EXCERPTS
KOBE BRYANT: Chasing Perfection
"Check the résumé—it’s absolutely impeccable. A 6'6"
shooting guard with limitless physical tools, a hell-bent
perfectionist, Kobe Bryant works tirelessly to condition
his body and enhance his game. He’s fearless in the clutch,
voraciously competitive, and serious to the point of bleakness..." VIEW PAGES
TIM DUNCAN: Mechanical Gothic
"Tim Duncan proves that absence of style can be style in
and of itself, a paradox that defines his daily actions and
decisions. Duncan is a figure seemingly birthed from
Mount Rushmore’s granite façade, yet his movement is fluid.
He faces up to his opponents with the saucer-like eyes of a German
shepherd, yet with his..." VIEW PAGES
GILBERT ARENAS: The Court is a Carnival
"Gilbert Arenas is the NBA’s court jester, a font of outrageous
utterances and unfathomable behavior. But
even if he weren’t an inveterate ham, he’d still be one
of
the NBA’s most peculiar creatures. The Washington
Wizards
guard has earned a reputation for outlandish pranks, Byzantine
rituals..." VIEW PAGES
AMARE STOUDEMIRE: Prodigal Sun
"There are no second acts in American lives. We all get
fifteen minutes of fame. It’s better to burn out than to fade
away. Only the good die young. These are the clichés Amare
Stoudemire stewed in for all but two games of the 2005–06
season, as he recovered from a knee injury. His last real action
had come in the...." VIEW PAGES
TRACY McGRADY: Effortless Agony
"The career of Tracy McGrady will be forever tinged with
disappointment. T-Mac is a seven-time All-Star, two-time
scoring champ, and one of the game’s most sublime offensive
forces. Yet many maintain that he’s fallen short of his initial
promise. And while McGrady has frequently played on winning
teams, his playoff track record is a study in Sisyphean despair..." VIEW PAGES
WHEN THEY WERE MAYORS
"Marion Barry. Buddy Cianci. Sharpe James. Frank Rizzo. These names may
be tarnished today, but there’s no denying the sway they once held over
the citizenry of DC, Providence, Newark, and Philly. Local politics don’t
just decide leadership; they let a populace decide what they stand for, what their
Facebook profiles should look like. There’s a direct line from the hearts and minds
of the people to these elected officials..." VIEW PAGES
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