Author: Patris Gordon
Publisher: Blank Screen
ISBN: 1916313221
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 195
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Book Description
Probably three of the top 5 basketball players today. Take a look into the most enigmatic, yet hard-working, figure of the NBA, Kawhi Leonard. In this biography, we follow how the quiet Leonard has survived personal tragedy to continue to work his way up to become one of the best players of his generation. We also check out NBA superstar James Harden's rise to the top of the game - and see how this kid from Compton remained focused on basketball, avoiding any negative pitfalls. We trace Harden's early years to his MVP season in the NBA, and how his future could be decided by his past... Additionally, we take a personal insight into the career of premier NBA player, Kevin Durant. We view his rise to the NBA from college and high school. From Seat Pleasant, Maryland, Durant has worked hard to become one of the best players in the NBA.
Author: Leigh Montville
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0525567313
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 353
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Book Description
This "part memoir, part sports story" (Wall Street Journal) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Big Bam chronicles the clash of NBA titans over seven riveting games—Celtics versus Lakers, Russell versus Chamberlain—covered by one young reporter. Welcome to the 1969 NBA Finals! They don’t set up any better than this. The greatest basketball player of all time - Bill Russell - and his juggernaut Boston Celtics, winners of ten (ten!) of the previous twelve NBA championships, squeak through one more playoff run and land in the Finals again. Russell’s opponent? The fearsome 7’1” next-generation superstar, Wilt Chamberlain, recently traded to the LA Lakers to form the league’s first dream team. Bill Russell and John Havlicek versus Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. The 1969 Celtics are at the end of their dominance. The 1969 Lakers are unstoppable. Add to the mix one newly minted reporter. Covering the epic series is a wide-eyed young sports writer named Leigh Montville. Years before becoming an award-winning legend himself at The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated, twenty-four-year-old Montville is ordered by his editor at the Globe to get on a plane to L.A. (first time!) to write about his luminous heroes, the biggest of big men. What follows is a raucous, colorful, joyous account of one of the greatest seven-game series in NBA history. Set against a backdrop of the late sixties, Montville’s reporting and recollections transport readers to a singular time – with rampant racial tension on the streets and on the court, with the emergence of a still relatively small league on its way to becoming a billion-dollar industry, and to an era when newspaper journalism and the written word served as the crucial lifeline between sports and sports fans. And there was basketball – seven breathtaking, see-saw games, highlight-reel moments from an unprecedented cast of future Hall of Famers (including player-coach Russell as the first-ever black head coach in the NBA), coast-to-coast travels and the clack-clack-clack of typewriter keys racing against tight deadlines. Tall Men, Short Shorts is a masterpiece of sports journalism with a charming touch of personal memoir. Leigh Montville has crafted his most entertaining book yet, richly enshrining luminous players and moments in a unique American time.
Author: Clayton Geoffreys
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781499271638
Category : Basketball
Languages : en
Pages : 144
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Book Description
"In Russell Westbrook: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Premier Point Guards, you'll read about the inspirational story of basketball's rising superstar point guard, Russell Westbrook. Russell Westbrook's ascent into the top ten point guards in the NBA amongst the likes of Chris Paul, Steve Nash, and Rajan Rondo has definitely been a surprise. From once struggling to make his high school varsity team (he did not make it until his junior year) to spending his freshman year at UCLA as a benchwarmer, few would have predicted that Russell Westbrook would be selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. The rest is history as the Oklahoma City Thunder continue their quest for a championship. " - Amazon.com
Author: Terry Pluto
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439127522
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 456
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Book Description
What do Julius Erving, Larry Brown, Moses Malone, Bob Costas, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Slam Dunk Contest have in common? They all got their professional starts in the American Basketball Association. What do Julius Erving, Larry Brown, Moses Malone, Bob Costas, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Slam Dunk Contest have in common? They all got their professional starts in the American Basketball Association. The NBA may have won the financial battle, but the ABA won the artistic war. With its stress on wide-open individual play, the adoption of the 3-point shot and pressing defense, and the encouragement of flashy moves and flying dunks, today's NBA is still—decades later —just the ABA without the red, white and blue ball. Loose Balls is, after all these years, the definitive and most widely respected history of the ABA. It's a wild ride through some of the wackiest, funniest, strangest times ever to hit pro sports—told entirely through the (often incredible) words of those who played, wrote and connived their way through the league's nine seasons.
Author: Chris Herren
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1429924144
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 286
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Book Description
In his own words, former NBA and overseas pro Chris Herren tells how he nearly lost everything and everyone he loved, and how he found a way back to life. Powerful, honest, and dramatic, this remarkable memoir,Basketball Junkie, is harrowing in its descent, and heartening in its return. I was dead for thirty seconds. That's what the cop in Fall River told me. When the EMTs found me, there was a needle in my arm and a packet of heroin in the front seat. At basketball-crazy Durfee High School in Fall River, Massachusetts, junior guard Chris Herren carried his family's and the city's dreams on his skinny frame. His grandfather, father, and older brother had created their own sports legends in a declining city; he was the last, best hope for a career beyond the shuttered mills and factories. Herren was heavily recruited by major universities, chosen as a McDonald's All-American, featured in a Sports Illustrated cover story, and at just seventeen years old became the central figure in Fall River Dreams, an acclaimed book about the 1994 Durfee team's quest for the state championship. Leaving Fall River for college, Herren starred on Jerry Tarkanian's Fresno State Bulldogs team of talented misfits, which included future NBA players as well as future convicted felons. His gritty, tattooed, hip-hop persona drew the ire of rival fans and more national attention: Rolling Stone profiled him, 60 Minutes interviewed him, and the Denver Nuggets drafted him. When the Boston Celtics acquired his contract, he lived the dream of every Massachusetts kid—but off the court Herren was secretly crumbling, as his alcohol and drug use escalated and his life spiraled out of control. Twenty years later, Chris Herren was married to his high-school sweetheart, the father of three young children, and a heroin junkie. His basketball career was over, consumed by addictions; he had no job, no skills, and was a sadly familiar figure to those in Fall River who remembered him as a boy, now prowling the streets he once ruled, looking for a fix. One day, for a time he cannot remember, he would die.
Author: Kevin Garnett
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982170344
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 320
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Book Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER A unique, unfiltered memoir from the NBA champion and fifteen-time all-star ahead of his induction into the Hall of Fame. Kevin Garnett was one of the most dominant players the game of basketball has ever seen. He was also one of its most outspoken. Over the course of his illustrious twenty-one-year NBA career, he elevated trash talk to an art form and never shied away from sharing his thoughts on controversial subjects. In KG A to Z, published ahead of Garnett’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he looks back on his life and career with the same raw candor. Garnett describes the adversity he faced growing up in South Carolina before ultimately relocating to Chicago, where he became one of the top prospects in the nation. He details his headline-making decision to skip college and become the first player in two decades to enter the draft directly from high school, starting a trend that would be followed by future superstars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. He shares stories of playing with and against Bryant, James, Michael Jordan, and other NBA greats, and he chronicles his professional ups and downs, including winning a championship with the Boston Celtics. He also speaks his mind on a range of topics beyond basketball, such as fame, family, racism, spirituality, and music. Garnett’s draft decision wasn’t the only way he’d forever change the game. His ability to play on the perimeter as a big man foreshadowed the winning strategy now universally adopted by the league. He applies this same innovative spirit here, organizing the contents alphabetically as an encyclopedia. If you thought Kevin Garnett was exciting, inspiring, and unfiltered on the court, just wait until you read what he has to say in these pages.
Author: Gregory Zuckerman
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 069818937X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 258
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Book Description
Discover inspirational real-life stories of superstar athletes in this collection of sports biographies featuring LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Tim Howard, and more! Team USA goalkeeper Tim Howard was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome in 6th grade. He went on to become a national treasure after single-handedly keeping America competitive in the 2014 World Cup. Stephen Curry was told he was too small, too weak, and too slow to even receive a scholarship to play college basketball. He outworked everyone and went on to become MVP of the National Basketball Association. Jim Abbott was born without his right hand, yet he refused to be defined by what he lacked. He went on to pitch a no-hitter in the Major Leagues. Athlete after athlete in this book found discipline, hope, and inspiration on the playing field, rising above their circumstances. Filled with first-hand accounts from stars who exemplify the idea of enduring at all costs, this collection of sports biographies will serve as a must-read source of inspiration for kids and sports fans of all ages. Praise for Rising Above A Scholastic Teacher magazine Summer Reading List selection A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Summer Reading List selection "An easy pitch for middle school sports lovers."--School Library Journal “This collection of mini-bios about athletes who overcame major obstacles packs a powerful message—perseverance and passion pay off. Even non-sports fans will cheer for superstars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.”--Scholastic Teacher "So many of the obstacles that these athletes share are retold using personal interviews and primary source material that young readers will find very relatable. [T]heir stories have morals that are easily transferred to life off the court or the field. The highly relevant message is that no situation is too dire or insurmountable with the right attitude and that young people shouldn't allow setbacks to define them."--Booklist "[O]ften inspiring . . . The underdog stories reveal that dedication and perseverance pay off, as well as that sports can serve as needed outlets and refuges."--Publishers Weekly "I would rate this a 9 1/2 . . . it touch[es] your heart very often with the ways these athletes turn[ed] their lives around."--Colorado Kids
Author: Ryan P. Burge
Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
ISBN: 1506482015
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 262
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Book Description
The way most people think about religion and politics is only loosely linked to empirical reality, argues Ryan P. Burge. In 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America, Burge strives to be an impartial referee and to overcome these caustic misperceptions by using both rigorous data analysis and straightforward explanations.
Author: Clayton Geoffreys
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781503044623
Category : Basketball players
Languages : en
Pages : 186
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Book Description
Read about the inspirational story of basketball's star, Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant has been the face of the Lakers dynasty for the past two decades and for good reason. Few players have commanded a basketball court as much as Kobe in historical performances such as his notable 81-point performance in just under 42 minutes of playing time in 2006 against the Toronto Raptors. Whenever Kobe Bryant decides to retire, he is not going to do so on his own terms as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Few players can parallel with Kobe Bryant in terms of competitive fire and will to win. His polarizing figure defines him and makes even those who do not like him at the very least respect him. Read on to learn about the days of when Kobe played alongside Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Horry, Metta World Peace, Derek Fisher, and Pau Gasol in some of the greatest times of Los Angeles Lakers' basketball history.
Author: Gloria Gaynor
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466865954
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 253
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Book Description
I Will Survive is the story of Gloria Gaynor, America's "Queen of Disco." It is the story of riches and fame, despair, and finally salvation. Her meteoric rise to stardom in the mid-1970s was nothing short of phenomenal, and hits poured forth that pushed her to the top of the charts, including "Honey Bee," "I Got You Under My Skin," "Never Can Say Goodbye," and the song that has immortalized her, "I Will Survive," which became a #1 international gold seller. With that song, Gloria heralded the international rise of disco that became synonymous with a way of life in the fast lane - the sweaty bodies at Studio 54, the lines of cocaine, the indescribable feeling that you could always be at the top of your game and never come down. But down she came after her early stardom, and problems followed in the wake, including the death of her mother, whose love had anchored the young singer, as well as constant battles with weight, drugs, and alcohol. While her fans always imagined her to be rich, her personal finances collapsed due to poor management; and while many envied her, she felt completely empty inside. In the early 1980s, sustained by her marriage to music publisher Linwood Simon, Gloria took three years off and reflected upon her life. She visited churches and revisited her mother's old Bible. Discovering the world of gospel, she made a commitment to Christ that sustains her to this day.
