Wayne Federman Talks About His Book "Pete Maravich," Gives No Credit to His Co-Author

Imus welcomed to the show this morning Wayne Federman, author of the book Pete Maravich: The Authorized Biography of Pistol Pete. More than just an author, Federman also bills himself as a comedian and an actor. He's appeared in numerous films, but in scenes he calls "Federman and out."

"You see me, I do a couple of lines, say something funny, and I'm gone," he said.

Now the head monologue writer at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Federman works alongside Jeremy Bronson, son of Imus's orthopedist Dr. Michael Bronson.

"I know Dr. Bronson very well because I used to drink vodka, do cocaine, and fall down," Imus said. "He'd have to fix it."

Asked who had written a particularly funny joke on last night's Jimmy Fallon, Federman was quick to give credit to Jeremy Bronson.

"It's extraordinary for a writer or a performer to give credit to somebody else," Imus observed. "You should have taken credit for that."

Federman will take credit for writing Pete Maravich, which he was inspired to do because "it was very simply the best sports story I had ever heard in my life."

Growing up in Clemson, South Carolina, Maravich spent his entire childhood alone in a gym running basketball drills for up to 12 hours a day. "Eventually he became the most skilled basketball player ever," Federman said.

Maravich played at LSU where his father was the coach, and averaged 44.2 points a game. But that was not the most amazing part of his game.

"The most amazing part," Federman said, getting excited. "Is he's like a Globetrotter in a real game. People are trying to stop this guy, but he can go behind his back, he can shoot with either hand, he makes hook shots from 30 feet out."

What Federman called the "childhood experiment" was panning out well for Maravich, until he went to play in the NBA. A fan favorite, Maravich was disliked by his fellow players and was generally an unhappy guy. He bounced around to a few teams, never won a championship, and retired from the Boston Celtics the year before they won one.

"He felt like his whole life was a waste," Federman said. "Like all those hours he spent in the gym trying to please his dad and trying to please fans were not worth it at all."

After retirement, Maravich adopted some Imus-like behaviors, such as alcoholism and vegetarianism. Still depressed, Maravich turned to Christianity and felt like the weight had been lifted, and some of his happiness was restored.

"Then, he plays a pickup game of basketball out in California," Federman said. "And drops dead at the age of 40."

An autopsy revealed that Maravich was born without a left coronary artery. "He never should have lived to the age of 20, let alone been allowed to play any sports at any time in his life," Federman said. "It was a medical miracle."

Pete Maravich is the first biography to be authorized by his family, because, Federman said, "His wife felt like her kids were old enough to hear the story."

Federman co-authored the book with a writer named Marshall Terrill, whom he neither mentioned nor credited throughout his entire conversation with Imus. The I-Man wondered whether it was Terrill or Federman who got to Maravich's widow.

"Actually," Federman said. "It was Jeremy Bronson."

-Julie Kanfer