Before the Mailman, before A.D. and even before the Golden Griff arrived in Utah, there was Big Z.
Zelmo Beaty was the biggest star on a team of, well, Stars.It was a different era, no doubt about it. The NBA was heading into its decline in the early 70s, at the end of the Russell-Chamberlain period and before the arrival of Magic-Bird-Jordan. The American Basketball Association showed up, 3-point shot and multi-colored basketball in tow, and rocked the NBA's world.
Though the older league sniffed at the ABA, fans adored its reckless abandon. It was run-and-gun hoops, with a dash of San Antonio red chili and tangy Memphis ribs. Basketball-mad cities like Louisville, Indianapolis and Salt Lake adored their teams. It was big-league sports in a college-town atmosphere.
"ABA players played for fun. There wasn't a lot of money, there weren't the fancy arenas, and we weren't on TV. We had to make it personal in order to get the fans out night after night," says Beaty. "But we had a lot more color. It was exciting because a lot of people looked at the league as different from the NBA. Maybe there weren't 26,000 people at the game, just six or seven thousand, but they really appreciated being there. They probably enjoyed it more than 26,000 sitting on their thumbs."
Beaty was a defector from the NBA, and one with a name. He was a two-time All-Star by the time the Utah Stars weighed in with a better offer. Though only 6-foot-8, he was one of the most respected post players in either league. Playing the New York Nets, you had to deal with the artistic flair of Dr. J. In Kentucky, it was the gigantic Artis Gilmore. Against San Antonio it was the Iceman, George Gervin.
But when you met Utah, you were face-to-face with the relentlessness of Big Z. Though small for a center, he averaged 11.6 rebounds and 19 points over four seasons with the Stars.
"I could always tell when he was upset," says former teammate Ron Boone, "because the opposing center would have a bloody nose. It wasn't dirty basketball, it was clean. But he'd turn and pop the guy with his elbow, then shoot."
Beaty, who now lives in Seattle, is in town for Saturday night's inaugural State of Utah Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies. Beaty and Adrian Dantley are the first two inductees in the "professional" category. Beaty holds down two jobs, teaching in the Seattle School District and running a financial services business.
Sixty years old and still outworking everyone around him.
In 1971, with Beaty leading the way, the Stars won the ABA title. He played in St. Louis and Atlanta of the NBA prior to Utah, and his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Though the stop in Utah was only a third of his overall career, it was the best part.
"I really think Salt Lake was my most enjoyable stop. It was there my kids realized what their dad did for a living. My kids were really happy in Salt Lake, we had good friends and no problems. When I was out of town I never worried about anything happening to them. My wife could pick up the phone and someone would be there."
Beaty, who retired in 1975, notes that the NBA of today is slower and less spontaneous than the game he played. After spending a career battling Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond and Gilmore, he's amused (appalled?) by the salaries of some of today's mediocre players.
"Nowadays," he says, "they brag about nine rebounds! I would have lost my job -- even at 6-foot-8 -- if I only got nine rebounds! That's what you're supposed to do when you're a center."
He has watched the parade of players -- Rony Seikaly, Derek Harper, LaPhonso Ellis, etc. -- passing up the chance to play in Utah, and laughed.
"I certainly do feel there is something wrong with a guy not wanting to play there," he says. "Yes, to play in Salt Lake you have to have a certain type of attitude and be a certain type of athlete. Salt Lake is a smaller city and people will get to know them, but when you do that, you find out it's a pretty genuine and enjoyable place to play basketball. We'll have the memories of when I played there for the rest of our lives."
And Utahns will do the same.