basketball – Pleasant Nights

Title: Unguarded

Authors: Scottie Pippen and Michael Arkush

Genre: memoir

I love basketball. Like LOVE. And I hate the Bulls. I hate Michael Jordan, even more now than back in the day. I respect his ability, but as a person, he’s just not a good guy. After watching The Last Dance, this is confirmed. Pippen, however, has always had a soft spot in my heart. Sure, I hated him when he was beating my beloved Lakers. But I could see he was full of fire, determination, and quiet kindness. Maybe not on the court, but off, he seemed like an underpaid, underappreciated guy. Always in MJ’s shadow. And when MJ retired, Pippen couldn’t put it together. Of course he couldn’t. He was missing the best player in the league, but the team did the best it could. So when I heard this was Pippen’s answer to The Last Dance (for which Michael got paid millions and the other people interviewed got $0), I was ready. (Personal note: I LOVED BJ Armstrong. I even have his autograph somewhere.)

From Goodreads: Scottie Pippen has been called one of the greatest NBA players for good reason.

Simply put, without Pippen, there are no championship banners—let alone six—hanging from the United Center rafters. There’s no Last Dance documentary. There’s no “Michael Jordan” as we know him. The 1990s Chicago Bulls teams would not exist as we know them.

So how did the youngest of twelve go from growing up poor in the small town of Hamburg, Arkansas, enduring two family tragedies along the way, to become a revered NBA legend? How did the scrawny teen, overlooked by every major collegiate basketball program, go on to become the fifth overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft? And, perhaps most compelling, how did Pippen set aside his ego (and his own limitless professional ceiling) in order for the Bulls to become the most dominant basketball dynasty of the last half-century? (ahem, personal note: no. 60s era Celtics were the most dominant in the last half-century.)

In Unguarded, the soft-spoken, six-time champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist finally opens up to offer pointed and transparent takes on Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, and Isiah Thomas, among others. Pippen details how he cringed at being labeled Jordan’s sidekick and discusses how he could have (and should have) received more respect from the Bulls’ management and the media.

Pippen reveals never-before-told stories about some of the most famous games in league history, including the 1994 playoff game against the New York Knicks when he took himself out with 1.8 seconds to go. He discusses what it was like dealing with Jordan on a day-to-day basis, while serving as the real leader within the Bulls locker room.

On the 30th anniversary of the Bulls’ first championship, Pippen is finally giving millions of adoring basketball fans what they crave; a raw, unvarnished look into his life, and role within one of the greatest, most popular teams of all time.

This book is mostly about Pippen’s life on the court, but he also discusses his humble childhood with both a disabled brother and father. Pippen is one of several children, and times were tough. His family is close, which helped keep him grounded. Pippen holds nothing back in this book. He minces no words about Jordan, GM Jerry Krause, fellow players, members of the media, coaches, on and on. He lets you know how frustrated it was time and time again to be underappreciated. This book was a lot of fun. I love trips down basketball memory lane and have read Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty, Dream Team, and When the Game Was Ours. I have Showtime (about the Lakers) coming up soon. For anyone who enjoyed 80s and 90s NBA, you’ll enjoy this fun look back.

Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty

Title: Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty

Author: Jeff Pearlman

Genre: non-fiction, sports, basketball

PopSugar Challenge Prompt: A book about a subject you’re passionate about

I have been a Lakers fan my entire life. Magic Johnson is my all-time favorite player. The day he retired, I cried. Although the Lakers are mostly great, I remember the rough years, too. My blood still runs purple and gold, no matter what. I loved reading When the Game Was Ours, co-written by Magic and Larry Bird and the Dream Team about the 1992 Olympics. But reading about the time *after* those glory days was new territory for me.

From Goodreads: In the history of modern sport, there have never been two high-level teammates who loathed each other the way Shaquille O’Neal loathed Kobe Bryant, and Kobe Bryant loathed Shaquille O’Neal. From public sniping and sparring, to physical altercations and the repeated threats of trade, it was warfare. And yet, despite eight years of infighting and hostility, by turns mediated and encouraged by coach Phil Jackson, the Shaq-Kobe duo resulted in one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. Together, the two led the Lakers to three straight championships and returned glory and excitement to Los Angeles.

When Kobe died, I cried. I can’t even explain why. I was never a huge Kobe fan. But the loss hit me hard. He was my age, and I just can’t imagine dying the way he did. And the man he became was not the man he always was. He’s awful in this book. Just one of the worst people you could meet. Rude, selfish, standoffish, you name it. His talent was undeniable, but he also never shared the ball to elevate his teammates. As lovable as Shaq was, Kobe was just a ball of frustration to his peers, the media, coaches, basically anyone he came across.

As much as I enjoyed my trip down memory lane, it was hard to read Kobe in that light. I just had no idea how awful he was. It would have been interesting to hear from him after the book came out to see what he said about how he changed as a person, assuming he did. Maybe he just put on a better show for people in the public. In any case, the book was great. The author did a great job adding in humor to a potentially dry subject. Any fan of the NBA should definitely read this one.