Author and Missouri Sports Hall of Famer Michael Watson wrote a book about his old Amateur Athletic Union coach, Myron Piggie. In the 1990s, Piggie coached the Children’s Mercy Hospital 76ers, later called the Kansas City Rebels.

However, the former Kansas City coach may be better remembered for a national scandal in the 1990s nicknamed “pay for play.”

Before it was legal for collegiate athletes to accept payment, Piggie used money from a five-year consulting contract he won with Nike — worth $50,000 per year plus double that for athleticwear — to pay some of his players.

Watson lays out the entire tale in Myron Piggie: The Hustle(r) That Changed the Game.

The author and the former coach discuss Piggie’s life before and after the scandal, his early influence on the National Basketball Association careers of Earl Watson, Corey Maggette, and JaRon Rush, and how young, raw talent can benefit from a coach’s dedicated support.

Watson is a graduate of Central High School and the University of Missouri-Kansas City and played for the Boston Celtics. He worked as the athletic director of Kansas City Public Schools and is currently the executive director of a pair of non-profits working with families throughout the Kansas City Area.