Books

James Donaldson on 'Standing Above the Crowd'

Jon Teitel — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 13:06:22 -0700

Jon Teitel: Why did you decide to write the book, and how has it been received so far?

James Donaldson: I decided to write "Standing Above the Crowd" because as I was reflecting on my life and career so far, I realized that there are several commonalities in place that I have used (and that most successful people use) and implemented along the way to help me in regards to my various career paths. I also wanted to show that it takes "more than just being 7=feet tall" to be a basketball player and "more than just starting a business" to be successful.

I do not think that anything that I have accomplished so far (becoming a college graduate, a 20-year professional basketball player, or a small business owner for over 20 years) has been all that extraordinary. However, you get people who look at these accomplishments and think to themselves that you are either lucky or that it just came easy to you.

JT: Early in the book you quote a proverb that says, "Your failures in life come from not realizing your nearness to success when you give up." What was your biggest failure, and what was your greatest success?

JD: I am not one who dwells on failure or shortcomings too long. I never would have been able to play in the NBA as long as I did if I dwelled on failure too long. In the NBA you are going to lose almost as many games as you win. Looking back, I guess my biggest failures (I prefer to call them "coming up short of my goal") are "I could have been a better student" or "I could have talked to the girl of my dreams when I had the chance." I really do not try to dwell on those things, but I can look back and see where I could have done better.

My greatest success was becoming a college graduate from Washington State. That is something that no one can ever take away from me. Do not get me wrong, the NBA was great and being a small business owner is great too, but those things will come and go. No one can ever take my education from me, and it shows that I am educated and qualified.

JT: You give a lot of credit to your father James for the way you turned out. What made him such a great mentor, and how did he balance "tough love" with "taking a strap" to you?

JD: I had a Pastor at our church speak on the fact that he has two children but does not love them equally, he loves them "adequately." That is how my father raised myself and my siblings. He did not raise us equally, he raised us adequately. When I needed tough love I got it, when I needed a strap taken to my behind I got it and when I needed praise and recognition I got that too! I was raised in a home where we got what we needed, but not always what we wanted.

I think it was a great way to grow up because I did not have a sense of entitlement or being spoiled. I also grew up with a "work ethic" and some discipline. I know that a lot of children do not get the opportunity to be raised like that anymore, but parents can still do a better job of raising their children and preparing them for the "real world" that awaits them.

JT: A major key to your development as an athlete was losing almost 100 pounds during your junior year of high school due to diet and exercise. How hard was it to do that, and what advice do you have for young people who want to get in shape?

JD: Do your push-aways!!! Push away from the extra servings and junk food. When I took it seriously to lose 100 pounds in one year, I stopped eating all of the junk food that I used to gorge on every day at school and after school. I used to live off of junk food in middle school and it was no wonder that I found myself obese by the time I was a high school student.

It was no problem to have 4-5 McDonald's burgers and fries...every day! Plus all of the soda, chips, candy, ice cream: you name it. So when I got serious I stopped all of that and started eating more sensibly (lean meat, salads, and cut out the junk food) and started to walk, jog and run every day up to 4 miles a day. That is how I was able to do it.

JT: Your book contains a lot of quotes and lists. What is your favorite quote, and why are lists so important?

JD: It is hard for me to narrow down my favorite quote. I love great quotes, especially the ones that you can live your life by. Here are a few favorites: "Be the change that you want to be" (Gandhi), "Whether you think you can or can't, either way you're right" (Henry Ford), and almost any quote by Martin Luther King Jr.). I also really like short poems such as "If" (Rudyard Kipling), "The Cold Within", and "A Flock of Geese."

Making a list is important because it helps you focus on your goals and the tasks at hand. Not only is making a list important, but just putting pen to paper helps your thoughts become a reality...along with follow up, hard work and dedication.

JT: You also discuss religion in a few of the chapters: what role does God play in your own life?

JD: God has been the "Centerpiece" to my life. My religion has been very important to me for as long as I can remember. Faith (even more so than religion) is something that you will always have with you, no matter where you are in your journey throughout life.

JT: There is an entire chapter on supplements and steroids. How prevalent are they in pro basketball, and how dangerous are they?

JD: The great NBA athletes take care of themselves if they want to have a long and productive career. Of course the younger ones tend to eat way too much junk food, but as they realize that their body is the only one that they will ever have they start to eat better and get their rest (along with proper nutrition).

Nutritional supplementation is very common among most NBA players, but steroids are virtually non-existent. Along with being a great athlete you still have to be flexible, quick, fast, and put the ball in the hole at some point if you are going to be a great NBA player, so steroids are not going to help you there.

JT: You played over 600 consecutive games during your NBA career, which is among the most ever. How were you able to remain so durable, and how proud are you of that streak?

JD: I was very proud of that streak and took great pride in the fact that I would play with aches and pains, injuries, sickness and illness, and just being plain doggone tired at some points. However, I worked hard to be in great shape and have my body hold up well under the grind of the NBA travel schedule.

I ate well (actually becoming a vegetarian midway through my career), exercised year round, did Taekwondo (martial arts) throughout the year, got my rest, and just pushed myself to be the best that I could be.

JT: You draw several connections between the world of sports and the world of business. How similar are the two fields, and are sports ever not a business?

JD: Sports and business have a lot of similarities in that they both require a game plan, focus, teamwork, setting goals, staying positive, learning from your setbacks and successes, and so many more things. I love the "Team Concept" that I am able to implement into both sports and business.

JT: During your career you played against a majority of the greatest players in NBA history. Who is the greatest player you ever saw, and which of today's players do you think will eventually be considered among the greatest?

JD: I did play against about 37 of the NBA's All Time Greatest 50 Players during my career. I broke in playing against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and ended playing against Shaquille O'Neal, and so many other greats in between that span. I always say that Abdul-Jabbar was the most unstoppable (with that beautiful "sky hook" of his), but once he started winning championships Michael Jordan had to be the very best player that I ever saw. Wow!!! He was so good, plus he was able to make his teammates even better than they actually were, all in their quest of capturing 6 NBA titles!!!

Talking "On the Shoulders of Giants" with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Jon Teitel — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:08:35 -0800

In his most recent interview CHN writer spent some time with the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to discuss the recent video release of his documentary "On the Shoulders of Giants". The documentary focuses on the Harlem Rens, a professional basketball team during the 1920s and '30s that ranked among the best in the game. Without the Rens many of the players we watch and cheer now wouldn't have the opportunities they currently have.

Jon Teitel: The title of your documentary is based on a quote from English physicist Sir Isaac Newton: "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants". What do you think the quote means?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The quote refers to the fact that all progress is a result of people improving on the efforts of those who have gone before us and advanced the knowledge on any subject.

JT: The film is about the Harlem Rens, an all-Black professional basketball team that was established in the 1920s. What was Harlem like in the 1920s?

KAJ: Harlem in the 1920s was a destination for Blacks from the southern United States and Caribbean. It was a place where the lack of repressive laws limiting the efforts of people of color did not exist.

JT: The Rens got their name from playing home games at the Renaissance Casino and Ballroom at 138th St. and 7th Ave. Why did they choose to play there, and was there any concern about having a professional team playing at a casino?

KAJ: The Rens played at the Renaissance Casino because it could accommodate their need for a home event. It was not a gambling casino, so the only concern was whether or not the basketball game would ruin the dance floor!

JT: Bob Douglas ("The Father of Black Professional Basketball") was the founder and coach of the Rens, and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame. Why did he decide to start a team?

KAJ: Douglas saw basketball as a game with the potential to be popular, and as a wise businessman he saw how to make money in this new sport.

JT: The most famous "Harlem" basketball team is the Globetrotters even though they were actually from Chicago. What was the relationship between the Rens and the Globetrotters, and were the Rens seen more as athletes, entertainers or other?

KAJ: The Rens and Globetrotters were rivals. The Rens were seen as competitive athletes, whereas the Trotters were more about entertainment.

JT: The Ballroom's jazz orchestra played in the background of the Rens' games, and the film has a gorgeous soundtrack that includes a lot of jazz. What is the connection between jazz and basketball?

KAJ: In the 1920s and 1930s jazz was seen as the "beat" for the game of basketball, just like rap is seen as the beat for the game in the 21st century.

JT: The technology used to depict the still photos and paintings used in the movie is visually stunning. How were you able to proceed with this project despite the lack of both archival footage and living members of the Rens?

KAJ: We were very lucky to have access to descendants of the Rens' players, and there were newspaper clippings and photos that shed light on the team and the times that they played in. Additionally, we hired a very talented artist (Justin Bua) to help us bring these memories to life.

JT: Professor Cornel West shared his insight with you on camera while walking the streets of Harlem ("the unofficial Black capital of America"). How has the neighborhood changed over the past century?

KAJ: Harlem has begun to have a second renaissance recently, one that is tied to the gentrification of the neighborhood over the past few years.

JT: The team played most of its games while barnstorming across the country, including a 3-0 series loss to the "Original Celtics". Why did interracial games sell more tickets than games involving players of the same race?

KAJ: The Rens played interracial games because games between two different ethnic groups appealed to the tendency of people to root for players of their own ethnicity. Boxing was a good example of this trend. The "melting pot" only went so far in America.

JT: In 1939 the Rens beat the Oshkosh All-Stars in the inaugural World Professional Basketball Championship in Chicago. How big a deal was it back then for a Black team to beat a White team in a championship game?

KAJ: It was a shock for an all-Black team to beat a championship all-White team in the 1930s, as Blacks were not considered to be able to compete with Whites on an equal basis. The Rens were able to shock the world by exposing the myth of White supremacy in sports.

JT: The Rens disbanded in 1949 after the integrated National Basketball League merged with the all-White Basketball Association of America to form the all-White National Basketball Association. Do you think the NBA would have eventually allowed non-White players if it were not for the Rens?

KAJ: Professional basketball did not become integrated until 1950. Bob Douglas probably thought that NBA teams would start to hire Black players on a regular basis, which eventually happened.

JT: Your college coach John Wooden said that he learned his signature pressure defense from his time playing against the Rens. What other innovations are credited to the Rens (if any)?

KAJ: The Rens were known for their passing game. Quick passes and cuts creating constant motion on the court. They also played a suffocating pressure man-to-man defense.

JT: The Hall of Fame inducted the Rens collectively in 1963. When people look back on the Rens, how do you think they should be remembered the most?

KAJ: I think the Rens should be remembered for their perseverance. By constantly being one of the best teams in the game they made the sporting world acknowledge their superior play and the fact that they deserved to be competing against all comers, both Black and White.

JT: What have you learned by standing upon the shoulders of these giants, and what has it allowed you to see that other have not?

KAJ: I have learned that if you are consistent and determined, then all obstacles can be overcome, just as the Rens showed the sporting establishment that they were the best team in the game!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.KAREEMABDULJABBAR.COM

Taking the Shot: The Davidson Basketball Moment: Review

Jeff Fox — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:36:02 -0800

Michael Kruse

Butler Books (www.butlerbooks.com)

$19.95

Taking The Shot, writer Michael Kruse’s account of Davidson’s magical NCAA run, takes on the characteristics of the team it documents. Davidson’s charge into the Elite Eight last season was an exhilarating - even life affirming - experience that most didn’t want to end. The same can be said about this book.

Kruse is a writer for the St. Petersburg Times and, more importantly, a Davidson alum, so this story is near and dear to his heart - and it shows. Considering most people reading the book knows its final outcome - Jason Richards missed a last second three-pointer against Kansas in the Elite Eight, leaving the Wildcats’ two points short of the Final Four - Kruse does a wonderful job of not just describing that moment, but going into background details on the players involved, coach Bob McKillop and the faithful Davidson students, fans and alum living that moment with the team. Along the way we learn why this was more than just a basketball team playing in a game and why the whole Davidson story captured the imagination of the nation.

The history of the basketball program at Davidson comes into focus, from the lofty highs during the 1960s when Lefty Driesell’s squads were a national power right up to the current regime led by McKillop. Most readers won’t know how tumultuous the early days under McKillop were, and what an egotistical tyrant he was at the time. And of course there is plenty of ink devoted to college basketball’s sweetheart - Stephen Curry - which does nothing to dissuade the notion that he is a fabulous player but an even better human being.

Supplemented by wonderful color photos, Taking The Shot is a book all readers of CHN should have in their collection. The only real beef with it is its length - at 62 pages (168 pages including bonus material) the book is too brief - just like Davidson’s NCAA run last year. With any luck this year’s team will supply the author with enough material for a sequel.

4 out of 5 stars

Summer Reading: Top 10 Basketball Books

Jon Teitel — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:51:20 -0700

Jon Teitel’s summer reding list of the 10 best basketball books..

1. A Season on the Brink, by John Feinstein (member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame)

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Feinstein follows Bob Knight and his Hoosiers through the 1985 86 season. The inside access allows the reader to see how Knight, one of the most fascinating coaches in college basketball history, works his magic both at practice and during a game.

2. The Breaks of the Game, by David Halberstam (Pulitzer Prize winner)

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Halberstam follows the Portland Trail Blazers through the 1978-79 season. The inside access allows the reader to see the interactions between the front office, players, coaches, and the entire city of Portland (brimming with issues about race, money, and even hippies).

3. Life on the Run, by Bill Bradley (former U.S. Senator and current member of the Basketball Hall of Fame)

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Bradley’s Ivy League education is clearly evident in his erudite look at his life in professional sports. Unlike Feinstein and Halberstam, Bradley’s dual roles as author/player allow an even more intimate look at life on and off the court, complete with ups (how it feels to win a championship and work as a team) and downs (the physical haul of an entire season and dealing with the fans on the road).

4. Loose Balls: the Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association, by Terry Pluto (2-time Pulitzer Prize nominee)

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: The ABA is largely unknown by most people born after 1980, but Pluto reminds the reader about the origins of the Slam Dunk contest, the three point basket, and some of the most colorful characters in professional basketball history. Combining the marketing efforts of a Single-A baseball team and the star power of Julius Erving, it eventually helped the NBA become the global entertainment machine it is today.

5. Heaven Is a Playground, by Rick Telander (a 4-time contributor to The Best American Sports Writing anthology)

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: The transformation from a focus on playground legend Fly Williams to an overview of inner city basketball in Brooklyn and its role in the lives of the people who play there was a good choice by Telander. The reader also gets in on the ground floor of the career of Albert King (brother of Bernard), who went from a then-14-year-old to ACC player of the year at Maryland to a 9-year NBA career.

6. The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams, by Darcy Frey (National Magazine Award winner for the story upon which this book is based)

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: With the current controversy about how long high school basketball players should have to wait until entering the NBA draft, Frey follows around the Abraham Lincoln High School basketball team, which happens to include a young phenom named Stephon Marbury. Like Albert King, Marbury honed his game on the city streets, but he is surrounded by a number of people who care about him (his teammates and family) and his talent (agents and recruiters).

7. Foul! The Connie Hawkins Story, by David Wolf

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Like King and Marbury, Hawkins was a New York playground legend who later played in the NBA, but only after being banned from the NBA after falling prey to unsavory college recruiters and allegations of corruption. His naivete and poverty contributed to his fall from grace, but the ABA came to rescue and allowed him to show his high-flying skills before later gaining entry into the NBA.

8. The City Game: Basketball from the Garden to the Playgrounds, by Pete Axthelm (former Newsweek editor and ESPN commentator)

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Axthelm’s focus on the 1969 70 championship season of the New York Knicks is matched shot for shot by the action on the playgrounds of New York City. Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe shine in front of the cameras, but it is Earl "The Goat" Manigault and Herman "the Helicopter" Knowings who jump higher and cause jaws to drop lower due to their amazing athleticism.

9. They Call Me Coach, by John Wooden (member of the Basketball Hall of Fame) with Jack Tobin

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Wooden won more championships than anyone else in college basketball history, but Tobin’s spotlight on his philosophy of life shows that Wooden is a champion person as well as a champion coach. From the “pyramid for success” to the love of his life (wife Nell) to his thoughts on Bill Walton and Lew Alcindor, Wooden has a lot to be thankful for, and a lot to share with others.

10. Big Game, Small World, by Alexander Wolff (member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame)

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Rather than focus on a narrow segment of basketball like many of the above authors, Wolff expands outward to discover how basketball is viewed/played/lived across the country and around the globe. It takes a second place to soccer in many nations, but his awareness of basketball as a worldwide phenomenon seems to have foreshadowed the recent NBA success of foreigners like Steve Nash/Dirk Nowitzki/Tony Parker.

Review - Across the Line: Profiles in Basketball Courage

Jeff Fox — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:51:14 -0800

Across the Line

Profiles in Basketball Courage: Tales of the First Black Players in the ACC and SEC

Barry Jacobs

The Lyons Press

$24.95 ($29.95 in Canada)

With February being Black History Month, now is the perfect time to check out Barry Jacobs’ Across the Line. Jacobs’ tome is a fitting tribute to the brave black basketball players who first suited up for ACC and SEC teams in the mid-1960s to early 1970s. The fact that none of these players will be known my most college basketball fans (with the probable exception of UNC’s Charles Scott) is a true crime.

Across the Line is an educational, yet very entertaining read. Each school’s first black player(s) is given his own chapter, allowing Jacobs to go into quite descriptive detail into the player’s background, the history of the school and the political and social climate in the southern states at this point in history. The hostile environment that these players were thrust into is truly shocking and sad and makes their lives all the more heroic. You truly shake your head in disbelief when reading about the racist mindsets of people at this point in time, many of them people in power positions of law enforcement, government and university leadership.

The world we live in today is far from perfect, as there are plenty of bigoted small minded people still around today (look no further than Tim Hardaway’s comments on homosexuals, a golf announcer joking that Tiger Woods should get lynched, or Don Imus). However, after you read this book and then consider that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both have fighting chances to be the next president of the United States, you see we are in a much better place today. Across the Line should be a required read for all college basketball players enjoying the freedoms that the books’ players helped make possible.

3.5 out of 5 stars

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Shawn Siegel — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:29:47 -0800

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Book Review: The Wages of Wins

Jeff Fox — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:01:59 -0800

The Wages of Wins

Taking Measures of the Many Myths in Modern Sport

David J. Berri, Martin B. Schmidt & Stacey L. Brooks

Stanford Business Books

$29.95 ($19.95 paperback) ($34.95/$23.50 Canada)

Numbers don’t lie. So when the authors of The Wages of Wins write that Dean Garrett was the most productive NBA rookie in 1996/97, and not Allen Iverson, they have the numbers to back it up. Same thing when they state that you can’t buy a championship in any sport, that NFL quarterbacks are like mutual funds or that Shaq was more productive than Kobe before the Lakers shipped Diesel to Miami.

It is one thing when an obnoxious fan or sports talk show blowhard spouts off about who is the best player or why a certain team doesn’t win games. It is quite another thing when three economics professors, which the authors of this book are, who love sports give you proof to back up their arguments. Not many casual basketball fans would agree that Allen Iverson isn’t a very productive player, but the authors have the data to show otherwise. It is hard to argue when the cold hard facts are in front of your face.

Readers of CHN will be delighted to know that an extensive part of the book deals with the NBA. While stats analysis and baseball go hand-in-hand, there isn’t enough of this type of mainstream study in the field of basketball. This book fills that need. Baseball and football, and to a lesser extent hockey, also get the stats makeover.

A word of caution to the readers out there that considers comic books heavy reading – this book does contain numbers and economic teachings. While it is still quite entertaining, there are sections where some basic understanding of numbers and economics do help (especially the couple of parts where there is a typo and the wrong number is written). However, the authors go easy on the tough number crunching and leave the real heavy lifting to the endnotes (which there are lots of, which causes the reader to do a lot of page flipping back-and-forth).

The Wages of Wins is a very important book in the field of sports economics and a very enjoyable and thought provoking read. It leaves you wanting a sequel to it (which, luckily, the writers hint at).

4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Players and Pretenders

Jeff Fox — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:51:38 -0800

Players and Pretenders

The Basketball Team That Couldn’t Shoot Straight

by Charley Rosen

University of Nebraska Press

$18.95

It is not whether you win or lose but how you play the game. Yes, a very tired cliché and not very fitting in today’s modern sports world, especially on the college basketball level. Yet for the 1979-80 Running Red Devils of Bard College, it proved to be very fitting indeed.

Players and Pretenders, originally released in 1981 but re-released this year with a new afterword from its author, chronicles the Bard College (located about 90 miles north of New York City) hoops squad as they struggle through a one-win season. Their coach just happened to be the author of the book, Charley Rosen, who has gone on to author numerous tomes to hoops and is foxsports.com’s current NBA analyst.

So why should anyone care about a small time college basketball team (where some of the players hadn’t even played organized ball before) that was really bad and played almost two decades ago? Anyone who loves hoops and loves a good read, that’s who. Rosen is a fantastic writer who makes larger-than-life characters out of the players (rather pretenders) featured in the book and adds in dream sequences and flashbacks to mix things up. The fact that it was written years ago only adds to the charm, as some of the phrasing and expressions used transports the reader back to another time.

It is often forgotten that basketball is a game, and like all games, it should be about having fun. This fact was not lost on the Bard College players, thanks to their caring and wise coaches, Disco Dodds and Rosen. Anyone who has forgotten this fact ought to grab a copy of Players and Pretenders.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Can I Keep My Jersey?

Jeff Fox — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:59:52 -0700

Can I Keep My Jersey?
Paul Shirley
Villard Books
$23.95 ($29.95 Canada)

The subtitle of the book sums it all up – 11 Teams, 5 Countries and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond. NBA diehards and/or Iowa State fans will know the name Paul Shirley from the basketball court – the rest of the world is getting to know him from his very popular blogs on ESPN.com and from this very good book.

The book is pretty much a long, very entertaining blog. Rather than another boring autobiography from a superstar player, Can I Keep My Jersey? flips the script and deals with the life of the journeyman. Anyone who has read Shirley’s writings for ESPN.com or the Phoenix Suns’ website know what to expect – funny, sarcastic, jaded, non-PC rants on the state of the world – on the court and off. The non-PC part could be a big one for readers in this ever watered down, censored world we live in – Shirley pulls no punches, with religion, stupid basketball players and people from other countries with odor issues taking the brunt of his rage.

Shirley’s journey through the book takes him to various NBA teams, but most of his life is spent in the CBA, the ABA or in various outposts in Europe. The book also contains the requisite suppository and catheter segments that all good books possess. What makes the book really unique is that it is as if a fan has written it – it just so happens that the fan is 6’10” and plays in some of the world’s best basketball leagues.

If you want an uncensored, unbiased insider view on life in the NBA, the U.S. minor leagues and European basketball, this book is for you. It is often hilarious, always interesting, and makes you realize at least one pro basketball player actually “gets it”. A very entertaining must read.

5 out of 5 stars

Book Review - Tip Off: How the 1984 Draft Changed Basketball

Jeff Fox — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 07:58:51 -0700

Tip Off – How The 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever
Filip Bondy
Da Capo Press
$25.00 ($30.00 Canada)

New York Daily News columnist Filip Bondy’s Tip Off is out just in time to put this year’s NBA draft in perspective. While Greg Oden and Kevin Durant appear destined for greatness, there isn’t any other “superstar” apparent in the mix. On the other hand, four of the greatest players of all-time were picked in the 1984 draft – Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton.

To think that heading into the draft Olajuwon was the only prospect of the “big four” considered a sure-fire superstar is mind-boggling. The league’s mindset on drafting players at the time (bigger is better) is analyzed and many basketball bigwigs come clean and admit that they messed up. Why Portland picked Sam Bowie over Jordan is dissected, along with the concerns over Barkley’s attitude and Stockton’s strength and skill set. While it is very interesting reading the in depth material on the four superstars listed above, it is also fascinating hearing Bowie’s and Sam Perkins’ back stories and thoughts on what went down draft day.

Where the book really excels is the behind the scenes glimpses it gives its reader. Bondy tells how Barkley tried to eat himself out of the Sixers’ draft plans in a desperate attempt to not be picked by them, how Bobby Knight reduced Jordan to tears at the 1984 Olympic team practices and Bowie’s feelings on being selected ahead of arguably the greatest player to ever lace them up.

Overall, Tip Off is a must read. While there are a couple of errors this eagle eye reviewer found (mention of Jordan’s phantom senior season in college, referring to the Virginia Cavaliers as Cleveland), this book is meticulously researched and a breeze to read. It is a must read for all CHN readers.

4.5 out of 5 stars