Taking Shots: Tall Tales, Bizarre Battles, and the Incredible Truth Abou t the NBA

Description

Bring a family of four to an NBA game today, and it costs around $500 to watch a bunch of seven-footers take bad shots. Perhaps the quote often attributed to P.T. Barnum is true-there really is a sucker born every minute. The NBA is in trouble. And as NBA agent Keith Glass describes it-he's part of the problem! If team owners are willing to throw millions of dollars his way for marginal players, why should he be the only one with the self-restraint to say "no" In his insightful, funny, and often mind-numbingly bizarre tales of life in the NBA over the last twenty- five years, Keith Glass lets it fly from half-court. He'll tell you how we got to the present state-where an agent who makes millions off the game can't sit through one; why our NBA stars couldn't capture Olympic gold; and why the game he loves is in dire need of help. Glass has seen it all as the representative of players like Mark Eaton, the seven-foot-five center found working as a mechanic because he hated basketball; Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who converted to Islam and brought the wrath of the league upon him when he refused to stand for the National Anthem; and first-round draft pick Quincy Douby, who was forced to enter the draft before graduating from Rutgers because of the harsh NCAA rules regarding college eligibility. With informative chapters such as "How to Feed Your Family on Only $14 Million a Year," "Eighty-one Feet of White Centers," and "From 6'11" to the 7- Eleven," Glass shatters the myth of NBA marketing: that everything about the game is great, and that as long as the fans in the luxury boxes are happy and weighed down with expensive merchandise, all is well. But have no fear! Keith Glass doesn't preach about the evils of highlight film slam-dunks-he'll just have you falling down laughing as he flagrantly fouls the league that was once the envy of the pro sports world.

Keith Glass has coached basketball at the high school and college levels (he was an assistant coach at UCLA), and has been a longtime agent for NBA players. He lives in Rumson, New Jersey, with his wife, Aylin Guney Glass, who played professional basketball in Turkey. He is the father of five children-Sami, Tyler, Alex, Maggie, and Lucas.

"Part memoir, part purist manifesto...a winding tour of everything right and wrong with the NBA." -- New York Times "...Entertaining and enlightening." -- Chicago Tribune "Taking Shots should be required reading for anyone who cares about the game." -- Fran Fraschilla, ESPN college basketball analyst "Interesting, insightful, humorous and factual--Taking Shots has it all! A must read for any and all basketball or sports fan." -- Jud Heathcote, former coach, Michagan State "I thought Keith Glass's book was terrific. Taking Shots will now be required reading at St. Anthony's." -- Bob Hurley, St. Anthony High School "Through humor, he expresses a fairly weighty opinion... Keith may have outsmarted us all with his covertly brilliant writing style." -- Paul Shirley, Phoenix Suns, author of Can I Keep My Jersey? "...insightful and at times very funny." -- Sports Illustrated "...a wild ride from start to finish." -- Asbury Park Press "I found myself only reading 20-25 pages at a time, because I didn't want it to end too soon." -- Phil Jasner, Philadelphia Daily News "Glass displays a razor-sharp wit and an amazing capacity to tell a story. ...fans will love this book..." -- The Tennessean "Glass is deliciously passionate about things. ...Strong opinions make for good reading." -- Orlando Sentinel "...It's a good read, a rollicking ride, and bodes well for Glass's retirement job as a stand-up comedian..." -- Montreal Gazette "Glass has had some intriguing experiences as an agent for NBA players...he has some stories to tell..." -- Bill Littlefield, WBUR "For an irreverent look at NBA life from an insider, consider the new book Taking Shots by Keith Glass." -- Good Times "Arguably the best basketball book that came out in 2007. ...For those looking to get into the industry...this book is basically a must-read. It's all told in a pointy, cynical tone... ...Extremely informative and entertaining." -- draftexpress.com