Dimensions
153 x 230 x 27mm
A big-hearted memoir by the most promising professional basketball player of a generation, Jay Williams, wthat details his rise to stardom with the Chicago Bulls, the terrible accident that ended his career and took him into the depths of a deep and life-altering depression, and how he clawed his way out Ten years have passed since Jay Williams-the best basketball player of a generation, the man who the Chicago Bulls drafted with their top pick and gave Michael Jordan's locker-ran his high-performance motorcycle straight into a light pole, breaking his pelvis, severing the main nerve in his leg, and tearing every ligament in his knee. Sometimes, the memories are so fresh, he feels like he'll never escape the ghosts of his past. On most days, however, he has found a quiet peace-in front of the ESPN cameras, as a commentator, and in his entreprenurial efforts-that makes him look back and only shake his head at his younger self. A kid who had it all. A kid who thought he was invincible. Now, though he has lost everything material in his life, even the prodigal talent that brought him so high and laid him so low, he says "I am a better man for having survived." In addition to detailing his accident, this book will weave throughout the behind the scenes of an All-American playing career. From the often scandalous recruiting process in high school to deciding to return to Duke and Coach K, a man who taught Jay about accountability, to finish his education. There is a lot of controversy surrounding college recruiting, and Jay has no intention of shying away from what he has witnessed both as a player and, for a time during his recovery, an agent himself. He wants to address the corruption at all levels - from coaches and administrators to players and alumni. He also will narrate his first year in the NBA and address the culture in the pros. There is an entire underworld of gambling, drugs, and sex that goes on in every city and with players on every team.