MASTERS OF THE GAME: A CONVERSATIONAL HISTORY OF THE NBA IN 75 LEGENDARY PLAYERS

MASTERS OF THE GAME by Sam Smith and Phil Jackson

YELLOW LIGHT

AGES: 9TH GRADE - ADULT

I recently finished this as a read aloud for my basketball-loving, teenage son. Now, before you click over to Amazon and drop it in your cart, make sure you check out the "Heads Up" section, because there is a bit to be aware of.

Sam Smith, former writer for 29 years at the Chicago Times, and Phil Jackson, best known for his role as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and the LA Lakers, team up together to share the journey of the NBA through the scope of 75 legendary players. Beginning with George Mikan and ending with Giannis Antetokounmpo, this book tracks the major changes the NBA has seen over the years from the underhand foul shots to the addition of the three point line to the first black players to the addition of recruiting players from other countries to dunking to the change in focus of the game based on players strengths and so much more! Overall, it's really an interesting read.

Each player has an opening section about him - what skills he was known for, teams played for, accomplishments, injuries, awards, etc. Then it goes into a back and forth dialogue between Sam and Phil. We really liked the opening section about the players and enjoyed learning about them. The discussion section was hit or miss for us. Sometimes the discussion began about the player, but then launched into a reminiscing time of other things going on at that time. My one improvement for the book would be to keep the dialogue focused more on the actual player. We would have loved to have more personal thoughts and experiences about the player that would have helped us "get to know him" better especially the ones that were from before our time. Despite this, my son enjoyed the book, and when I asked him if it should go on the shelf or in the giveaway pile, he emphatically responded, "Shelf!"

HEADS UP - The one thing to note is that there is a bit of language in the dialogue portion. It's not heavy, but it does include a few f-bombs to navigate. When I encountered them reading aloud, I "bleeped" them out.