John Starks: My Life [AUDIOBOOK] (Hardcover)

~ John Starks (Author) "I was born on August 10, 1965, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and except for two years when I was five and my mother moved the family..." (more)
Key Phrases: preseason camp, flagrant foul, playoff series, New York, John Starks, Coach Riley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

There's quite a story behind the New York Knicks' bad boy of the back court. One of seven children, Starks was raised by his mother in the ghetto of Tulsa. His biggest influence was his older brother, Monty, who witnessed from a jail cell most of his kid brother's rise from playground star to NBA headliner. But it was Monty who engineered John's first break by convincing a Division I school coach to scout John in one of his junior-college games, which paved the way for a scholarship to Oklahoma State. Starks shares stories and opinions about many of his fellow Knicks players and about Pat Riley, his NBA coach for most of his career, and happily recounts his favorite moments, including "the Dunk," his legendary stuff shot over the heads of the Chicago Bull's Michael Jordan and Horace Grant in the 1993 NBA playoffs. The book contains a 16-page pictorial and is accompanied by a DVD that features an interview with Starks (neither seen by the reviewer). Recommended for larger sports collections. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

John Starks: My Life chronicles John StarksÂ’ miraculous ascension from going undrafted after one just one season at Oklahoma State to his stellar career with the New York Knicks. Fans remember his memorable career in New York, capsuled by two remarkable, yet polar-opposite games. The highest of highs would be his triumphant dunk over Horace Grant and Michael Jordan, known in Knick history as "The Dunk," in the waning moments of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls which put the Knicks up two games to none. Starks also holds nothing back about his 2-for- 18 shooting drought in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets, which was the last real chance the Knicks have had for a championship since 1973. Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, Mark Jackson, Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy are all seen anew through Starks' clear, no-nonsense eyes. Starks also describes his other NBA stops in Golden State, Utah and, briefly, Chicago. In addition, Starks names his all-minor league-to-NBA team, his all-heart-on-the-jersey team and his all-shooting team.

StarksÂ’ autobiography describes the starÂ’s rise from life in inner-city Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a child, John did not escape trouble, stealing from stores and later cars with a friend who later died in a high-speed car crash with the police. He credits his escape and rapid rise to the influence of his older brother, Monty, who watched the majority of JohnÂ’s NBA career from behind bars, and the single mother that raised John and his siblings.

John later attended four junior colleges before making his breakthrough and playing Division I college basketball at Oklahoma State. Monty, before he was sent away to prison, was the one who drove John, toughening him up in savage games of one-on-one and convincing John that he had more in him than just being a drug dealer like himself and playing basketball on the playgrounds of Tulsa. It was Monty who called Leonard Hamilton, the then-coach of Oklahoma State, and got Coach Hamilton to come down and watch John play at Oklahoma Junior College, resulting in a scholarship.

Finally, it is a book about family and Starks moving back to Tulsa and raising his family of three children (John Jr. is an aspiring basketball player with a dream to make it to the NBA like his father) with his wife, Jackie, and helping Monty after his release from prison in 2000. Monty now lives in a house on John's property, adjacent to John's house, and has helped him find employment. The two are avid golf partners who, although they constantly fight over everything from Monty rooting for OU and John for OSU, share a bond forged on the hardscrabble streets of North Tulsa.

John Starks: My Life also includes an in-depth interview with John Starks that will take readers Beyond the Book. This very candid, personal interview with John will give fans even more insight into his life. Highlights include John's hilarious stories about his teammates and his emotional farewell message to the New York fans.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC; Har/DVD edition (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158261802X
• ISBN-13: 978-1582618029
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #691,904 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In his own words, get to know the real John Starks, March 25, 2007

By	E. Villasor "tedi31" (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Outside of Patrick Ewing, former CBA veteran John Starks is probably one of the most recognizable figures in New York sports during the 90's. In his book, Starks talks about his humble beginnings--moving from four different college academic programs to making it to the New York Knicks on a technicality (as injured players can't be cut from their teams, John attempted to dunk of Patrick Ewing during the pre-season in 88' and got hurt in the process).

Through his words, Starks shares the will, desire, and tenacity which made him one of the most exciting and controversial players to ever play in the NBA. Starks shares stories that made him the most decorated guard to ever come out of the CBA with accolades such as the winning a spot on the NBA All-Star team and the 6th Man of the year award. He also talks about his horrible game 7 performance in the 1994 NBA finals as well as the trials and tribulations which he and a number of his family members had to go through.

If your a fan of the NBA, this is certainly one ride you wouldn't want to miss! Get your copy today!

If you found this review helpful, kindly vote for it. Thanks!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Starks--Man of the Century, September 18, 2004

By	M. Schneider-Mayerson (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Even if you're a die-hard Pacers or Miami fan, this book will convince you of what we Knicks fans knew all along, what drew us to the former grocery-bagger and CBAer from Tulsa, that Starks is the human being we all like to see in ourselves, his shocking rise to stardom another example of 'the American Dream.' Starks was the best of human nature--tenacious, passionate, ever-the-underdog, and pure; all the while you knew that even when he flipped off fans or head-butted Miller (I'm not saying anyone deserves to be head-butted, but...) he had a heart of gold.

As for the book itself, it's written very simply, but this just lays the sharpness betweens the lines of ethical conduct in Starks' world into starker relief. Furor about this being a book the 'author' didn't even read are really unnecessary. Starks would never claim to being a writer, and it's pretty clear that Markowitz put the book together from extensive interviews with Starks. If that bothers you, fine; for myself, I consider oral testimony a perfectly valuable form of storytelling, and it just so happens that a second party came in to organize and write it down.

I haven't read many of these kinda of books (autobiographies by popular public figures, I mean), but this one is truly fantastic. I just finished Infinite Jest, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Murakami before this, and I treasure this book more than those combined. If you're a basketball fan you will enjoy this book. Six thumbs up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Honest self appraisal, August 1, 2006

By	William D. Tompkins (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Starks does a good job here detailing his life and whats most rewarding is his confession of his errors and failures on and off the court. That is this book's strong points.

There are good photos here.

John discussing some of the nutty fans who stalked him is a good read and my personal favorite is his story of the first time he drives his mother and grandmother thru Manhattan traffic, weaving in and around the taxis. The description of what was going on with the two women had melaughing.

The weakness of this book is the dvd that is included with it.
John should have paid someone a little bit more money to produce this thing a little better. And throughout the book, he repeats a lot of the bad stuff that happened to his brothers over and over again. Hos co-writer should have edited that a little bit better.

Hopefully John will coach the Knicks one day. If you're a Knicks fan, then read this book.