{"product_id":"masters-of-the-game-a-conversational-history-of-the-nba-in-75-legendary-players","title":"Masters of the Game: A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe legendary sportswriter and the Hall of Fame, eleven-time NBA champion coach separate the music from the noise in the stories of the greatest who ever played and their impact on the game\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSam Smith and Phil Jackson grew to know and respect each other in the late 1980s, when Smith was a \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e sportswriter and Jackson was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls. Forty years later, the two remain close friends. In 2021, Smith helped the NBA arrive at a list of the seventy-five greatest players of all time in celebration of its seventy-fifth anniversary. Phil Jackson was asked to participate too, but he's not a big fan of ranking greatness. They've been enjoying the argument ever since. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eMasters of the Game\u003c\/i\u003e, Smith and Jackson chop it up about the basketball life, the sport, and the genius and the shadow side of the all-time greats: Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Bill Russell, Wilt, Jerry West, Bird, LeBron, KD, Steph Curry, Bill Walton, and more. In a conversation full of high-grade analysis and high-grade gossip, we meet the stars of long-ago eras of basketball and see the mark race left on players and the business of the game--and we get a master class on character and the alchemy of a good team. And of course, inevitably, these two old heads get into the GOAT debate. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThere are so many huge characters here, and Smith and Jackson can hold their own with any of them. Their spirit--sharp, wise, irreverent, honest, respectful of the lore and legacy of the game but never pious--and the clash of their different perspectives combine to make this book a joyous ride, a short course in greatness open to all students.","brand":"Phil Jackson, Sam Smith","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47288931057900,"sku":"9798217060702","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9798217060702.jpg?v=1770580829","url":"https:\/\/intl.allstora.com\/products\/masters-of-the-game-a-conversational-history-of-the-nba-in-75-legendary-players","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}