This classic memoir about life in the pros by the NBA hall of famer and former US senator was named a top 100 Sports Books by Sports Illustrated.
Before Bill Bradley became known as a US senator and presidential candidate, he was famous for being a part of the world championship-winning New York Knicks. Now, long after his athletic and political careers have come to a close, his account of twenty days in a pro basketball season remains a classic of sports literature, unparalleled in its honesty and intelligence.
Told with incredible candor, Bradley shows life on the road as a pro-athlete for what it is: a sometimes glamourous, often lonely journey. He takes readers from the court to the locker room; from the seamless teamwork of a winning game to the melancholy of a motel in a strange city. Bradley shows us the abuse of the press alongside the smothering adoration of the fans. We watch in horror as Earl Monroe is beaten outside Madison Square Garden barely an hour after twenty thousand people cheered him. And we come to understand the euphoria and exhaustion, the icy concentration and intense pressure, that are felt only by those who play basketball for keeps.
"A remarkable, searching, smart book." -Newsweek
Autorentext
Bradley went on after his pro basketball career to serve as a United States Senator between 1982 and 1998. Senator Bradley hosts the radio program American Voices, which appears on Sirius Satellite Radio--a program that highlights the accomplishments of Americans, both famous and not so famous. In 1982, Bradley was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2000, Bradley was a Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America.
Zusammenfassung
What readers first notice about Bill Bradley's exceptional book about his life as a pro-athlete, key basketball player for the New York Knicks, is his incredible candor. Bradley holds nothing back--giving us the straight story, describing in full detail the physical and emotional position on the court, to what was said and how it was said, to the somewhat surreal experience of seeing and experiencing the fans in their seats as they applaud or throw things.Bradley's on-court writing is as fast and direct and full of vigor as the game of basketball. The book conveys to us what it was really all about: how it felt to be him in the moment. And he succeeds. What is more striking perhaps is that Bradley balances this with his off-court writing: scenes of driving on the bus with the team through a grey downtown Cleveland as they make their way to the airport--industrial cities that have long ago burnt out, he tell us, the car wheels sucking on the wet pavement. Bradley brings life on the road as a pro-athlete to life. He writes with a directness that is fresh and unexpected. Reader's will enjoy this key-hole view into the life of a pro-athlete: they may laugh at some of what they see, be fascinated, and by turns, be horrified.Life on the Run was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the top 100 Sports Books.