McCallum, Jack

"For far too long the storyline of Indiana basketball has been dominated by [the film] 'Hoosiers.' Framed as the ultimate underdog, feel good story, there has also long been a cultural debate surrounding the film, and 'The Real Hoosiers' sets out to illuminate the narrative absent from the film. This is the story of the real life team that inspired the team that most have long assumed was Hickory High's championship opponent. They were Crispus Attucks, an all Black team playing in the 1950s in a racially divided Indiana. Veteran sportswriter . . . Jack McCallum, excavates the history of the Crispus Attucks Tigers. After a crushing loss to Milan High School (the real Indiana team Hickory High is based on) in the 1954 semi-final (not the final), Attucks went on to win back to back Indiana state championships led by a young Oscar Robertson and an African American coach who recognized the seemingly insurmountable challenges of playing basketball in a state that was a bastion not only for the game but also for the Ku Klux Klan. This is much more than a sports story. The history of Attucks is rich, far beyond the basketball court, and filled with cultural influence and importance. 'The Real Hoosiers' replaces a lacuna in the history of Indiana while dissecting the myths and lore of basketball; placing the game in the context of migration, segregation, and integration; and enhancing our understanding of this country's struggle for Civil Rights"--Provided by publisher.

"The bestselling author of Dream Team tells the interconnected stories of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors and the early-1970s Los Angeles Lakers, two extraordinary teams playing in extraordinary times and linked by one extraordinary man: Jerry West. During their 1971-72 championship season, the L.A. Lakers won thirty-three games in a row, a streak that still stands as the longest and greatest in the history of American professional sports. It was a run of uninterrupted dominance that predated by decades the overwhelming firepower of today's Warriors, a revolutionary team whose recent seasons include some record-threatening win streaks of their own. In Golden Days, acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum uses these two teams--the Jerry West/Wilt Chamberlain/Elgin Baylor Lakers and the Stephen Curry/Kevin Durant/Draymond Green Warriors--to trace the dynamic history of the National Basketball Association, which for much of the last half-century has marched memorably through the state of California. Tying together the two strands of McCallum's story is Hall of Famer West, the ferociously competitive Laker guard who later became one of the key architects of the Warriors. With "the Logo" as his guide, McCallum takes us deep into the locker rooms and front offices of these two era-defining teams, leveraging the access and authority he has amassed over his forty-year career to create a picture of the cultural juggernaut that the NBA has become. Featuring up-close-and-personal portraits of some of the biggest names in basketball history, from the larger-than-life Wilt Chamberlain to the innovative Warriors coach Steve Kerr to the transcendent duo of Curry and Durant, Golden Days is a history, not just of a changing sport, but a changing America, as seen through the prism of two teams that ruled the league during times of violence and political turmoil--the Charles Manson murders and the athlete-activist in the age of Trump among the narrative backdrops. In the end, McCallum's book leaves an indelible portrait of West, the man who lived, played, and worked through it all--and who remains, on the cusp of his eightieth birthday, one of the most vital, complicated, and compelling figures in all of sports. Advance praise for Golden Days "With his classic eye for detail and deadpan wit, Jack McCallum connects two of the greatest teams in sports history through the endlessly fascinating persona of Jerry West. McCallum manages to unearth new details about some of the giants of the game, while shining a light on overlooked figures such as Elgin Baylor, delivering an original, fascinating, and breezy read."--Zach Lowe, senior writer, ESPN "I spent some of the 2016-17 season working as a consultant for the Golden State Warriors, but even I didn't know every detail of how this championship team came together. Golden Days breaks that all down and shows how the Warriors have revolutionized basketball."--Steve Nash, two-time MVP"--.

Provides an account of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team, showcasing its achievements from its inception through its eventual acquisition of the gold medal. Contains all-new interviews with the players and includes color photographs.

Months after his graduation from Yale, Jamal Kelly joins the front office of the Los Angeles Lasers and finds himself thrown into the fast-paced sport's world, filled with big egos, fast cars, loose women, and high-stakes.

In Dream Team, acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team.