Review of "Assisted"

Having a recent long car trip to a bowling tourney, I had the time to do something I have not done in quite awhile - listen to an audiobook.  I decided on John Stockton's memoir and it was a good choice.  Here is my review.

RATING: 4 of 5 stars (Very Good)

REVIEW: In most sports memoirs, the author/athlete spends much of the book talking about his or her sports career – whether it is about how their love of the sport came during their youth, their college or professional career and the camaraderie with teammates or competitors and their lives after their career ends – most follow this tried-and-true format.  "Assisted", the memoir of John Stockton who is the all-time leader for assists and steals, is a little different in that more of the book talks more about his family life in youth and adulthood than it does about his basketball career. 

That career, in which he played at Gonzaga followed by 20 years in the NBA, all for the Utah Jazz, was one of the most successful in the game's history. While he and the Jazz never won a championship, he and Karl Malone made up one of the more famous teammate duos and took the Jazz, who had only one winning season before Stockton joined them, to become one of the more successful franchises in the sport.  But despite all of this, Stockton doesn't write extensively about his basketball prowess or accomplishments with the Jazz. Instead, when talking basketball, he concentrates more on teammates, coaches, trainers and other important people involved in the game.  These make even better stories than his own, especially those of his first coach with the Jazz, Frank Layden, who is quoted liberally throughout the book.  He also speaks fondly of his participation on the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic basketball teams, the first two Olympic teams composed primarily of NBA players

However, Stockton spends much time in the book talking about non-basketball items, mostly his family life.  This includes both his youth and his family consisting of his wife Nada and their six children.  Of course, he mentions how sports are important in those lives, especially in his youth and his competition with his brother.  He talks about his Catholic faith and some topics that could generate some debate as well, such as his pro-life beliefs.  This is not to say that he delves deeply into a political debate or into a controversial stance.  He does state, however, how he will speak his mind and will be honest about topics like this, no matter how popular or unpopular his beliefs may be.  Something else that ties into these types of topics is his discussion of life as a Catholic in a city that has a majority of its population as Mormon – and he spends time dispelling some myths about Salt Lake City.

Listening to the audio version, especially as it was narrated by Stockton, lent an air of authenticity to the book.  This was especially beneficial for this last paragraph as the voice inflections helped to show that he was firm in his beliefs.  Although the best parts of the narration, at least for entertainment, were when he would quote Coach Layden with a deep gravelly voice. This book is one that any fan of Stockton or the Jazz will enjoy.

LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Assisted-Autobiography-John-Stockton-ebook/dp/B00F4FKSZI