000			04843cam a22004458i 4500
001			on1334894891
003			OCoLC
005			20230526144412.0
008			220707s2023 nyuaf e 000 0aeng
010			_a 2022031281
040			_aDLC _beng _erda _cDLC _dOCLCF _dBDX _dTOH _dOI6 _dUAP _dACN _dGL9 _dYDX _dNFG
019			_a1341261499 _a1377727907
020			_a9780385548052 _q(hardcover)
020			_a0385548052 _q(hardcover)
035			_a(OCoLC)1334894891 _z(OCoLC)1341261499 _z(OCoLC)1377727907
042			_apcc
043			_an-us---
092			_aSMITH, K. _bS653
049			_aNFGA
100	1		_aSmith, Kenny, _d1965 March 8- _eauthor.
245	1	0	_aTalk of champions : _bstories of the people who made me : a memoir / _cKenny Smith.
246	3	0	_aStories of the people who made me: a memoir
250			_aFirst edition.
263			_a2305
264		1	_aNew York : _bDoubleday, _c[2023]
300			_aviii, 254 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : _billustrations (chiefly color) ; _c24 cm
336			_atext _btxt _2rdacontent
337			_aunmediated _bn _2rdamedia
338			_avolume _bnc _2rdacarrier
520			_a"A riveting, humorous memoir from Kenny "the Jet" Smith - superstar basketball commentator, host of top-rated Inside the NBA, and two-time NBA champion. Smith reveals his thoughtful views on race, the NBA, his upbringing, and an abundance of poignant, colorful inside stories about the star players, coaches, and mentors who taught and inspired him along the way" -- _cAdapted from dust jacket flap.
520			_a"A riveting memoir from Kenny Smith ("Kenny the Jet")-superstar basketball commentator, host of top-rated Inside the NBA, and two-time NBA champion. Smith reveals his thoughtful views on race, the NBA, his upbringing, and an abundance of poignant, colorful inside stories about the star players, coaches, and mentors who taught and inspired him along the way. In his playing career, Kenny Smith was a star at the University of North Carolina before beginning a storied NBA run, playing for six teams and winning two championships with the Houston Rockets. But his tremendous popularity skyrocketed when in 1998 he joined the new TNT show, Inside the NBA-which, for the last twenty-four years, has gone on to be the nation's top-rated basketball commentary show, winning multiple Grammy awards and gaining enormous acclaim for the humor, insight, social commentary, and unrivaled basketball coverage from Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, and host Ernie Johnson, Jr. In particular, Kenny is known for his laser-sharp analysis and eloquent explanations of the game, the scene, and world around it. In this candid and deep memoir, Kenny crafts a dozen chapters about each of the extraordinary people who taught him invaluable life lessons. His chapter on Michael Jordan-who was a senior when Kenny arrived as a freshman at UNC-is eye-opening and revelatory in a different way than even the massively popular The Last Stand (ESPN/Netflix). His chapters on Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley reveal the real men, quirks, and affections behind the massive personalities. Chapters on legendary coach Dean Smith and superstar Hakeem Olajuwan are fascinating in unexpected ways. Interweaving poignant material about his upbringing in Queens, NY, his parents, his children, and his marriage, Kenny goes right to the heart of the invaluable knowledge he obtained from the important figures around him. He is also a strong, moving voice on race, being Black in a difficult world, and overcoming obstacles. Ultimately this autobiography is a powerful, humorous, addictively readable, rare glimpse inside the world of superstar sports and personalities, with inspiring takeaways on serious issues"-- _cPublisher's description.
505	0	0	_tIntroduction: "I had to join the March" -- _tMichael Jordan: eye of the tiger -- _tJack Curran: the push to be extraordinary -- _tDean Smith: white privilege -- _tBill Russell: good trouble -- _tMichael Jackson (not the singer!): no one does it alone -- _tCharles Barkley: from Malcolm X to Uncle Tom... in the same night -- _tA few words about my mom and dad -- _tShaquille O'Neal: larger than life -- _tKobe Bryant: recognition of urgency -- _tMagic Johnson: breaking the mold -- _tIsiah Thomas: the most misunderstood understood person ever -- _tHakeem Olajuwon: becoming honorable -- _tMad Max, Big Shot Bob, Clyde, and Sam: more notes on what makes a champion -- _tYou kids.
600	1	0	_aSmith, Kenny, _d1965 March 8-
650		0	_aAfrican American basketball players _vBiography. _9146518
650		0	_aBasketball players _zUnited States _vBiography. _949212
650		0	_aSportscasters _zUnited States _vBiography. _9132739
650		0	_aBasketball _zUnited States _xHistory _y20th century.
655		7	_aAutobiographies. _2lcgft _9728
994			_aC0 _bNFG
999			_c368242 _d368242