Values of the Game

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Summary: Bradley's book reminds us how we can all be champions
Review: In this inspiring book, Bradley demonstrates the values that have helped shape him as a person, and enabled him to achieve excellence. The book is a colorful and creative collection of eye-catching basketball photos interlaced with chapters on values of the game.

In describing ideals that have helped him and other champions to succeed both on and off the court, he encourages us all to pursue excellence in our own lives- whatever our life circumstances may be.

He names ten core values that he has found meaningful in his development as a player and a person. They are: passion, discipline, selflessness, respect, perspective, courage, leadership, responsibility, resilience and imagination.

Bill Bradley has demonstrated here that he is truly a man of the people. He wants to encourage every American to celebrate the gifts, abilities and values that give them meaning and hope in their lives.

I highly recommend this book to everyone with the courage to reach beyond their grasp and strive for excellence in their lives. The pictures and stories are great, and the essays are even better. Pick it up today, and also, be sure to make your vote count in November- your opinion matters and deserves to be heard!

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Summary: Inspirational, With Great Anecdotes and Photos
Review: My father, a great fan of basketball, decided that I should read "Values of the Game" by Bill Bradley to learn a few lessons in life. In fact, he thought so much of the book, he passed around a half dozen copies that year to close relatives as Christmas gifts.

I, far less a student of the game, felt I might be at a disadvantage. Not so. Bradley's expertise of basketball is lucid, and his writing illuminates with clarity the salient aspects beyond my ignorance.

This is an inspirational book. It isn't the kind of inspiration found in a John Maxwell book, which is layered in points and subpoints. This is all much simpler than that.

It sums up to: "Play hard, practice often, have goals and never give up." Bradley does this with great photos, powerful anecdotes and a consistent message.

His examples are right on, with memories of great players of old, like Cousy and Chamberlain, as well as current stars like Iverson and Pippen. He even brings in a few Muggsy Bogues stories, and incorporates several pages highlighting WNBA players.

Occasionally, it comes off forced. Not every player he uses for his parables are squeaky clean, even though, as Phil Jackson cites in the introduction, Bradley himself is a committed Christian. This makes for carefully worded analyses of the situation like when referring to Dennis Rodman's famous get-the-ball-even-if-it-hurts rebounding attitude. Bradley merely acknowledges Rodman "isn't everyone's cup of tea" while he admires his tenacity.

Check this one out. The photos alone are worth the price, and you might feel the need to get out and shoot some ball.

Anthony Trendl

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Summary: LESSONS FOR LIFE
Review: PUTTING NATURAL ABILITY ASIDE, BRILLIANT BILL BRADLEY DIPLAYS FOR US WHY HE WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYERS AND TEAMMATES THAT EVER EXISTED, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME SHOWING US HOW THESE SAME QUALITIES CAN SERVE AS THE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS IN EVERYDAY LIFE. INTERESTINGLY, HE TELLS US OF CERTAIN OTHER PLAYERS (ALBEIT FEW) PAST AND PRESENT, WHO POSSESS THESE INGREDIENTS. MARVELOUS, THOUGHT PROVOKING BOOK.

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Summary: A wonderful book about basketball . . . and enduring values
Review: Terrific stories, sensational photos. Buying it for my brother's B-Da

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Summary: Interesting book about a basketball legend
Review: This book is about the values of basketball, and is divided into chapters with titles of values. There is a chapter called discipline, for example. The names of the chapters are passion, discipline, selflessness, respect, perspective, courage, leadership, responsibility, resilience, and imagination.

I really enjoyed this book because of it's easy readability and the wonderful pictures. There were many interesting anecdotes about basketball. Bill Bradley talks about his development as a player, and about the values of the game. The importance of teamwork and hard work is stressed. I found Bill Bradley's story fascinating, because of how the values of the game helped him win. This book related the values to many contemporary and old players, like Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and many others. If you are a basketball fan, I strongly suggest this book.

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Summary: A beautiful book, filled with insight and passion.
Review: This book perfectly captured the essence of sport, the reason why I still maintain close ties to athletics, even with 90 hour weeks as a businesswoman.

It is helpful to know a little bit about basketball, but it's not necessary, in order to fully appreciate the lessons that Bradley asks the reader to consider. I'm buying several copies to share with my co-workers, friends, and players (I have a second job as a college coach).

The book itself is beautifully done, from the layout to the photographs. It's too bad that this book is coming out during the lockout, but perhaps it will remind the parties involved what draws the fans and players alike to the game.

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Summary: Values of the Game extend life beyond the hardwood.
Review: VALUES OF THE GAME

There is complete silence in Madison Square Garden; suddenly "swish" Bradley leads the Knicks to another victory and the crowd is in complete pandemonium. Bill Bradley is no longer portrayed simply as a basketball player and a US Senator, he is now seen as a prolific writer. In his most recent book, Values of the Game, Bradley returns to the scene of his first career and is first great passion, basketball. Values of the Game is a wonderfully written book that is filled with some of Bradley's most intense personal reflections. Bradley revisits the basketball court with the fire of a competitor but, with the mind of a writer. Of course things have changed since Bradley's playing days, the shorts are longer and the salaries are higher but, what separates the winners form the losers remains very much the same. No collection of players no matter how good, can win unless a team is formed. No team can succeed unless they share certain values. Among these values that are displayed throughout the book are courage, resilience, discipline, respect and the most notable the pure love for the game. Bradley also discusses other qualities of the game such as 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 the fans in honoring the game. Values of the Games is also illustrated with dramatic photographs of players, coaches and archetypal games. Pictures range from legends such as Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Cousy; through the brilliant Magic Johnson and Larry Bird years and the greatest player ever, Michael Jordan. Even if you are not a NBA or college basketball fan the book has references associated with other aspects of life. It is filled with life long lessons that doesn't necessarily deal with professional athletes but, things that mundane people can identify with. The quote "Fame, you learn, is like a rainstorm-it come-on fast and then goes just as quickly, often leaving behind a certain amount of destruction" refers to how one should have the right perspective on themselves. One must realize that in life sometimes you will be the hero but, other times you will be the scapegoat. Bradley lets the reader in on basketball's secrets, which turns out, extend to life beyond the hardwood court.

Joe Reed

Rating:
Summary: Values of the Game extend life beyond the hardwood.
Review: VALUES OF THE GAME

There is complete silence in Madison Square Garden; suddenly "swish" Bradley leads the Knicks to another victory and the crowd is in complete pandemonium. Bill Bradley is no longer portrayed simply as a basketball player and a US Senator, he is now seen as a prolific writer. In his most recent book, Values of the Game, Bradley returns to the scene of his first career and is first great passion, basketball. Values of the Game is a wonderfully written book that is filled with some of Bradley's most intense personal reflections. Bradley revisits the basketball court with the fire of a competitor but, with the mind of a writer. Of course things have changed since Bradley's playing days, the shorts are longer and the salaries are higher but, what separates the winners form the losers remains very much the same. No collection of players no matter how good, can win unless a team is formed. No team can succeed unless they share certain values. Among these values that are displayed throughout the book are courage, resilience, discipline, respect and the most notable the pure love for the game. Bradley also discusses other qualities of the game such as 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 the fans in honoring the game. Values of the Games is also illustrated with dramatic photographs of players, coaches and archetypal games. Pictures range from legends such as Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Cousy; through the brilliant Magic Johnson and Larry Bird years and the greatest player ever, Michael Jordan. Even if you are not a NBA or college basketball fan the book has references associated with other aspects of life. It is filled with life long lessons that doesn't necessarily deal with professional athletes but, things that mundane people can identify with. The quote "Fame, you learn, is like a rainstorm-it come-on fast and then goes just as quickly, often leaving behind a certain amount of destruction" refers to how one should have the right perspective on themselves. One must realize that in life sometimes you will be the hero but, other times you will be the scapegoat. Bradley lets the reader in on basketball's secrets, which turns out, extend to life beyond the hardwood court.

Joe Reed

Rating:
Summary: Moving Without the Ball
Review: When I was 10, my father gave me a thin book written by John McPhee called, "A Sense of Where You Are," which was based on his New Yorker feature articles about college basketball's player of the year, Bill Bradley of Princeton. McPhee's title was based on Bradley's observation that an experienced and perceptive player should know where he is on the court at all times, and be able to know where his teammates are, and anticipate Where They Will Be, at all times. McPhee described teammates disappointed in themselves because Bradley would find them with a pass when they were just getting open, and before the teammate was even aware he had beaten his man and was ready for the ball. McPhee observed an exceptional young man, not just a ball player, who had a remarkable sense of where he was in life and where he was going. Bradley has never lost this quality.

Later, with the Knicks, Bradley sacrificed his individual game completely within the Knicks system. His specialties were instantaneous touch passes to teammates breaking to the basket, and moving without the ball to disrupt the opponent's defense and create an open shot.

Bradley is still "moving without the ball." He could have been senator for life from New Jersey, but gave up his seat voluntarily to study and prepare himself more (for the Presidency?) His new book provides basketball fans (and anyone else who appreciates physical excellence, mental discipline, and high moral character, beautifully illustrated and described) with a portrait of what the sport can be at its best, and a lesson about what success takes (and costs). His message connects on all levels, the visual, because of the magnificent collection of photographs, the intellectual, because of the powerful and effective prose (even the photo captions are eloquent), and emotional (especially for the basketball fans reliving the great achievements).

As in the book I received as a child, Bradley quotes the lesson he learned at youth camp from "Easy" Ed McCauley, otherwise famous as the answer to the trivia question, "Who did the Celtics trade to get Bill Russell?" McCauley, a great teacher who obviously worked hard to make it look so "easy," told the young Bradley to always practice, because someday he'll meet someone in competition with roughly equal abilities, and the better prepared will win.

I have a feeling Bradley is practicing right now for the year 2000. With the mess we have in Washington (as well as the NBA) right now, the values he describes are refreshing. I put down the book (a cover to cover read in less than 2 hours) full of hope.