Spencer Haywood was one of the first basketball players I enjoyed watching as a kid learning the game and when I saw this book, I was interested. It wasn't what I hoped it would be but it wasn't a bad read either. Here is my review of "The Spencer Haywood Rule"
Title/Author: “The Spencer Haywood Rule: Battles, Basketball and the Making of
an American Iconoclast” by Marc J. Spears and Gary Washburn
Rating: 3 of
5 stars (good)
Review: It
is isn’t often an athlete will have a certain rule or process named for him or
her, but Spencer Haywood is one of those athletes. After bucking the NBA’s rule for not allowing
players who did not attend at least three years of college and playing in the
rival ABA, the NBA changed and allowed players that young to compete. The amended rule was known for a long time as
the “Spencer Haywood Rule” and that is the title of this biography of Haywood
by Marc J. Spears.
There
are many aspects of Haywood’s life that even hardcore fans of that era of
basketball in the 1970’s and early 1980’s will learn. Not many realized that he was working picking
cotton in Mississippi before going to Detroit and learning that his basketball
skills will bring him farther than he dreamed. It was also interesting to read about his time
on the 1968 US Olympic basketball team and his perspective on the civil rights
issues of the time. It was clear from
his commentary that despite the extra attention he received and the perks that
come with his celebrity, he did not forget the struggles of not only his mother
Eunice but all Black Americans.
There
are some parts of his commentary, however, that will not resonate with some readers. His language is raw at times, as he is quoted
frequently in the book no matter the topic or how he is talking. He does point
out many people and even cities that he felt did him wrong, whether it
concerned his basketball career, his drug use (which was a part of his
basketball downfall) or his personal life.
It would be safe to say Haywood experienced many highs and lows – some of
which were his doing, some of which were not.
This is his life and the way that he sees the circumstances that played
out to make that life the way it was.
For that, no matter how it comes across, it is authentic and therefore
worth the time to read.
I
wish to thank Triumph Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an
honest review.
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