Table of Contents
Praise for LeBrons Dream Team by LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger
Compelling... An uplifting tale of bonding, of a handful of friends who grow as tight as brothers as they get squeezed by pressure, expectations and even racism. Its hard not to root for the group, and its gratifying when their hard work and loyalty to each other leads to a happy ending.
Associated Press
The most high-powered pairing. LeBron. Buzz. The mononymous stars in their respective fieldsbasketballs James, sports books Bissingerteamed up on [LeBrons Dream Team]... an entertaining, well-written reminder that even if he seems to have been around forever, James didnt go directly from the nursery to the NBA.
Sports Illustrated
[James] was smart to hook up with Mr. Bissinger, who showed in Friday Night Lights that he writes about young men and sports as well as anyone alive.
The New York Times
Exhaustively detailed, enhanced by James maturity and candor from six years remove, and Bissingers well-crafted writing providing context... an interesting and worthwhile read.
Dan McGrath, Chicago Tribune
Youll learn a lot about [James] and his hard times as the son of a single, working-class mother, but what distinguishes the memoir is how James turns the spotlight on his teammates. James got all the attention as the star player for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, and [LeBrons Dream Team] is his way of giving thanks to the supporting cast.
Newsday
More about friendship than it is about fame, more about loyalty and hope than it is about the millions James has earned in a few short years as an NBA standout.
Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune
This is a coming-of-age tale, approached from a different angle, and deftly done. The reportage is thorough to a fare-thee-well, what you would expect from a seasoned veteran, and their overall collaboration makes for an engaging read.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
For the ordinary reader, [LeBrons Dream Team] also delivers an emotional wallop. The book can be read as a variation on the themes of masculinity, as a young LeBron and his buddies try out different approaches.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
A poignant memoir chronicling [LeBrons] formative years and coming of age in Akron, Ohio... A compelling autobiography illustrating the evolution of LeBron into a selfless role model worthy of emulation.
Newsblaze.com
An excellent read.
Hoopsworld.com
The coauthors dramatically re-create the minute- by-minute highlights of key games in St.Vs national-championship drive, but they also interject some serious social commentary on the vindictiveness, greed and exploitation that can infect the seemingly pristine world of amateur sports.... A simple but moving story about the double-edged sword of precocious athletic talent and the redemptive power of teamwork.
Kirkus Reviews
A warm, thoughtful memoir by a young man who, one imagines, will never forget his humble origins.
Booklist
When I first saw LeBron James play as a professional, it was his selflessness that dazzled me the most. After reading [LeBrons Dream Team], I now understand why. It is a book of five boys coming together to learn the true meaning of teamwork and togetherness, loyalty and love, through highs and lows and thick and thin. It is a book filled with excitement and unforgettable characters. It is a book that will incredibly move and inspire you.
Jay-Z
Our sense of modern athletes is often limited to what highlight reels and marketing campaigns reveal or obscure. [LeBrons Dream Team] is the compelling and often poignant story of a remarkable group of young men only one of whom happens to be a future NBA superstar. In the end we care about them all, even as we come away with a truer understanding and appreciation of the circumstances and relationships that forged one of the most significant sports figures of our time.
Bob Costas, NBC sports commentator
In the Olympics, LeBron was a star, a leader, and the ultimate teammate. He helped our team become a family. Reading [LeBrons Dream Team] taught me how he became that kind of a teammate, developing the selflessness and loyalty that define who he is. What an amazing story.
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University mens basketball coach and the Gold Medal-winning coach of the U.S. mens basketball team, 2008 Olympics
Reading about LeBron James transition from boyhood to manhood was a thrill for me. [LeBrons Dream Team] is a remarkable and riveting story, filled with lessons of life we can all learn from.
Warren Buffett
The clock ticks, the suspense tightens, the scrappy kids from hard-luck Akron leave you hanging on every shot. But the wonder of [LeBronsDream Team] is that its hardly about basketball. Instead it is a nuanced coming-of-age drama about American culture and race, about organized sports as redeemer and exploiter, and about the blessing and curse of celebrity. At this books heart, though, is an uncommon bond forged in youthful innocence and desire, a friendship at least as meaningful as anything LeBron James will ever add to his trophy case.
Steve Lopez, author of The Soloist
Told in a voice that is streetwise, yet gentle, [LeBrons Dream Team] shows how inner determination trumps bad breaks and how a winning combination of coaches, mentors, and friends turns lucky breaks into a way of life. If a book can have game, this one does.
Madeleine Blais, author of In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LeBron James plays for the NBAS Cleveland Cavaliers. His super-stardom is hard to overstate: at seventeen he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated; at nineteen he became the youngest rookie of the year in NBA history; at twenty-three he was named the third highest paid athlete in the world (including endorsements), after Tiger Woods and David Beckham. In 2006-7 he led the Cavaliers to their first NBA finals ever and finished second place in the vote for the leagues most valuable player. In 2007-8 he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 10,000 points and topped the league in scoring. He was a key member of the U.S. mens basketball team that won a Gold Medal in the 2008 Olympics. The Cavaliers finished the 2008-9 season with the best record in the NBA. They lost the Eastern Conference finals to the Orlando Magic, in which James scored 40 or more points in three of six games. He was also named the leagues most valuable player by a landslide. He is only the third man (and the first African American man) to appear on the cover of Vogue. He has hosted Saturday Night Live, graced Oprahs stage, and appeared on the cover of Fortune.
Pulitzer Prize-winner Buzz Bissinger wrote the American classic Friday Night Lights, which was named the fourth best book on sports ever by Sports Illustrated and the best on football. It was also named the best sports book of the past twenty-five years by ESPN. That work, about high school football in the town of Odessa, Texas, has sold close to two million copies to date and spawned a film and TV series. His other books include A Prayer for the City and the New York Times bestseller Three Nights in August. He is a contributing writer for