From the tough streets of Louisville's Smoketown to corporate success, former college hoops standout and American Basketball Association pro George Tinsley's life is a testament to resilience and opportunity.

In his inspiring new memoir "Catch as Catch Can: Building a Legacy by Finding Opportunity in Every Obstacle," Tinsley shares his journey from poverty in the racially divided South to three-time (1966, '68 & '69) NCAA champion (Division II Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers), ABA player (Washington Caps, Kentucky Colonels & The Floridians), and successful business owner.

After transitioning from basketball, Tinsley built a restaurant empire from humble corporate training beginnings at Kentucky Fried Chicken (including regular promotional work with founder Colonel Halrland Sanders himself), overcoming setbacks like a devastating fire. Beyond business, Tinsley reflects on family, faith, and personal loss, offering a powerful message of determination and the ability to turn obstacles into opportunities.

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-27-22 29730-799629RepFr.jpg (JPEG Image 249 × 350 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-20-23 gtcol.jpg (JPEG Image 848 × 625 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-16-44 (JPEG Image 225 × 225 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-18-43 Floridians 70-71 Home George Tinsley 2_small.jpg (JPEG Image 320 × 525 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-17-54 Colonels 67-68 Home Team.jpg (JPEG Image 479 × 383 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-17-12 Colonels 69 Head George tinsley 2.jpg (JPEG Image 354 × 464 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-17-44 Colonels 69-70 Home George Tinsley Rockets.jpg (JPEG Image 619 × 348 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-28-24 1971-72-George-Tinsley-Miami-Floridians.jpg (WEBP Image 350 × 350 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-08-10 at 09-33-25 images (JPEG Image 225 × 225 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-08-10 at 09-31-49 13882140-10154526662379729-67168173158044047-n_orig.jpg (JPEG Image 960 × 720 pixels) — Scaled (82_).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-19-07 Nets 72-73 Home George Tinsley Topps_small.jpg (JPEG Image 320 × 402 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-08-10 at 09-30-39 13934833-10154526672104729-4024835862329472871-n.jpg (JPEG Image 400 × 516 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-08-10 at 09-31-35 screenshot-2016-08-11-09-02-49_orig.png (PNG Image 1100 × 791 pixels) — Scaled (75_).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-19-38 73925821007-053124-ep-tinsley-news.jpg (WEBP Image 2526 × 1422 pixels) — Scaled (50%).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-18-10 Colonels 69 WArmup George tinsley.jpg (JPEG Image 481 × 689 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-19-19 Nets 72-73 Home George Tinsley Topps.jpg (JPEG Image 413 × 500 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-17-33 Kentucky Wesleyan 67-68 Road TEam.jpg (JPEG Image 730 × 604 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-20-58 george.jpg (JPEG Image 270 × 187 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-26-48 127501-8508577Fr.jpg (JPEG Image 216 × 350 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-21-23 ghows-LK-d455af9f-2746-43f9-a6bf-b3a64ba55341-78b2f9dc.jpeg (WEBP Image 401 × 600 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-26-04 5e9b7be823d90.image.jpg (JPEG Image 336 × 500 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-18-27 Floridians 71-72 Home George Tinsley Topps.jpg (JPEG Image 954 × 1200 pixels) — Scaled (59%).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-19-49 cb7218_20434ea8989648f7a5f12bb10f390c56~mv2_d_1555_2012_s_2.jpg (WEBP Image 446 × 710 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-23-49 1715004750376 (JPEG Image 800 × 1066 pixels) — Scaled (67%).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-18-52 Floridians 70-71 Home George Tinsley Topps 2 (2).jpg (JPEG Image 398 × 500 pixels).png

Screenshot 2024-09-15 at 22-22-36 george-tinsley-sr8217s-company-is-the-UQYM3CWHKII6TBKNIBWI6S7HAY.jpg (AVIF Image 900 × 506 pixels).png

Catch as Catch Can: Building a Legacy by Finding Opportunity in Every Obstacle - buy here

It's a return to the Nation's Capital this week as we take a romp through Washington, DC's surprisingly rich pro basketball history with Brett Abrams (The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC Basketball).

While today's astute District hoops fans know the current Washington Wizards were once known as the Bullets - the name under which the franchise won its one and only NBA title back in 1978, and from which it converted to its mystically less violence-connoted label in 1997 - lesser devotees of the team are aware of its previous home (Baltimore: 1963-73), let alone its origins as the NBA's first-ever expansion club in 1961, the Chicago Packers.

Of course, true Washington basketball connoisseurs know the city's relationship with the professional game runs far deeper - dating all the way back to the mid-1920s American Basketball League "Palace Five" - owned by future Washington NFL football owner George Preston Marshall.

And in between, a host of teams - all domiciled in the NE quadrant's history-drenched Washington Coliseum (née Uline Arena) - attempted to keep pro hoops in the local sports spotlight:

The Red Auerbach-coached Capitols (1946-51) of the NBA-antecedent Basketball Association of America;

The half-season-lasting Tapers of Abe Saperstein's not-much-longer-lasting "new" American Basketball League (1961); and
The exceedingly curious single season (1969-70) American Basketball Association "Caps" - the peripatetic franchise that began its life (along with the ABA's) in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, and ended as the regionally-oriented Virginia Squires until the league's demise in 1976.

Catch as Catch Can: Building a Legacy by Finding Opportunity in Every Obstacle - buy here

The Bullets, The Wizards, and Washington, DC Basketball - buy book here