Michael Jordan

Description

When most people think of Michael Jordan, they think of the beautiful shots, his body totally in sync with the ball, hitting nothing but net. He is responsible for incredible moments so ingrained in basketball history that they have their own names: The Shrug, The Shot, The Flu Game. But for all his greatness, there's also a dark side to Jordan: a ruthless competitor, a gambler. There's never been a biography that balanced these personas-until now. Drawing on personal relationships with Jordan's coaches; countless interviews with friends, teammates, family members, and Jordan himself; and a career in the trenches covering Jordan in college and the pros, Roland Lazenby provides the first truly definitive study of Jordan: the player, the icon, and the man.

Roland Lazenby has taught journalism at Virginia Tech and Radford University for two decades and is the author of Mindgames: The Long, Strange Journey of Phil Jackson, Jerry West, and Blood on the Horns, among other books. He is a frequent contributor to sports documentaries, including ESPN's Sports Century, and a regular guest on television and radio programs. Lazenby's work has been cited in numerous publications and websites, including Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post, and NBA.com. He lives in Salem, Virginia.

Praise for JERRY WEST "A superior account of one of American sports' most compelling, complicated figures...by turns, smart, beautifully reported, well-written and psychologically shrewd....Where this book breaks fascinating new ground is in its exploration of West's tormented perfectionism." -- Los Angeles Times "A thoughtful, serious biography of an athlete both blessed and cursed by talent and a competitive spirit." -- Booklist "Lazenby managed to make sense of this complex man...West's career and life deserved a book like this. It's highly recommended." -- Slam Magazine