Masters of the Game
A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
The legendary sportswriter and the Hall of Fame, eleven-time NBA champion coach separate the music from the noise in the stories of the greatest who ever played and their impact on the game
Sam Smith and Phil Jackson grew to know and respect each other in the late 1980s, when Smith was a Chicago Tribune sportswriter and Jackson was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls. Forty years later, the two remain close friends. In 2021, Smith helped the NBA arrive at a list of the seventy-five greatest players of all time in celebration of its seventy-fifth anniversary. Phil Jackson was asked to participate too, but he’s not a big fan of ranking greatness. They’ve been enjoying the argument ever since.
In Masters of the Game, Smith and Jackson chop it up about the basketball life, the sport, and the genius and the shadow side of the all-time greats: Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Bill Russell, Wilt, Jerry West, Bird, LeBron, KD, Steph Curry, Bill Walton, and more. In a conversation full of high-grade analysis and high-grade gossip, we meet the stars of long-ago eras of basketball and see the mark race left on players and the business of the game—and we get a master class on character and the alchemy of a good team. And of course, inevitably, these two old heads get into the GOAT debate.
There are so many huge characters here, and Smith and Jackson can hold their own with any of them. Their spirit—sharp, wise, irreverent, honest, respectful of the lore and legacy of the game but never pious—and the clash of their different perspectives combine to make this book a joyous ride, a short course in greatness open to all students.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sportswriter Smith (The Jordan Rules) and former NBA coach Jackson (Eleven Rings) reflect on the top basketball players of all time in this entertaining oral history. In honor of the league's 75th anniversary in 2021, the NBA released a list of the 75 greatest players, selected by a panel of current and former players, coaches, executives, and sportswriters (Smith included). In short chapters, Smith summarizes each player's career, and he and Jackson exchange thoughts on their skills and most memorable moments. The lineup includes current players who are household names, such as Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James, as well as earlier pioneers like Elgin Baylor, who played for the Lakers between 1958 and 1971 and whom Smith says "basically invented modern NBA offensive basketball." Throughout, the authors highlight changes to the way the game is played, like the advent of the three-point shot, and get to the heart of what makes a player truly great (many of those selected "loved the challenge more than the acclaim"). Unfortunately, fans will note several errors, such as Smith's implication that Bill Bridges was involved in a fight during a 1984 game, though that was well after he'd retired. Still, this is a valuable addition to NBA history.
