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Money Players: Inside the New NBA [Mass Market Paperback]

Armen Keteyian (Author), Harvey Araton (Author), Martin F. Dardis (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)


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Book Description

April 1, 1998
The high-stakes action you never get to see

The New NBA is the hottest game in town, a showcase for big men and bigger money. But the real games have always taken place off the court. Now, three of America's top sports journalists have teamed up to create a fascinating, thoroughly documented behind-the-scenes portrait of the NBA. For the first time, Money Players tells the complete stories behind:

  • How the Detroit Pistons superstar Isiah Thomas was said to be heavily in debt from dice games, raising questions about the depth of his ties to a sports-betting ring involving organized crime figures

  • The murder of Michael Jordan's father, the superstar's retirement and triumphant return, and his high-stakes gambling with shady characters

  • The rise of Commissioner David Stern, whose billion-dollar success story is now dangerously at odds with the reckless superstars it created

  • The entrenched racism in the NBA; the power of agents over players and entire franchises; a new generation of players on the edge; and much more.

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    Editorial Reviews

    Review

    Fred Girard The Detroit News A densely detailed account of the marketing miracle that is the NBA. -- Review

    From the Publisher

    The New NBA is the hottest game in town, a showcase for big men and bigger money. But the real games have always taken place off the court, hidden from public view -- until now. Three of America's top sports journalists have teamed up to produce the definitive work on the New NBA, exposing a sport threatened by crisis and scandal.

    Picking up where David Halberstam's Breaks of the Game left off, Money Players combines meticulous reporting and superb writing to create a fascinating behind-the-scenes portrait of the NBA. While revealing the often troubling truth about the controversies that plague the league, the authors also take an unflinching look at David Stern, whose billion-dollar success story is now dangerously at odds with the increasingly reckless superstars it created.

    Against the backdrop of the tumultuous 1995-96 season, the New NBA comes into focus through the innocent but typically myopic eyes of No. 1 draft pick Joe Smith. Follow him as he enters a world of engaging characters and oversized egos -- a world rife with racial conflict, drug abuse, and gambling. For the first time, Money Players tells the complete stories behind:
    How Detroit Pistons superstar Isiah Thomas was said to be heavily in debt from dice games, raising questions about the depth of his ties to a sports betting ring involving organized crime figures
    The murder of Michael Jordan's father, the superstar's retirement and triumphant return, and his high-stakes gambling with shady characters
    The vulnerability of NBA players to the forces of organized crime
    The entrenched racism in the NBA; the power of agents over players and entire franchises; a new generation of players on the edge; a much more.

    At the core of it all is a riveting profile of Commissioner Stern, the master showman whose extraordinary vision and intellect turned a dying sport -- viewed in the early 1980s as too black and drug-infested -- into a case study worthy of Harvard Business School. But the authors reveal that what Stern has achieved through marketing genius is at risk because of the failure of the NBA to deal with its most serious problems.

    Thoroughly documented and unflinchingly honest, Money Players ventures where NBA investigators dare not go. The result is both a myth-shattering exposé and a landmark in the chronicle of professional sports. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


    Product Details

    • Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
    • Publisher: Pocket Books (April 1, 1998)
    • Language: English
    • ISBN-10: 0671568108
    • ISBN-13: 978-0671568108
    • Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
    • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
    • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
    • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #836,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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    Customer Reviews

    7 Reviews
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    2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
    4.0 out of 5 stars Deep Probe Into Sensitive NBA Issues, June 28, 2001
    By 
    P. Sedun (Vancouver, B.C.) - See all my reviews
    (REAL NAME)   
    This review is from: Money Players: Inside the New NBA (Mass Market Paperback)
    Page-turning behind-the-scenes analyses of major NBA issues of the 1990's such as the Isaiah Thomas point-shaving scandal, players' union unrest, Micheal Jordan's gambling habits, the murder of his father and other issues the NBA proved to have little interest in investigating much less proving. The title of this book should be "Money League" as David Stern and his puppets are clearly more interested in doing whatever it takes to boost international exposure and television ratings while maximizing revenues, as this book accurately suggests, than doing their best to protect and ensure the compliance of the league's most valuable assets - the players.
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    1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting book, March 7, 2001
    This review is from: Money Players: Inside the New NBA (Mass Market Paperback)
    This book really goes behind the scenes in the NBA. While Keteyian and Co. certainly don't pull any punches, it might have been nice to see some of the positive things in the NBA discussed. But I guess sensational news is what sells and this book has no shortage of it. The authors talk about David Stern, Michael Jordan's gambling and the murder of his father, the drugs and gambling problems that plague many players, and also about how Joe Smith and his family coped with NBA life. I was really shocked to see how deep the problems with gambling and drugs go. If you are an NBA fan, definitely read this.
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    1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you love the NBA you will love this book!, April 22, 1998
    This review is from: Money Players: Inside the New NBA (Mass Market Paperback)
    I was excited to read the in depth stories to the headlines that the NBA sweeps under the rug. I wasn't able to put it down, read it cover to cover and am saving it to read again soon. Well written and definitely a good subject. Hope there is more soon.
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    Inside This Book (learn more)
    First Sentence:
    ONE SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN MID-AUGUST OF 1994, DAVID Stern stood under the makeshift bleachers of the mammoth SkyDome in Toronto, Canada, and made a bold pledge that revealed two most un-Stern-like public qualities: anger and ego. Read the first page
    Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
    New York, Michael Jordan, Joe Smith, David Stern, Isiah Thomas, New Jersey, Buck Williams, David Falk, James Jordan, Kevin Garnett, North Carolina, Dream Team, Golden State, Magic Johnson, San Antonio, Letha Smith, Marc Fleisher, South Carolina, Los Angeles, Len Elmore, Larry Bird, Billy Taylor, Grant Hill, Willie Brown, Joe Dumars
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