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Life on the Run
This classic memoir about life in the pros by the NBA hall of famer and former US senator was named a top 100 Sports Books by Sports Illustrated. Before Bill Bradley became known as a US senator and presidential candidate, he was famous for being a part of the world championship–winning New York Knicks. Now, long after his athletic and political careers have come to a close, his account of twenty days in a pro basketball season remains a classic of sports literature, unparalleled in its honesty and intelligence. Told with incredible candor, Bradley shows life on the road as a pro-athlete for what it a sometimes glamourous, often lonely journey. He takes readers from the court to the locker room; from the seamless teamwork of a winning game to the melancholy of a motel in a strange city. Bradley shows us the abuse of the press alongside the smothering adoration of the fans. We watch in horror as Earl Monroe is beaten outside Madison Square Garden barely an hour after twenty thousand people cheered him. And we come to understand the euphoria and exhaustion, the icy concentration and intense pressure, that are felt only by those who play basketball for keeps. “A remarkable, searching, smart book.” —Newsweek
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
November 4, 2021
Loved It
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by one of my heroes as a youth – Bill Bradley. To me Bradley was the perfect player not only an all-star for many years but also an absolute scholar. He studied at Cambridge and later became a member of Congress.
This book explains the insides of a basketball season from taking buses from the airport to sharing a room in a hotel.
I loved it because as a teenager all of the names in this book with the ones that I loved watching both on television and live in person.
If you are a real basketball junkie like I am, then I highly recommend this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by one of my heroes as a youth – Bill Bradley. To me Bradley was the perfect player not only an all-star for many years but also an absolute scholar. He studied at Cambridge and later became a member of Congress.
This book explains the insides of a basketball season from taking buses from the airport to sharing a room in a hotel.
I loved it because as a teenager all of the names in this book with the ones that I loved watching both on television and live in person.
If you are a real basketball junkie like I am, then I highly recommend this book.
September 30, 2021
Where have all the great sports books gone? It is an old genre and not one really practiced by the best sports journalists and players anymore. Now they head to tv and podcasts. Long form journalism, thoughtful analysis, and reflection shaped by time are the victim. Would Kevin Durant or LeBron or any other top 25 player spend their time writing a book about a few weeks during one season? There just isn't money in it anymore. Or prestige.
As for this book, Bradley details a few weeks during one NBA season (I could be wrong, but he never directly says which one). It has to be post-1973, as he mentions the Knicks championship over the Lakers. He is a great writer, not flashy, but precise. He lays it all out ... the practices, the relationships, the travel, the hotels, the girls, the monotony, the friendship, the emerging NBA culture that is nothing like the NBA money and power today. Bradley is thoughtful (this book is similar to Ken Dryden's book on his time in Montreal, but Bradley isn’t as masterful a writer as Dryden) and it seems like he was an ideal teammate.
As a long suffering Knicks fan, I have to take the glory days where I can get them.
As for this book, Bradley details a few weeks during one NBA season (I could be wrong, but he never directly says which one). It has to be post-1973, as he mentions the Knicks championship over the Lakers. He is a great writer, not flashy, but precise. He lays it all out ... the practices, the relationships, the travel, the hotels, the girls, the monotony, the friendship, the emerging NBA culture that is nothing like the NBA money and power today. Bradley is thoughtful (this book is similar to Ken Dryden's book on his time in Montreal, but Bradley isn’t as masterful a writer as Dryden) and it seems like he was an ideal teammate.
As a long suffering Knicks fan, I have to take the glory days where I can get them.
May 16, 2010
Interesting reflection on life in professional basketball. This books features moments about the trivial (Bradley's ruminations on nachos). It also depicts the wildly different personalities on the New York Knicks' team--from Dick Barnett to Phil Jackson to Walt Frazier to Willis Reed and so on. One learns about the individuals and how they did mesh as a team. It discusses at the end of the book, too, why some players retire (note his discussion on Dave DeBusschere).
One of the better "life in a sports season" books around. Especially interesting as one traces the arc of Bill Bradley's life after basketball. . . .
One of the better "life in a sports season" books around. Especially interesting as one traces the arc of Bill Bradley's life after basketball. . . .
December 9, 2023
As someone who doesn't follow professional sports I found this memoir engaging and deeply insightful.
November 4, 2024
Years ago, I read this book for the first time courtesy of a very worn hardcover copy. Now, having picked up this nice paperback edition, I'm reminded of how this memoir is a rare one for a sports figure to write, with deep insights not just into life on the court but off of it.
"Life On the Run" takes place during the tail end of the 1973-1974 season, and its author is Bill Bradley, one of the stars of the two-time champion New York Knicks teams of the early Seventies. Bradley, who would later go on to be a Senator and then a candidate for president, is a deeply thoughtful man, and his writing here (even if done by an unnamed ghostwriter, as per usual with sports memoirs, though I'm inclined to think that Bradley did all the writing himself) is lucid and clear-headed about the perils of stardom and trying to make a living playing a game. His body is wearing down, his constant traveling precludes much in the way of a stable home life, and his window for more accomplishments is closing. And yet he continues not for the fame or the money, but for love of the game.
Alongside Bradley are his teammates Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, and Jerry Lucas, as well as teammate and future coaching wizard Phil Jackson. Led by Red Holzman, the defending champs are profiled over the course of twenty days, which see them on the road and at home in Madison Square Garden. Bradley offers insights into what drives each man, as well as what he has learned from working with them intimately to secure wins in the NBA. He shares a lot of his internal thoughts not just about the NBA but about America at a critical moment in time (never mentioned but always on the horizon is the unfolding Watergate crisis, currently sinking the Nixon administration), and he addresses the racial issues not just in sports but in America in general. Not all of the thoughts expressed here hold up, in part because the course of American history hasn't made allowances for the amount of tolerance Bradley advocates, and because the salaries and social importance of athletes have only gone up from fifty years prior, but there's a lot here to treasure.
"Life On the Run" still holds up as one of the most insightful sports memoirs ever written, and it was a joy to revisit this book and realize that.
"Life On the Run" takes place during the tail end of the 1973-1974 season, and its author is Bill Bradley, one of the stars of the two-time champion New York Knicks teams of the early Seventies. Bradley, who would later go on to be a Senator and then a candidate for president, is a deeply thoughtful man, and his writing here (even if done by an unnamed ghostwriter, as per usual with sports memoirs, though I'm inclined to think that Bradley did all the writing himself) is lucid and clear-headed about the perils of stardom and trying to make a living playing a game. His body is wearing down, his constant traveling precludes much in the way of a stable home life, and his window for more accomplishments is closing. And yet he continues not for the fame or the money, but for love of the game.
Alongside Bradley are his teammates Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, and Jerry Lucas, as well as teammate and future coaching wizard Phil Jackson. Led by Red Holzman, the defending champs are profiled over the course of twenty days, which see them on the road and at home in Madison Square Garden. Bradley offers insights into what drives each man, as well as what he has learned from working with them intimately to secure wins in the NBA. He shares a lot of his internal thoughts not just about the NBA but about America at a critical moment in time (never mentioned but always on the horizon is the unfolding Watergate crisis, currently sinking the Nixon administration), and he addresses the racial issues not just in sports but in America in general. Not all of the thoughts expressed here hold up, in part because the course of American history hasn't made allowances for the amount of tolerance Bradley advocates, and because the salaries and social importance of athletes have only gone up from fifty years prior, but there's a lot here to treasure.
"Life On the Run" still holds up as one of the most insightful sports memoirs ever written, and it was a joy to revisit this book and realize that.
November 9, 2021
Extremely smoothly written, it reads like a long New Yorker article. Lots of good details. I was a little disappointed by Bradley's complaints about money and his insufficient acknowledgement of his luck and privilege, particularly when he encourages poor students to dream of becoming professional basketball players. (How is this a positive message?)
> An elaborate structure of fines punishes tardiness: a five dollar fine for arriving from ten seconds to five minutes late, a ten dollar fine for being up to ten minutes late, and five dollars for each additional minute over ten. Holzman established the fine system with approval from the team. The money collected goes into a pot that is used for a team party at the end of the year. Therefore, it is to everyone’s advantage for Holzman to fine.
> In those moments on a basketball court I feel as a child and know as an adult. Experience rushes through my pores as if sucked by a strong vacuum. I feel the power of imagination that creates a sense of mystery and wonder I last accepted in childhood, before the mind hardened. When a friend tells me that his son cries when I miss a last-second shot, I know how he feels. I cry a little, too. That’s why ultimately when I play for anyone outside the team, I play for children. With them the communication of joy or sorrow rings true and through the playing that allows me to continue feeling as a child I sense a child’s innocent yearning and love.
> An elaborate structure of fines punishes tardiness: a five dollar fine for arriving from ten seconds to five minutes late, a ten dollar fine for being up to ten minutes late, and five dollars for each additional minute over ten. Holzman established the fine system with approval from the team. The money collected goes into a pot that is used for a team party at the end of the year. Therefore, it is to everyone’s advantage for Holzman to fine.
> In those moments on a basketball court I feel as a child and know as an adult. Experience rushes through my pores as if sucked by a strong vacuum. I feel the power of imagination that creates a sense of mystery and wonder I last accepted in childhood, before the mind hardened. When a friend tells me that his son cries when I miss a last-second shot, I know how he feels. I cry a little, too. That’s why ultimately when I play for anyone outside the team, I play for children. With them the communication of joy or sorrow rings true and through the playing that allows me to continue feeling as a child I sense a child’s innocent yearning and love.
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January 5, 2020 Entertaining, Informative
I didn't know what too expect with this book.
I had picked it up on a whim. I'm a "slice of life" type of guy and I thought it would be informative.
Being from New Jersey, I've been familiar with Bradley's pro career and his governmental one. I've always ad.tired him.
The book was informative. It gave me insights into what a pro athlete experiences.
What I didn't expect was that it would be a truly enjoyable read. Bradley's observations and comments about the world around him, to me, we're the cherry on top of the sundae. They filled in the picture and brought me back to those years.
I found it highly entertaining.
I didn't know what too expect with this book.
I had picked it up on a whim. I'm a "slice of life" type of guy and I thought it would be informative.
Being from New Jersey, I've been familiar with Bradley's pro career and his governmental one. I've always ad.tired him.
The book was informative. It gave me insights into what a pro athlete experiences.
What I didn't expect was that it would be a truly enjoyable read. Bradley's observations and comments about the world around him, to me, we're the cherry on top of the sundae. They filled in the picture and brought me back to those years.
I found it highly entertaining.
December 28, 2020
Interesting perspectives from a highly educated professional basketball players playing in a highly volatile time. Cool insights into his teammates and their backgrounds and characteristics. Boring too. So, kind of like Bradley himself.
July 21, 2020
Life on the Run (1976) by Bill Bradley is an account of 20 days of Bradley’s time as a New York Knick in the 1973-74 season. It’s well worth reading for a basketball fan to get an idea of what the NBA was like in the 1970s before it really took off in the 1980s.
For anyone interested in this the 1970 NBA final game 7 can be watched on YouTube along with various other highlights of that Knicks team.
It’s also worth noting that Bradley would be a US Senator 3 years after the book was written and was a serious challenger for the Democrat’s presidential nomination in 2000.
The book has a lot on Bradley’s team mates, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Willis Read, Dick Barnett and Phil Jackson. Of those Phil Jackson is of particular interest given he would go on to coach very successfully at Chicago and Los Angeles. Bradley captures really well what it's like to be part of a team that spends their lives so closely together for 8 months a year.
There is also a lot on the grind of what it was like to travel at that time and their grueling schedule, the disruption to sleep and life on the road. Bradley also reflects on what it was like to be a top basketball player, what he and all of his team mates had done to get there and what it was like for their bodies to fade as they aged and ponder their post basketball careers.
The players were well paid at the time, but nothing like what would come in future decades. Bradley was unusual at the time for doing no endorsements outside playing. It was also an NBA with two referees and no three point line.
Bradley candidly discusses racial attitudes and how the black players grew up and are treated. The back room staff, particularly the coach Red Holzman also get lots of attention.
Life on the Run is very much worth a read for any basketball fan. For people interested in the future Senator Bradley it’s also worth a look.
For anyone interested in this the 1970 NBA final game 7 can be watched on YouTube along with various other highlights of that Knicks team.
It’s also worth noting that Bradley would be a US Senator 3 years after the book was written and was a serious challenger for the Democrat’s presidential nomination in 2000.
The book has a lot on Bradley’s team mates, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Willis Read, Dick Barnett and Phil Jackson. Of those Phil Jackson is of particular interest given he would go on to coach very successfully at Chicago and Los Angeles. Bradley captures really well what it's like to be part of a team that spends their lives so closely together for 8 months a year.
There is also a lot on the grind of what it was like to travel at that time and their grueling schedule, the disruption to sleep and life on the road. Bradley also reflects on what it was like to be a top basketball player, what he and all of his team mates had done to get there and what it was like for their bodies to fade as they aged and ponder their post basketball careers.
The players were well paid at the time, but nothing like what would come in future decades. Bradley was unusual at the time for doing no endorsements outside playing. It was also an NBA with two referees and no three point line.
Bradley candidly discusses racial attitudes and how the black players grew up and are treated. The back room staff, particularly the coach Red Holzman also get lots of attention.
Life on the Run is very much worth a read for any basketball fan. For people interested in the future Senator Bradley it’s also worth a look.
September 25, 2022
Even 45 years after it was originally published, Bradley's mix of insight, self-awareness and candor make a great read about his career in basketball, the Knicks as the sun sets on the core of the team that won the championships in 1970 and 1973 and time takes its inevitable toll. Bradley's insight and sensitivity in his assessments of his teammates, opponents and life on the road are the pillars of a seminal sports book that lives up to its reputation. His portrait of Wilt Chamberlain is more sympathetic than others that I've read and is perhaps more accurate and illustrative of the fundamental dynamics that assail the most talented or physically gifted of NBA players. His characterization of the strengths that Red Holzman bring to the role of Knicks head coach probably could serve as the most comprehensive job description the Knicks need whenever they have to fill or refill that spot on the bench. His eye when detailing the tedium of flight, the charms of constant motion and the unique dynamics of a team that has become familiar enough to work, play and live well together.
The acute detail and sharp insight aside, Bradley's willingness to honestly portray himself as well is another feature that makes the book a great read and one that elicits a sense of wonder at the restrained honesty he brings to this book. One of the great sports memoirs and one that likely is worthwhile read for nonbasketball fans as well.
The acute detail and sharp insight aside, Bradley's willingness to honestly portray himself as well is another feature that makes the book a great read and one that elicits a sense of wonder at the restrained honesty he brings to this book. One of the great sports memoirs and one that likely is worthwhile read for nonbasketball fans as well.
June 7, 2024
Favorite lines:
But in many ways basketball was a lens through which I looked at life. I had, after all, spent ten years as a pro, and I had learned to make judgments about character from what I saw players do on the court.
&
There is too little time, though, and there are too many towns, each one different and exclusive, yet all part of a whole too large to know well in the time available. So I sit in a hotel room reading books […] I remain a performer traveling from city to city with only my work to sustain me. Some day, I say to myself, I won’t be spending 100 days a year on the road. Travel disrupts the continuities of life. Seasons of the years become merely months of basketball games. Some day I��ll wake up in the same place every morning and that will lend wholeness to my life. Flying away to play and returning one week later destroys that possibility not because of what happens to the place, but by what happened to me while away. When I travel constantly the experience I have seems to consist largely of observations and moments of enjoyment […] but never are they lived through and absorbed. I miss that sense of sharing that comes from people living together in one place, one time. I miss permanence.
But in many ways basketball was a lens through which I looked at life. I had, after all, spent ten years as a pro, and I had learned to make judgments about character from what I saw players do on the court.
&
There is too little time, though, and there are too many towns, each one different and exclusive, yet all part of a whole too large to know well in the time available. So I sit in a hotel room reading books […] I remain a performer traveling from city to city with only my work to sustain me. Some day, I say to myself, I won’t be spending 100 days a year on the road. Travel disrupts the continuities of life. Seasons of the years become merely months of basketball games. Some day I��ll wake up in the same place every morning and that will lend wholeness to my life. Flying away to play and returning one week later destroys that possibility not because of what happens to the place, but by what happened to me while away. When I travel constantly the experience I have seems to consist largely of observations and moments of enjoyment […] but never are they lived through and absorbed. I miss that sense of sharing that comes from people living together in one place, one time. I miss permanence.
April 17, 2023
Delightful. I'd heard this was a great basketball book, and it didn't disappoint. Easily one of my favorite basketball books from any era, but definitely for a snapshot of NBA life in the early 70's. There is not a lot in the way of background on Bradley's life, but he expertly provides backgrounds on his teammates, coach, trainer, and many of the opponents he faces, not to mention profiles of many of the cities they visit during the various road trips documented in the book. It's thoughtful, covers a wide range of issues, and comically highlights why it's ridiculous to compare different eras of the NBA. On one plane ride, for example, Bradley drinks 6(!) sodas and a beer. I don't think today's trainers or nutritionists would allow a player to drink anything on a plane other than copious amounts of water to help reduce inflammation.
January 3, 2025
A fantastic insight into the daily life of an NBA player in the 70s—one who was brilliant on and off the court while playing for the best Knicks team of all time. Bradley gives us a tour of the last days of one of the greatest teams of all time while providing tangential commentary on life and society along the way. An essential read for any major hoops fan but also one that any lover of a big city—especially NYC—can appreciate.
July 15, 2025
Insights into the Life of a Professional Basketball Player
I found Bradley to be erudite from the beginning. Even in the first pages, one can sense the presence that Bradley commands in a room. Still, this book is much more than just a brief glimpse into Bradley’s life. It offers insights into a young Phil Jackson - a man whose connection with spirituality is present. Similarity, it offers insights into Clyde.
I found Bradley to be erudite from the beginning. Even in the first pages, one can sense the presence that Bradley commands in a room. Still, this book is much more than just a brief glimpse into Bradley’s life. It offers insights into a young Phil Jackson - a man whose connection with spirituality is present. Similarity, it offers insights into Clyde.
July 3, 2024
This is a top tier sports book. He takes the reader through a 20-day period of life as an NBA player in the mid70s and all the observations are fascinating. Bradley comments on his love of a pure pass-centric version of the game, American racial life, and the monotony of life on the road. I also appreciate the little deep-dives he gives into his teammate.
December 13, 2017
I first read this like 40 years ago, as a kid. Right or wrong, a lot of the stories stuck with me all these years. Life on the road sucks, big cities can be scary as hell, for less grief-keep your mouth shut.
November 17, 2019
Detail-rich account of a few weeks in the life of the post-championship Knicks. Entertaining, interesting and insightful look at the personalities from that team and the lives they lived. Highly recommend.
October 19, 2020
Exceeded Expectations
Short, insightful, smart and detailed. Succeeds in its mission. Funny. and interesting throughout. Its a relatively simple concept and Bradley succeeed with it.
Short, insightful, smart and detailed. Succeeds in its mission. Funny. and interesting throughout. Its a relatively simple concept and Bradley succeeed with it.
May 30, 2017
A fascinating portrait of the NBA and the country in the late 60s-early 70s. Well written and insightful. I recommend if you want to learn about the history of the NBA from a unique perspective.
October 8, 2018
Life on the Run by Bill Bradley is about the career of an NBA player, the book is 240 pages. In Life on the Run Bill Bradley is the author and he describes his life and explains what traveling all over the country to play basketball is like. Bill Bradley faces many struggles, for instance he doesn’t like traveling much. He gets anxiety from the amount of traveling they do. Bill Bradley is also very lonely he often feels like everything around him is moving so fast and he never has enough time to make friends. He explains how his teammate is beat up outside of Madison Square Garden and then cheered on by thousands in less then two hours. The pressure and the loneliness was to much for him. Bill retired after only 20 games into his NBA season. He knew his talents needed to be taken elsewhere.
I enjoyed learning about Bill Bradley’s career and his perspective on the league. Although the book was written in the Late 1960s early 1970s I think this still shows that life is not always as expected. Even though he was a great basketball player he knew basketball just wasn’t the right life for him. It proves by the fact that he later became a United States Senator. His story is very realistic and he goes through struggles any other person may too. It made me realize that just because you are a great basketball player and make lots of money doesn’t mean you will be happy with you life.
I enjoyed learning about Bill Bradley’s career and his perspective on the league. Although the book was written in the Late 1960s early 1970s I think this still shows that life is not always as expected. Even though he was a great basketball player he knew basketball just wasn’t the right life for him. It proves by the fact that he later became a United States Senator. His story is very realistic and he goes through struggles any other person may too. It made me realize that just because you are a great basketball player and make lots of money doesn’t mean you will be happy with you life.
March 11, 2019
Great book about life outside the NBA in the 70's as a NBA player
January 31, 2024
Definitely outdated, but interesting to read about the travails and travels of an ailing 1970s-era Knicks team on the road, and what a team game like basketball can mean to those who play it.
September 11, 2013
Bill Bradley was on the New York Knicks in the mid '70s, along with guys like Phil Jackson and Walt "Clyde" Frazier, back when cocaine was still good for you. The Knicks actually won a couple of championships, which is difficult to fathom. It sounds like a fascinating era, and I'd definitely be interested in reading another book on it.
Life on the Run isn't exactly a filthy, coke-fueled tell all. The fact that he was elected to the Senate a few years after he wrote it should let you know that. (Not that that kind of thing doesn't go on in the Senate.) But he doesn't completely gloss over the sordid realities of life in the NBA circa the early to mid '70s -- he just doesn't dwell on it. He goes into what basketball players did on the road, including his own dealings with women, without being as gratuitous about it as I would have been.
Truth be told, I think his reserve might actually make for a more interesting read. The thing that I found interesting about it was the tight rope he walked as, on the one hand, this Christian athlete white hope figure (who apparently got into Yale and later became a Rhodes Scholar with only a 400-something SAT verbal), and on the other hand as a '70s-era pro athlete surrounded by huge black guys dressed like pimps, who increasingly identifies with his teammates, sympathizing with the black man's plight and growing suspicious of perceived authority figures.
Life on the Run isn't exactly a filthy, coke-fueled tell all. The fact that he was elected to the Senate a few years after he wrote it should let you know that. (Not that that kind of thing doesn't go on in the Senate.) But he doesn't completely gloss over the sordid realities of life in the NBA circa the early to mid '70s -- he just doesn't dwell on it. He goes into what basketball players did on the road, including his own dealings with women, without being as gratuitous about it as I would have been.
Truth be told, I think his reserve might actually make for a more interesting read. The thing that I found interesting about it was the tight rope he walked as, on the one hand, this Christian athlete white hope figure (who apparently got into Yale and later became a Rhodes Scholar with only a 400-something SAT verbal), and on the other hand as a '70s-era pro athlete surrounded by huge black guys dressed like pimps, who increasingly identifies with his teammates, sympathizing with the black man's plight and growing suspicious of perceived authority figures.
February 7, 2011
An autobiographical account from an athlete unlike any other.
"Performed in the midst of a lengthy war, deepening economic woes, and political upheaval, the game gives people a real-life drama that has a resolution. As a form of show business it is completely honest. As a form of human endeavor it is understandable and pure. The performance demands maximum effort, as one sees clearly at courtside. Unencumbered by masks, pads, or hats, the players reveal their bodies as well as their skills. People come and see and know that what they see is real. Fakes do not win championships, or hold opponents scoreless over a quarter, or charge from behind to hit six shots in the last two minutes."
"Performed in the midst of a lengthy war, deepening economic woes, and political upheaval, the game gives people a real-life drama that has a resolution. As a form of show business it is completely honest. As a form of human endeavor it is understandable and pure. The performance demands maximum effort, as one sees clearly at courtside. Unencumbered by masks, pads, or hats, the players reveal their bodies as well as their skills. People come and see and know that what they see is real. Fakes do not win championships, or hold opponents scoreless over a quarter, or charge from behind to hit six shots in the last two minutes."
January 30, 2010
Life on the Run is about a guy named Bill Bradley. He was a professional basketball player and played for the New York Knicks for ten years. During his time with the Knicks they won two NBA Championships. After retiring as a basketball player, he became the Senator of New Jersey. Then in 2000 he ran a campaign for the Presidential Election.
I chose to read this book because I like reading about basketball players but more importantly I chose to read about Bill Bradley is because he is the first basketball player that I know of who went into politics after playing professional basketball. It is also interesting to me to learn what the daily routines of a basketball player is.
I chose to read this book because I like reading about basketball players but more importantly I chose to read about Bill Bradley is because he is the first basketball player that I know of who went into politics after playing professional basketball. It is also interesting to me to learn what the daily routines of a basketball player is.
January 27, 2013
Life on the Run traces the life of Bill Bradley basketball All- American from Princeton, Rhodes Scholar and the NY Knicks. An only child from Missouri led somewhat of a renaissance existence. He was able to use his experiences to pursue his dreams. His contributions to society as a person, athlete, statesman, son and husband are unheralded. His analytical approach to the game of basketball only enhances his persona. He was able to determine if the rim on the basket was straight, if the game ball was inflated properly and the parquet floor in old Boston Garden was suspect to his scrutiny. He eventually had political aspirations and became a U.S. Senator from NJ.
January 21, 2014
What does it really feel like when one is a professional basketball player? What happens to the body? How are the long hours and days on the road spent? How do players treat each other? What motivates them?
While a memoir can only speak for the person writing it, it sure helps when one is as thoughtful and observant as Bill Bradley. Though written about a year of his basketball career, it would seem likely that many players of today would relate to much of what Bradley felt and thought during the season. This is not a book about how to play. It is about the experience of the job.
It explores it all and is quite candid. An excellent read for the sports fan.
While a memoir can only speak for the person writing it, it sure helps when one is as thoughtful and observant as Bill Bradley. Though written about a year of his basketball career, it would seem likely that many players of today would relate to much of what Bradley felt and thought during the season. This is not a book about how to play. It is about the experience of the job.
It explores it all and is quite candid. An excellent read for the sports fan.
August 9, 2007
This book was published more than 30 years ago and it still holds up well. Bradley is the thinking man's professional athlete. His insight on teams, how they function, fame, life on the road, and the inner workings of the locker room are still as valid and accurate today as they were during his playing days. It's obvious he was headed for bigger and better things when his playing career ended.
June 25, 2011
An interesting read by former Knick (and Senator) Bill Bradley. Bradley posts his musings on everything from team defense to racism to traveling during a small stretch of games that he plays. He captures the chaotic nature of the traveling professional athlete very well, even as he was in the 70s. A good read, especially if you love the Knicks or basketball in general. But don't ignore Bradley's sometimes poignant social commentary as well.
January 2, 2011
Bill Bradley's account of a month in his NBA career contains its share of inspired passage, but the brilliance is often tucked between paragraphs of platitudinous filler. This should have been a great book and Bradley should have been president, but in both cases something critical was lacking: Heart.
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