Review of "Banned"

Having remembered Michael Ray Richardson during his NBA days before he was banned from the league, I was interested in this book to see whatever happened to him when he decided not to return to the NBA when reinstated.  It was a great story - all basketball fans should read it.  Here is my review of his memoir "Banned." 

 

Title/Author:

“Banned: How I Squandered an All-Star NBA Career Before Finding My Redemption” by Michael Ray Richardson with Jake Uitti

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Michael Ray Richardson was an exciting, excellent NBA guard in the early 1980’s before he succumbed to the world of drugs, most notably cocaine. He was one of the first players to receive a lifetime ban from the NBA for drug use, but eventually got clean and was reinstated to the league in 1987.  However, he never returned to the league and instead enjoyed his time playing in Europe and coaching minor league basketball.  His journey is told in his memoir written with Jake Uitti.

Drafted in 1978 by the New York Knicks, Richardson realized his dream and goal of playing in the NBA was going to become a reality. His description of his life previous to this draft was enjoyable to read.  It didn’t have any really shocking parts – was raised by a single mother (although his father was part of his life), saw blatant racism, vowed to make a better life for himself and his mother through basketball and went to college through the game.  The only surprise there might be that instead of a storied basketball school, Richardson became a first-round draft choice after playing at the University of Montana.  He does look back fondly at his time at the school and his youth before that in Denver.

It’s refreshing to read about a person who became an addict accepting all responsibility for their actions and not saying that this was because of situations, people or other issues beyond their control.  He realized that he was the one who gave in to the temptations and did not protest when he received the ban.  In fact, later on, he gives the NBA Commissioner at the time, David Stern, credit for saving his life for taking that action.  It is also clear from Richardson’s words that this wasn’t something that he just discovered after his low point – he knew what he was doing was wrong, but just couldn’t stop.

It's also nice to see two other aspects of Richardson’s life – he takes responsibility for the failure of his marriages (not all of them due to drugs) but makes sure that he remains a father figure for his children. It was also great to read about his time playing in Italy as he became a very popular player there where people still would chant his name when he appeared at a function long after his playing days were over. It was clear that he relished his time there and felt it was the right decision for him to remain overseas instead of returning to the NBA.

Throughout the book, Richardson is upbeat and positive, despite the addiction that ended a promising NBA career.  His story is certainly one that is inspiring and shows that one doesn’t have to take the same path after recovery to make one’s life productive after a bad event.

I wish to thank Skyhorse Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Banned: How I Squandered an All-Star NBA Career Before Finding My Redemption: Richardson, Michael Ray, Uitti, Jacob, Gervin, George, Lieberman, Nancy: 9781683584902: Amazon.com: Books

 

Review of "Game Face"

While some people may not remember Bernard King's prowess for scoring in the 1980s, many serious basketball fans will recall his career with fondness despite being overshadowed in the minds of many by Bird, Magic and Jordan.  He was known for his privacy and he has opened up with this very good memoir.  Here is my review of "Game Face."

Title/Author:

“Game Face: A Lifetime of Hard – Earned Lessons On and Off the Basketball Court” by Bernard King with Jerome Preisler

Tags:

Basketball, professional, memoir, Nets, Warriors, Jazz, Knicks

Publish date:

November 7, 2017

Length:

360 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Bernard King is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and was one of the most prolific scorers during his sixteen year career, with his best seasons occurring when he played for the New York Knicks.  He recovered from serious knee surgery at a time when that type of injury meant the end of a career.  In addition, he was known as an extremely private person during his playing days, rarely opening up to the media about any personal issues.

In this memoir written with Jerome Preisler, King opens up about his childhood and the feelings of self-doubt that were always present in his life, even when basketball took him to places he never thought he would reach, such as college (University of Tennessee) and back home to New York.  As a Brooklyn kid, he talks about his experiences in the schools and playgrounds in the area and how he vowed to do what he could to avoid the temptations of the streets.

He also opens up about problems that plagued him during his college and professional careers, namely alcoholism and its associated issues.  He thanks his first agent for assisting him in getting the help he needed to overcome those issues as well.  King’s openness about these matters is something that he would rarely do in the public spotlight, so a reader can only imagine how tough it must have been for him to talk about these subject.  He covers a lot of ground in these areas, but there is not a lot of detail or too much anger or self-pity. These sections came across as his account of what happened, what he did to address them and not much else.

The same can’t be said for when King writes about his basketball skills, however.  It is clear how much he still loves the game and the vivid memory he has for many of his career highlights. This is true from his time playing in high school to his days at Tennessee, when he teamed with Ernie Grunfeld to form the “Bernie and Ernie Show” to his NBA career. He was drafted by the New Jersey Nets where he became a scoring machine early.  He later played for the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz before joining the Knicks where his star shone the greatest.  At each stop, he has mostly kind words for teammates, coaches and front office people.  This is true even if his experience with the team was not so great, such as his time in Utah.  It matches the rest of the book because it has a very positive, upbeat feeling even when King is discussing low points in his life.

Serious basketball fans will love the detail with which King describes the action on the court.  Whether it is describing plays that coaches draw on the board, elbows thrown by opponents such as Bob Lanier and Maurice Lucas or the sweet jump shot that made him a scoring machine, the book is chock full of game action. Casual fans who have heard about him but wish to know more will also enjoy this book.

I wish to thank Da Capo Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Format Read:

E-book (Paperback)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Game-Face-Lifetime-Hard-Earned-Basketball/dp/0306825708/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&dpID=51G2NkUNauL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=detail