The Fundamentals: 8 Plays for Winning the Games of Business and Life [Paperback]

Isiah Thomas (Author), Wes Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2002

Isiah Thomas has succeeded at every level of his career. Now, in The Fundamentals, Coach Thomas offers the most important life fundamentals he's identified in his own journey; eight principles that will drive you to higher peaks in your life and career. Coach Thomas reveals how you can acquire the focus and commitment it takes to be a champion. The Fundamentals shows you how to be a leader of integrity, courage, and generosity, and how to act based on what you believe in so that you can achieve your life's mission.

Through it all, Coach Thomas shares stories from his life on and off the court that illustrate the strategies that allowed him to see beyond his circumstances to his possibilities.

Here are hard-earned, field-tested, and easy to grasp fundamentals that will get you off the bench and into the trenches.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A former Detroit Pistons star and the current head coach of the Indiana Pacers, Thomas has a classic success story; he shares it here along with his "fundamentals" principles designed to instruct (and inspire) readers to achieve both personal and economic goals. "I doubt that I would have had the successes I've had in life if it weren't for the survival lessons I learned on the West Side," Thomas writes, describing his early years as the youngest of nine children growing up in a Chicago ghetto. "When I go back to my old neighborhood, whether in my mind or in person, even my worst experiences are sources of strength and inspiration." Thomas's successes aren't just on the basketball court; an investment holdings company and a foundation supporting educational and recreational activities for disadvantaged kids both bear his name. With its easy, colloquial tone, this volume is part autobiography and part advice book; vignettes from Thomas's life are interspersed with the lessons they can teach. The eight primary fundamentals serve as the names of chapters; at the end of each, Thomas lists more detailed "fundamental points." Thus, the "Go Deeper for Commitment" fundamental is illustrated by Thomas's analysis of his and other basketball players' strengths as well as closing points like "Reject self-satisfaction, but trust in the self-confidence that comes with inner strength and a fearless commitment to your goals." The advice isn't revolutionary, nor is it especially focused on business success; still, this serves as a solid motivational tome. (Nov.)Forecast: Sales should be solid, particularly among African-American readers and Indiana residents, though not exceptional given the number of similar books by sports figures published over the past few months. The publisher has planned a large marketing and publicity campaign.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Isiah Thomas is the youngest of nine children and grew up in Chicago, where he attended the noted high school St. Joseph's. He then accepted a full scholarship to Indiana University, where he won the NCAA championship in 1981. After his sophomore year, he was drafted into the NBA by the Detroit Pistons. With the Pistons, he was a twelve-time NBA All-Star, winning two championships as well as the Finals MVP award in 1990. Thomas was named one of the fifty greatest players in NBA history and became a Hall of Famer in 1999.

Recently named the head coach of the Indiana Pacers, Thomas is also very active on the community front, He created the Isiah Thomas Foundation, and he participates in projects for the Fannie Mae Foundation. Thomas lives in Indiana with his wife and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (November 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0066620759
• ISBN-13: 978-0066620756
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,546,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars (...) Business is not a game., October 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fundamentals: 8 Plays for Winning the Games of Business and Life (Hardcover)

Isiah, in an attempt to explain the fundamentals of basketball and business, fails to explain how he single-handedly drove a 50+ year-old league (the Continental Basketball Association)completely into the ground in one year's time. He seemed to forget his fundamental of not paying the millions of dollars he ended up owing several hundred creditors. He also left out his fundamental of leaving plenty of hardworking people in his wake while he walked away unscathed. (...)

Isiah writing a book about business is about as preposterous as his old coach Bobby Knight writing a book about etiquette. My advice? If you'd like to buy a book about business, buy one written by a businessman. If you'd like to read about Isiah, it's simple: just read Chapters 7, 11 and 13. They seem to be his favorite.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Absurd Exercise in Self-Congratulation, December 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fundamentals: 8 Plays for Winning the Games of Business and Life (Hardcover)

There are two possibilities:
1. Thomas wrote this BEFORE he ruined the CBA and bailed on the organization to coach in the NBA. So maybe his recommendations on life and business aren't ones you want to follow.
2. Thomas wrote this AFTER he ruined the CBA and bailed on the organization to coach in the NBA. In this case, he's sadly blind to his lacking business skills, after taking the CBA to bankruptcy with his faulty business plans and generally greedy, self-absorbed behavior.
This book is only interesting in that it shows how people can be so self-delusional. Don't buy this.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Are you kidding?, January 16, 2008

By 

John C. Fernandez (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fundamentals: 8 Plays for Winning the Games of Business and Life (Paperback)

A book by Isiah Thomas on winning? He's destroyed the three organizations he's ever worked for. What a joke.