Talk of Champions: Stories of the People Who Made Me: A Memoir

"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"--