Basketball Books

Great for anyone who loves basketball or interested in Indiana history. Easy for anyone to read, yet remains engaging.

This is an enjoyable read that focuses on the positive attributes of high school basketball. It is not an expose like Friday Night Lights or even Fall River Dreams, but that is fine. It is a book that makes me long for the good old days of the single class tourney of Hoosiers fame.

I am a Hoosier from Anderson Indiana and I really enjoyed the book,it captured the flavor of Indiana non-class basketball. The glow of what might be was forever taken from the game when class basketball was brought into play. I attended a small school and I remember the hope of this might be the year when tourney time rolled around. I was working in the food service at Anderson High School during the 96-97 season and Mr. Gildea captured the spirit of the coach and players of that year. This book is a good read for those outsiders who cannot understand the importance of basketball in Indiana.

A year in the life of a number of teams from all over the state of Indiana. This book profiles the last year of one class basketball--"as it should be."

Who will win Mr. Basketball--The best player in the state or the one with the best publicity machine? Does race matter?

While the writing style is easy to read, it's almost like reading newspaper accounts and this is the only thing keeping this book from 5 stars.

This book reminds me of listening to 1190 AM WOWO and the crazy call in shows where scores are reported from all over the state with brief summaries. You hit all the big games for the top stars for the year. And of course there still lives the dream of the small school David conquering the Goliath of New Castle Chrysler etc...

Truly a three point basket!

From the moment this book tips off to the ring of the final buzzer this is a great read.

Gildea takes us on the court, in the locker room, and most importantly into the lives of young men who live for basketball in a state where basketball is sacred. Indiana is the perfect setting for this tale of one season and there is the dramatic aspect that this will be the last season where a "true" statewide high school basketball champion will be crowned because of the demise of the historical tournament format.

Not just for sports junkies! The author skillfully weaves these elements together into a compelling story that will make for a quick read for any fan of this type of book.

Robert Cherry takes anecdotes from famous and regular people whose lives' intertwined with Wilt Chamberlain, and mixes them in with his narrative summary of the legend's life and statistics to form a biography that entertains while never sensationalizing. Anyone interested in the NBA or college basketball is going to find this book to be a captivating read.

Highly recommended, but be aware that the one thing the book lacks is a statistical record of Wilt's collegiate and NBA career.

Wilt Chamberlain once said "Nobody loves Goliath. I'm here to say that after reading "Wilt, Larger than Life" I refute that. The book gave an indepth look at not only Wilt the basketball icon, but Wilt the person. It explored relationships he established outside of basketball and how he maintained those frendships until his untimely death. After reading the book I also had more appreciation for Wilt the basketball player. I feel that not only was he one of the greatest players of all time, but he met and exceeded all of the expectations that were placed on him when he very well could and was in some cases viewed as a freak of nature.

At the risk of sounding redundant. This book was great and gives a lot of insight into a very fascinating individual. Personally I could have done with less information on what exactly happened in the quarters of key basketball games and more on the other things that Wilt did throughout his life. However this was still a good purchase, worthwhile read, and I am very greatful for the author to have taken the time and effort to write this book.

Great book. I loved every page except page 155. That Bob Kashey character can't be real. I know a Bob Kashey that hangs out at Chile's in Lake Mary, Florida and this can't be him although he keeps insisting it is. In any case, it is a great book, well worth the investment.

This is the third consecutive book I've read that is badly in need of some editing. Let's start with the front cover, which displays the following quote from sportswriter Dick Schaap: "The definitive biography . . ." Really? The book's copyright date is 2004 . . . Dick Schaap DIED in December of 2001.

Regarding Chamberlain's athleticism and interest in track and field, the last sentence of page 61 reads, "He certainly had the requisite speed, stamina and strength to become an Olympian, maybe even a medalist". Fair enough. But then, the opening line to the next paragraph starts, "Because one can't speculate on what he might have accomplished in track and field . . ." Hello? Rewrite!!!

Add to that the annoyingly endless use of parenthetical phrases to embellish sentences that need no embellishing, and this book can be hard to read. There are so many examples of this, that it's impossible to realize just how annoying it is without actually reading the book. Figure on a mininum of one per paragraph, and as many as three in one sentence.

The saving grace of this book is the subject. Wilt Chamberlain was without question one of the most interesting and accomplished of America's 20th century athletes. For me, greatness in athletics is about winning, which is why I'll always choose Bill Russell and Jack Nicklaus as the greatest of the century. But for statistical accomplishment, only Wayne Gretzky and perhaps Jim Brown can compare to Wilt. And as physical specimens go, Jim Brown is probably the only team sport player whose speed, strength and endurance match up to Wilt's. The other measure, and the one that probably puts Wilt up on his highest pedestal, is the somewhat nebulous "impact on the game". Bobby Orr in hockey and Lawrence Taylor in football are the only other athletes I can think of who are even in the shadows of what Wilt did for basketball. This was truly a remarkable athlete and an interesting man off the field as well. Although I wouldn't give this book a strong recommendation to the casual sports fan, if you are looking for an in depth biography about a great basketball player and a pretty good overview of basketball in the 50's and 60's, this is not the worst place to wind up. But I'd look elsewhere first.

Skip whining about where your team ranks, nobody gives you the straight dope any better than these guys. If you want to learn more about the talent on each team, and the backstory on what's been going on with recruiting, coaching, who's going to play and why, you're gonna want this book.

Preseason magazines are a waste of the serious fan's time. Due to space limitations, magazines rarely give more than one page of analysis to any team. Due to editorial dullness that runs to the pandemic, even more rare is the magazine that provides insightful analysis. In the usual case, a team's profile reads as if has been culled from press releases, and coaches' spin is reported as news. Serious fans have long since given up on magazines, or turn to them only for want of something better. Blue Ribbon is for them. All 115 Division I-A teams are profiled, with each profile running several pages, analyzing schedule strength, the coaching staff, and every position. This book contains everything there is to be known about every major program. Its 384 pages work out to about a nickle per. It's the best bargain in football publishing, college or pro. Everything else is a waste of time.

I don't even bother with the preseason magazine forecasts anymore. Blue Ribbon Football Yearbook is more accurate and detailed. I've been a fan of Blue Ribbon Basketball for years. Now BR Football has me hooked, too.

As a scout for an NFL team, I can tell you we use Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook everyday. Blue Ribbon gives you everything you need to know and a little bit more.

I totally disagree with the person who thinks this book is wrong. You can't believe pre-season polls, on any given day any team can win or lose. If you are looking for the most informative book about Division 1-A football, this is it. It is packed with the all the information a football fan needs, it details the coaching staff, quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, the offensive and defensive lines, backs, special teams, and the teams recruiting. Blue Ribbon devotes more space to each team than any other publication I have ever bought. And, I have bought them all.

Asheley is so organized but Mary-Kate is the opposite!I mean more, as in OPPOSITE![: If you start with this mystery, you will want the rest of the series,which is called "The Adventures Of Mary-Kate And Ashley. It's such a great series!! You! Read it if you are done reading all your series and you need a new series--just READ!!!!!!

Mary-Kate and Ashley's books are so boring! I have to make an effort to read most of their books. They are hard to read, and take me about a week to read, which is unusual for me since I am an avid reader who gobbles up 100 pages (12 font), pretty quickly! I encourage you not to buy their stuff. They are way rich, and I think are getting carried away with all of their different books. They have way too many BORING products to keep up with.

This is a great book. ( Just so you know it don't have any pictures.) Mary Kate and Ashely joined the Mustangs, a basketball team, and the team was doing great. But then someone took their jeryseys, and mixed up their sign. You have to try to find out who did it. This book also comes with two detective tricks to help you be more like a detective.

I COULD NOT TAKE MY EYES AWAY FROM THIS BOOK . THE BOOKS FOR MARY-KATE ASHILY AND SPORTS FANS..................... MABE EVERYBODY.

This book was full of mystery. It's truly a mystery book. The clues are puzziling. It's facinating. I could not put this book down it was so great. I think you should buy this book!!!!!!!!!!!!

well written and oftentimes riveting account of an undersized punk trying to get his...and does. very illuminating spotlight on the sneaker companies, their camps and the exploitation of talented black youths. If you like basketball, this is a must read.

I read this book in one day so that should tell you something. It read quickly and wasn't too boring. Unfortunately it wasn't too exciting either. As a college and professional basketball fan, I enjoyed learning more about what goes on behind the scenes. I learned a lot about how competitive high school basketball is and how crazy recruiting works. I found Sebastian to be a fairly likable guy, but found his family somewhat greedy and money-hungry. I borrowed this book from my local library and wouldn't recommend anyone to pay money for it unless they are related to the author or a member of Sebastian's family. If I owned this book, I likely would NEVER pick it up again, much less read it.

The book puts you behind the scenes in Bassy Telfair's last year in high school. Great writing! The author keeps it moving, gets out of the way of the story (unlike Adrian Wojnarowski's St Anthony's book), and makes you feel like you're there. I understood more about this scene from this book that any other. A couple of minor frustrations: 1. He jumps around a little in time without explcitly saying what year he's talking about; and 2. After mentioning that Telfair repeated 4th grade, he doesn't remind us that he's a year older than his grade would suggest even though that's probably important for some stories.

At some points it seems like the author wants us to see the folly of making a big deal out of kids' basketball, but here he is writing a book and making money off of it. All in all, though, O'Connor doesn't preach, he just tells the story and lets us decide what to think about it. One of the best-written basketball books I've read.

"The Jump" is Ian O'Connor's excellent behind-the-scenes account of Sebastian Telfair's leap from New York City high school ball to the NBA. I recall that when Telfair arrived on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a generously-listed 6-foot guard from Lincoln High in Coney Island, he (as opposed to media phenom LeBron James the year before) seemed to explode into national prominence out of nowhere. O'Connor's book shows you that the author and other savvy talent spotters had tabbed Telfair as a potential NBA lottery pick 12 months or more in advance (indeed, O'Connor shows that people were annointing "Bassy" as NBA-grade as far back as fourth grade).

You've really got to hand it to O'Connor for having the prescience as a journalist to start following the kid, then watch his subject lead his team to third straight NYC title, land on the SI cover, sign a mega-deal with Adidas and become the first small high-school guard to be tabbed in the draft a lottery pick (Portland Trailblazers at #13).

All in all, a great read about the hidden (and rather seamy) side of the many, many hands in the circle trying to position and push an 18-year-old kid into the NBA. Through it all, Telfair comes out looking and sounding like a pretty good kid. From the tone of the book, it sounds like O'Connor would attest to that conclusion. It's amazing that with a veritable maelstrom around him all year, Telfair basically blocked out most of it and played some really fine ball in all-star settings, thereby sealing the lottery deal.

One can't help read this book and wonder how two recent events are going to forever change the the type of scenes O'Connor describes in 'The Jump'": David Stern's decision to increase the minimum draft age to 19; and Adidas' decision to buy Reebok (O'Connor demonstrates that the escalating "sneaker wars" are in large part driven by the fierce three-headed competition between Reebok, Adidas and Nike.).

Sebastian Telfair was born into a poor family that lived in a bad neighborhood filled with violence and drugs in Brooklyn, New York. His dad was in and out of jail throughout his life and his mother struggled to work. The only provider he truly had was his older brother, an athlete who failed to make it to the next level, who failed to bring in the wealth like his now famous cousin Stephon Marbury did just a few years before. With Sebastian being one of the last children growing up in the Telfair family he was made into the last hope at a luxurious lifestyle.
Sebastian Telfair had always avoided the dangers of his neighborhood. Instead of being up to no good like some of his peers, he just played basketball all day long. Eventually Telfair became skilled in the sport like no other his age. In fact, as a 10-year-old he was actually ranked the best 4th grader in America Throughout his teen years he continued to persevere in his basketball dreams by winning numerous basketball tournaments and then excelling at Lincoln High School. After his four year run there, he came to an important decision in his life. Should he go to college or straight to the NBA? At first he said he would attend Louisville but the money was just too tempting and Telfair went straight to the NBA as the 13th pick by the Portland Trailblazers. As a rookie Telfair struggled; many of his critics claimed he should have gone to college to become more polished. Now he's getting prepared for his sophomore season hoping to make more of an impact.
The Jump was very descriptively written. Almost everything talked about in the book had some kind of background information included with it so that the reader would never be unaware of something. The story of Sebastian Telfair's life has its share of drama, so naturally his biography will too. From his past coaches trying to follow him to glory, to people trying to pressure him into life changing decisions, just about every page was filled with dramatic situations. Another factor that made me enjoy this book was all of the detailed basketball action that made it seem as though I was actually watching the game. For readers of all kinds, especially sports fans, this book will be a very appealing.

O'Connor did a great job of implementing detail into this biography. Not only did he elaborate extensively on Sebastian Telfair's background, but he did the same for almost every other person Telfair knew or encountered. For example, when writing about Sebastian as a junior high student playing for the Juice All-Stars of Brooklyn he described the coach, Ziggy Scaginano, and his past fully. A reader can really tell that O'Connor has done his research by all the information provided.
Probably the most interesting part of the book was all of the drama. The story of Sebastian Telfair's life written in The Jump seems perfect for a day- time soap opera. His dad and his brother were constantly having run-ins with the law while his mother had to stay home to care for all of the children. Telfair's cousin Stephon Marbury, who lived almost next door in their Coney Island apartment complex, made it to the NBA, taking his family with him, while leaving the Telfair's to remain in the projects. Sebastian's brother, Sylvester, had a great college basketball career, but when draft day came he and the rest of the Telfair's were left severely disappointed as not one team felt they needed him. Then when it comes time for Sebastian to make the most important decision in his life, everyone, including people he's not familiar with, tries to tell him what to do. There are so many different storylines involved that the reader can't possibly put the book down without hesitation.
Another part of the book, which will be mostly appreciated by basketball fanatics, is the amount of description during parts where basketball is played. In fact, O'Connor uses this to draw the reader's attention at the very beginning of the book when writing about Sebastian Telfair playing a championship tournament game at Rucker Park. The reason why these parts of the book succeed so much in catching the reader's attention is because of the elaboration put into them. The author describes the actions of the players and emotions of the crowd so well it makes you feel as if you were actually watching the game instead of reading about it.

The drama and basketball action complemented each other well in providing an entertaining book; while the detail made sure that the reader could fully understand and indulge in it. To a sports fan The Jump is a must-read book because of all the basketball action and related storylines. To the casual reader The Jump is an interesting book to pick up because of its descriptive and detailed writing, along with its addicting drama.

-C. Duncan

I always enjoy reading Books on Larry Bird.He is truly one of the Greatest Basketball Players that I have ever seen play.His Mind for Play&detail is showcased rather well here.

Kevin VanSickle W131 "Book Review" Larry Legend is an interesting book about a boy who fell in love with the game of basketball and developed his own self-discipline as he became an adult. Larry Bird's success and consistent team management are his legendary qualities, according to author Shaw. Mark Shaw writes about Larry's roughneck childhood, what led to his triumphs in his high school basketball days, and through his professional career as a player, then a coach. Larry seemed to have gained confidence and self-esteem at a young age and by keeping those positive aspects he became an intimidator and motivator for many. This book will intoxicate your interest if you want to hear about the Legend's journey to the top. In Larry Legend, Mr. Shaw explains how the Legend himself was a role model, not only for young players, but also, his teammates and coaches around the league.

It was pretty indepth, and is a nice overview of his life from the time he was a legend in Indiana to coming full circle by coaching there. It also mentions his daughter, who has a distant relationship with his father. If you're a Bird fan, even if you're not, but you enjoy reading about basketball, this is worth the price. It paints a very balanced portrait of Bird. I like the fact that it isn't slanted one way or the other. It portrays the good and the bad. I'm a Bird fan, but I like objective journalism, which this seems to be. No schlock hero worship journalism here, nor is there any railing against him. Even though I like Bird, I will not condone his actions if they are perceived as wrong or controversial.

as if it weren't popular enough, the author of this book is the step-father of Kent Harvey. The boy Knight (Coach Knight) grabbed and was the spark that lit the flame of his being fired as IU Coach.

Larry Legend covers the whole Bird story. Author Shaw has a knack for revealing the little things about Bird that intrigued me. I think this is a must book for any Larry fan.

Of all the books on sports that I've read---well over 100 during the last 25 years---this is far and away the best. It was a Fathers Day present to me, and it was the perfect gift. It is written in a lively, readable style, and truly explains the magnetic pull that these three sports have on their fans. Whether you're a fan, or a sports widow or widower, this is the book to read in order to understand why hundreds of millions of us are so drawn to baseball, football and basketball. It is also extremely perceptive about soccer and hockey. A great gift, and a great pleasure to read and admire. I highly recommend it.

Having read and enjoyed Michael Mandelbaum's THE CASE FOR GOLIATH, now that summer is here, I decided to give myself a treat and read his book on sports. This is a book of amazing insight, written as clearly, and in as readable a prose style as his other books. He discusses America's love of its three major sports---baseball, football and basketball---and vividly describes how each sport represents a particular era and qualities we, as Americans, admire. It is endlessly fascinating. I cannot recommend it more highly. It is a pure pleasure to read.

This is a brilliant book. I recommend it wholeheartedly to any sports fan, as well as to anyone who isn't a fan. It is a pleasure to read and you'll learn a lot about the culture of the United States, about human nature and about why people love sports. Beautifully written, as well. A great mind applied to a great topic.

This is a great book, clearly written, with extraordinary insight into why sports fans are sports fans. You will understand yourself better, if you are a fan, and you will understand the fans in your life better, if you're not a fan.
This brilliant international affairs specialist turns out to be a huge fan, and not only a fan, but also a profound analyst into what we see in sports and in sports heroes. I recommend this uniquely perceptive book to all readers. It is a wonderful read.

Mandelbaum's work teaches us all.
Michael Mandelbaum's The Meaning of Sports lived up to all of the expectations I had for it. It captured my attention with facts about my minds blurred past of sports. The way he breaks down each mjor individual sport and relates them to the major periods and times of our world was intriging. I would suggest this book to any non sports fan who cannot see why the rest of us are in love with these great games and memorable moments because you will learn a lot. Also, I would reccomend this book to every sports fan becuase no matter how knowledgeable you are about each and every sport, you too will learn something and will also walk away with a better appreciation and love for these games.

As I saw in other reviews, the book doesn't always flow within chapters and there are some grammatical errors. However, if you have ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of big-time college basketball programs, this book is a must. The following of each team through their season took a back seat for me. What stood out was how coaches had to stay on top of their game, their players, their team, and their program on a daily basis. After reading this book you will have a much better understanding, and respect, for what coaches go through from year to year. You really get the sense that you are there, in the locker room, and you feel like the coaches are your next door neighbors. I definitely recommend this book to coaches, hoops fans, and sports fans in general.

I must be getting old...all the guys who were playing basketball when I was in college are now coaches! I was a college classmate of one of the coaches profiled in this book, so from that perspective I found it interesting, but not terribly well-written. This is really two books in one. First, Curtis profiles the "inside stories" of the coaches and teams at Iowa, Illinois, Notre Dame, and UCLA. But then, he drops in all sorts of little essays on the state of the college game today: how recruiting works, how coaches really make all their money, how influential Dick Vitale is, how the coaches network among themselves to recommend each other for jobs. Each of these could have been a decent book; both together is just a little too much. There also were a number of spelling errors and a few factual errors.

Some very interesting material told in mundane & uninspiring fashion. Either he had his facts wrong or there was sloppy editting on some occasions. Some of the sidebar explanations of refereeing and recruiting covered ground that has been covered by a variety of authors in much better fashion. We learned about the four coaches, but there was never a real emotional attachment for the most part. College hoops junkies will like it, but as another reviewer mentioned, I would definitely recommend John Feinstein's a "Season Inside", "A March to Madness" and "The Last Amateurs". Perhaps the first for insight into Alford, but I would recommend the last two the most . Especially in "The Last Amateurs" I believe that a reader will gain much more emotional attachment to the players & coaches.

If this book caused a reader to break up with a girlfriend... the girlfriend may be better off!

potential due to poor execution.

This is a great topic to cover but alas John Feinstein has already done this with a "Season Inside", "A March to Madness" and "The Last Amateurs" and done it a lot better.

Curtis never really dug deep into his subjects or explored the "Why" or the "If". He stuck more to the "What" and even then seemed to be off on several facts........P>All in all......a disappointing read.

This was a really terrific read. The anecdotes about players, coaches, recruiters, officials, and sports reporters are all interesting and some really funny. It's a pretty big book but it reads very fast. The politics of college basketball, from race conflicts, to academics, to the often nasty seduction of recruits, opened my eyes in a big way to these issues that usually get only brief treatment from the media. The coaches that the author followed are pretty stunning characters. I had no idea of the extent of their day-to-day obligations, or their perks. I strongly recommend this book for anybody with even a causual interest in sports. What'll stick with me most for a long time are incredible individual and group moments of pain, and victory, and laugh-out-loud humor. Definitely a good book.

Wow! I loved this book. Normally I don't read books in two days but this one I couln't put down. This book does have basketball in it but you don't have to be a die hard sports fan to understand this book. You don't even have to know anything about sports to understand it. I recommend this book to anyone who has time or doesn't have time. It's not a very long book and it's a quick read.

This was a suspensful book. The protagonist was Corey, and the antagonist was Noah. During this book the basketball team has high hopes for all state. It goes through the book with many problems and solutions. In the end someone close to Corey is near death.This was a great book.

This book was really awesome. It was hard to put it down. I really enjoyed it. It was kind of confusing in the beginning. I wish there was a second book.

I can't help but wonder as I read the other reviews if I read the same book as everyone else. I originally picked up this book because I teach 7/8th grade English and thought it might be something for my students who are into sports. What I found was an overly simplistic "mystery" with predictable twists and a couple of sexual references thrown in here and there. Normally I agree with the ALA on their picks for reluctant readers, but I think they missed on this one.

Players Book Review
Players written by Joyce Sweeney, is an awesome book to read for all ages. Sweeney uses the innocence of a high school basketball team to show how one person's evil can destroy many lives if that person is not stopped. The themes of deceit, mistrust, and extreme competitiveness are recurrent throughout the novel.
Many high school players want to be the best in their sport. They always want the spotlight to be on them. In Players, one of the main characters, Noah, is way too competitive. For example, Noah goes to great lengths to get a couple people off of his new basketball team just so he could have a starting position at his new school. The quote "You found out he was [gay]" (186) was said by Corey, another member of the team. Noah found out one of the starters on the team was gay so he blackmailed him. He told him if he didn't quit the team that he would tell everyone. In addition, Noah plants a gun in Luke's locker so Luke would get suspended and he could have the starting center spot on the team. Noah has a chronic lying disorder that is caused by his competitive nature. This eventually catches up to him. If Corey had just sat back and not done anything to stop this madman, Noah would have gotten away with this and ruined many lives. It is good to want the spotlight and to want to be the best, but tearing others down to build yourself up is never the right thing to do.
During the time Noah is running around making everyone's life miserable, he is actually really nice to the people he is using. For example, Noah secretly becomes good friends with Corey's sister on the internet. He tricks "Renee" into thinking he is some goth freak which Renee happens to like. At the end of the novel Noah uses this trust he has with Renee to kidnap her and almost kill her. This causes her to have to go through therapy because of her "too trustful" attitude. It is a nice gesture to be nice to someone you don't know, but trusting them before you really know them can be a bad decision. In addition, Corey is also tricked by Noah. Noah gives Corey some pills before there first basketball game to give to Luke. Luke's neck is hurting. Corey, not even knowing Noah at the time, gives Luke the pills and thinks nothing of it. Luke faints during the first period. Corey's trust is misplaced when he does this. Corey knows that Noah really wants Luke's position, but doesn't think twice about giving him the pills. Being overly trustful to a new friend can be a dangerous thing.
Anyone can relate to this novel because of the competitive nature in our youth and because everyone has trusted someone they shouldn't have. Everyone knows the old cliché "you can't judge a book by its cover". Noah put on a good act, but was eventually discovered. Finally, the novel shows how if we are not in control of our competitiveness, it can lead to harmful things.

"A sense of where you" are, offers a fascinating look at a true scholar athlete. Author John McPhee`s debut is well written and gives the reader a look at how a student athlete should approach life and grasp the opportunity ahead. Bill Bradley is the consumate teamplayer who pays tribute to the small and important details of the game of basketball. A hoop junkie growing up, but also a reflective mind,perhaps too reflective to become President of the United States.
An inspiring book that should be read by people of any age, who seek to become successfull at whetever they do.

This book is a must read for all aspiring young athletes and their parents. Bill Bradley always had his priorities straight. Although a gifted athlete, he knew that his education was more important. After being named the best college player in America, he eschewed the money and glory of the NBA to accept a Rhodes scholarship. Can you imagine one of today's selfish, ignorant, anti-intellectual, basketball stars doing that today?

Bill Bradley, a three-time basketball all-American at Princeton, Olympic gold medalist, Rhodes scholar, member of the New York Knicks and two time NBA champion definitely has a passion for basketball. This books helps show what goes into the making of a champion. Discipline, selflessness, respect, courage, imagination and passion are elements that made him a success on and off the court. I knew nothing at all about Bill Bradley before reading this book, but I have great respect for his personal code and his shining example.

I was shocked to see that this book has received such marvelous reviews!

I am a big fan of anybody that has deserved success on the same level as Bill Bradley. However, this simple fact does not mean that the product of his interesting life will be a good book.

Simply, this book was very plain and details Bradley's life at Princeton, inside and outside the classroom and on the basketball court. The stories are not interesting and there is too much worship given to Senator Bill. I found many of the "facts" divulged by the author to be incredibly hard to believe.

If you like the modern-day NBA at all you will absolutely hate this book.

If you like the modern-day NBA, politics and the Golden Age of sports you will give this book two stars on a five-star scale!

I'm writing this review because the fact that it didn't have a 5-star rating irritated me. I first saw the McPhee/Bill Bradley piece in the New Yorker Magazine about 30 years ago. After reading it I xeroxed the entire article and sent copies of it to every member of the University of South Carolina basketball team (which for those of you who are as old as I am was coached by the legendary Frank McGuire (the assistant coach was Donnie Walsh, now President and General Manager of the Indiana Pacers) and featured a cast of great college players like John Roche, Tommy Owens, Billy Walsh, Bobby Cremins, etc. All of the players (an unusually intelligent group) loved the article. We had many conversations about Bradley's approach to the game in the months to come. This is definitely a 5-star book for any lover of the true game of basketball. It's great and can't possibly be outdated. Highest recommendation.