Last November, I read two basketball biographies about Abe Saperstein and Red Klotz, and in both, Eddie Gottlieb was mentioned. I was intrigued about Gottlieb and everything he did for the NBA as well as Negro baseball. He played, coached, and owned the Philadelphia SPHAS, one of the best semi professional basketball teams way…
Tag: Sports Book Reviews
Roll With It: A Trip Back To The 90’s – Gen X Style – by Brad Porteus
I saw a substack review from allsportsbookreviews.substack.com, and thought I would give it a read. The author, Brad Proteus, got a job with the San Jose Rhinos, a professional roller hockey team. He ended up becoming the GM of the team. He was in his mid 20’s, and this was the mid 90’s. In his…
Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk – by Mike Sielski
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. But, that didn’t happen as I tried a few times to read it and just couldn’t get my mindset into it. A few days ago, though, I needed a break from the Michael Bennett books I have been reading…
Legends and Soles: The Memoir of an American Original – by Sonny Vaccaro
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. Sonny Vaccaro is a sports marketing executive who worked for Niko, Adidas, and Reebok. He also was in charge of a quite a few high school basketball all star games. He helped bring Michael Jordan to Niko and Kobe…
What You’re Made For: Powerful Lessons from a Life in Sports – by George Raveling
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. I really thought I would enjoy this book, but I struggled through it. It wasn’t a chronological timeline of his life, rather advice from his life with his career scattered throughout it. One of the coolest things about him…
The Legend of Red Klotz: How Basketball’s Loss Leader Won Over the World—14,000 Times – by Tim Kelly
This book was referenced in the book I just read about Abe Saperstein, and I was intrigued. You may not know the name, but if I tell you Red Klotz was a player, coach, and owner of the Washington Generals, you will now know who he is. Red won championships in high school, college, his…
Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports – by Mark Jacob and Matthew Jacob
I have had this book in my Goodreads Want to Read list since August 31st when I saw a Tweet from @SprtBookReviews about it. I was immediately intrigued as in 2022, I read Spinning the Globe: The Rise, Fall, and Return to Greatness of the Harlem Globetrotters by Ben Green. So, I was already familiar…
Banned: How I Squandered an All-Star NBA Career Before Finding My Redemption – by Michael Ray Richardson
I got this book from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. I am a fan of the NBA, but I will admit, that I have never heard of Michael Ray Richardson. So, when I saw this in the Netgalley catalog, I was intrigued and checked it out. Michael was a…
I Felt the Cheers: The Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride – by Curtis Pride
I got this book from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. I was intrigued by this one as Curtis was a professional baseball player, but he was born with deafness. I have actually heard of him, and think it was when he played for the Detroit Tigers. As a baseball…
The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball – by John W. Miller
I got this book from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. As I occasionally browse the Netgalley selections, I kept coming across this one, and I was intrigued, but kept scrolling past it. I mean, I knew of Earl Weaver, but didn’t want to be a part of a book…
Beyond the Jump Shot: The Elevated Life of Kenny Sailors – by Debbie Sorensen
I got this one from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. I needed a break from the fiction thriller books I have been reading. I had never heard of Kenny Sailors, but was intrigued by the description and wanted to learn more. He was raised by his mother, who taught…
Coming Home – by Britney Griner
This book provided a lot of great insight on her Russian imprisonment and how she got through it. I am not going to go into detail, but she had lawyers who were constantly in touch and working on stuff behind the scenes and fellow inmates who helped translate Russian to English. She got to read…
Catch As Catch Can: Building a Legacy by Finding Opportunity in Every Obstacle – by George Tinsley Sr
I got this book from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. The only reason I selected this book was due to the cover image (he was dressed half in a basketball jersey and the other half was a business suit) and the description (he played college basketball where his Kentucky…
Watford Forever: How Graham Taylor and Elton John Saved a Football Club, a Town and Each Other – by John Preston
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. For somebody, like me, who isn’t a fan of soccer clubs in England and in general, this book was easy to read, and I never found myself confused with the verbiage. It’s really cool to see the progression of…
Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon – by Mirin Fader
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. I enjoyed the parts of his basketball days (in Lagos, Nigeria and Houston; both for college and the NBA), but I skipped some parts about his religious beliefs as I just wasn’t interested in that aspect. Overall, I am…
Above the Noise: My Story – by DeMar DeRozan
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. When I saw this book, I was immediately interested as I knew he had played for the San Antonio Spurs for a few years, and being a Spurs fan, I wanted to learn more about his life before, during,…
Furlosophy: Beyond the Mascot: Insights into Life and the NBA – by Rob Wicall
I didn’t even know about this book until Monday morning when a friend of mine from Facebook told me about it. See, I was asking this friend some questions about his time with the San Antonio Spurs and asked if he knew anybody else whom I can ask questions to about there job in the…
The End of Baseball: A Novel – by Peter Schilling Jr.
I have had this book in a paper format for a long time. And, every time I see it looking at me, I pick it up and can only get through the first few pages. I mean, I do want to read it. So, a few weeks ago, I decided to try again, but this…
Locker Room Talk: A Woman’s Struggle to Get Inside – by Melissa Ludtke
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. In 1977 at the World Series, Melissa Ludtke, a writer for Sports Illustrated was denied access to the locker rooms by the Commissioner of Baseball, Bowie Kuhn. You mustn’t go in as there may be naked players, but you…
It’s Hard for Me to Live with Me: A Memoir – by Rex Chapman
I knew Rex Chapman as an NBA player, but I had no clue about his dad being a basketball coach, his playing days at Kentucky, and his addiction to pain medications and gambling on horses. He started his NBA playing days with the expansion franchise, the Charlotte Hornets. Also on that team was Del Curry,…