Values of the Game - Hardcover

Bradley, Bill

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 157965116X ISBN 13: 9781579651169

Publisher: Artisan, 1998

Synopsis

"In many ways basketball was a lens through which I looked at life—I had learned to make judgments about character from what I saw players do on the court."—Bill Bradley

Bradley, former U.S. senator and presidential candidate and member of two championship New York Knicks teams, returns to the scene of his first career, and first passion, in Values of the Game. In ten esssays, filled with personal observations and reflections, he illustrates how the "right stuff" on the court—risking a last-second shot, staying in shape and playing hard, making the unselfish pass, not giving in until the final buzzer—is a proving ground for the "right stuff" in life. More than one hundred dramatic photographs of the best of the NBA—from legends Elgin Baylor and Bob Cousy, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, to such stars as Kobe Bryant and Grant Hill, to the greatest ever, Michael Jordan—exemplify the power of courage, discipline, selflessness, respect, and fair play.

About this title

Review

Forget for a moment the hype, the overmarketing, the exorbitant ticket prices and salaries, the bad behavior, and the greed. Instead, return to the simple basics of basketball: a court, a hoop, a ball, and a young shooter, sweating to make certain that no one is ever more prepared or confident when the game is on the line. Strip all else away, and you come to the core of the game. It's something of a sacred place for Bill Bradley, and after a decade in the NBA and three terms in the United States Senate, it's a place he revisits with real ardor and reverence in 10 gracefully illustrated essays that cohere into a marvelous reflection on essentials and values.

"The game is still full of joy and the lessons learned from it stay with you," he insists, "even though the game has changed, the old values still flow through it." The values he writes about may indeed seem antique beside the frenzied glitz of the NBA, but antiques like passion, discipline, selflessness, and responsibility continue to form the basis of character on and off the court. Of course, Bradley, with possible eyes on the White House, is writing about much more than basketball here. In some ways, this is a clear statement of his political philosophy: a country that can understand, instill, and pursue the values he's praising is a country that can work together. It's in these values that he finds the antidote to the tawdriness and partisanship that's managed to sully the level of the national debate. --Jeff Silverman

From the Inside Flap

Bill Bradley, U.S. Senator from New Jersey from 1979 to 1997 and a member of two championship New York Knicks teams, returns to the scene of his first career, and his first great passion, basketball. Things have changed since his championship days—the shorts are longer and the salaries higher—but what separates winners and losers remains very much the same: No collection of players, no matter how good, can win unless they form a team. And no team can succeed unless it shares common values, among them courage, discipline, resilience, respect, and an unmitigated passion for the game.

In ten essays, filled with intensely personal observations and reflections, Bradley revisits the basketball court with the fire of the competitor and the eye of the writer, and explores these qualities in action: the dynamics of teammates on the court and off; the pure love of the game that leads to the unselfish pass or the screen away from the ball; the individual courage to risk the last-second shot, to face a hostile crowd, to say "I blew it"; the responsibility to teammates, coaches, and fans to stay in shape, play hard, and honor the game.

Values of the Game is illustrated with more than one hundred twenty dramatic photographs of players, coaches, and classic games, culled from the NBA archives and the author's personal collection: from legends such as Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Cousy,!through the brilliant Magic Johnson/Larry Bird years to young stars such as Grant Hill and Glen Rice, and of course the greatest ever, Michael Jordan.

In his best-selling Life on the Run, Bradley offered fans a fascinating account of the day-in day-out experiences of an NBA star. In Values of the Game, he shifts his thinking to a larger universe. He pulls back the curtain once again, letting us in on basketball's secrets—many of which, it turns out, extend to life beyond the hardwood court.

About this edition

• Publisher: Artisan
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 157965116X
• ISBN 13: 9781579651169
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160