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Ed O'Bannon: NCAA Champion, NCAA Foe

Ed O'Bannon's "Court Justice"
Ed O'Bannon's "Court Justice"

Ed O’Bannon had the kind of basketball career most of us can only dream about: national championship at UCLA, college player of the year, TV appearances and celebrity, NBA draft lottery pick, lucrative career in Europe. But it’s likely O’Bannon’s biggest contribution to the sport will wind up being what happened years after his last game.

After a chance encounter with a video game that used his likeness to an uncanny degree without his permission or any compensation, O’Bannon became the lead plaintiff in a long-running legal saga against the NCAA. O’Bannon recounts the ups and downs of that case and his career in a new memoir, "Court Justice: The Inside Story of My Battle Against the NCAA."

A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in late 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and various newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.
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