more well-known journalists to ever put pen to paper.
The thing about Peter Vecsey that is to be admired is the way he did things throughout his career and life. He asked the tough questions and got the tough answers. He wasn’t liked by everybody but that doesn’t faze him much. The relationships he has built through his career are with some of the biggest names in basketball history. It wasn’t about being liked, it was about respect. Whether you admired him as I did growing up or feared to see your name in the next edition of Hoop du Jour, respect was all that is left at the end of the day for Peter Vecsey. He did it his way and it earned him one of the greatest careers that NBA journalism has ever seen.
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