Synopses & Reviews
In The Jump, one of America’ s great sports writers follows high school phenom Sebastian Telfair on his quest for NBA stardom— and exposes all that big-time sports in America has become, the good and the bad. Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James— all became NBA superstars without playing a day of college ball. In 2004, Coney Island’ s 5-foot-11 Telfair became the first small player ever to jump straight from high school to the NBA when he signed contracts with the Portland Trail Blazers and Adidas worth $25 million.
Author Ian O’ Connor, who followed every moment of Telfair’ s senior year, draws on exclusive interviews with friends, family members, coaches, recruiters, agents, and players to tell the story of the young star’ s road out of the crime-ridden projects and into the NBA. And O’ Connor brings readers up to date on Telfair’ s fate in the NBA in an all new chapter.
Review
"Telfair emerges as a likable young man whose millions, at this point, guarantee him only that others will continue to take advantage of him. This will be the most discussed book of the NBA season." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"A must-read for anyone who cares about basketball, about sports, or about young athletes trying to come of age." John Feinstein, author of A Season on the Brink
Review
"Anyone looking for evidence of how the culture of sports has changed (for better and for worse) will find it in Ian O'Connor's engrossing account of Sebastian Telfair's young life." Bob Costas, NBC Sports
Review
"No journalist in America gets to the heart and soul of sports culture stories like Ian O'Connor." Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times
Review
"The Jump stands tall as the definitive work on the preps-to-pros phenomenon that has dramatically altered the culture of the sport." Harvey Araton, coauthor of Money Players: Days and Nights Inside the New NBA
Synopsis
On NBA draft night, June 24, 2004, high school senior Sebastian Telfair awaited his future inside a suite at the Trump International Hotel. One of the most hyped high school players of all time, with a $20 million Adidas deal in hand, Sebastian found himself in the same position as NBA superstars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, both of whom shot to stardom without playing a day of college ball.
The Jump offers an inside view of Sebastian's journey a rags-to-riches story of a kid from the Coney Island projects who succeeds in leaving behind the chaos, violence, and economic hardship at home for a multi-million dollar life of professional ball and product endorsement. Drawing on exclusive interviews with friends, family, coaches, recruiters, agents and players, USA Today columnist Ian O'Connor offers an intimate portrait of the promising young player's senior year at Lincoln High School and explores the changing nature of basketball in America today.
Synopsis
One of America's great sports writers follows high school point guard phenom Sebastian Telfair on his quest for NBA stardom and exposes all that big-time sports in America has become, the good and the bad.
Synopsis
In The Jump, one of America's great sports writers follows high school phenom Sebastian Telfair on his quest for NBA stardom and exposes all that big-time sports in America has become, the good and the bad. Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James all became NBA superstars without playing a day of college ball. In 2004, Coney Island's 5-foot-11 Telfair became the first small player ever to jump straight from high school to the NBA when he signed contracts with the Portland Trail Blazers and Adidas worth $25 million.
Synopsis
In The Jump, one of America's great sports writers follows high school phenom Sebastian Telfair on his quest for NBA stardom--and exposes all that big-time sports in America has become, the good and the bad. Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James--all became NBA superstars without playing a day of college ball. In 2004, Coney Island's 5-foot-11 Telfair became the first small player ever to jump straight from high school to the NBA when he signed contracts with the Portland Trail Blazers and Adidas worth $25 million.
Author Ian O'Connor, who followed every moment of Telfair's senior year, draws on exclusive interviews with friends, family members, coaches, recruiters, agents, and players to tell the story of the young star's road out of the crime-ridden projects and into the NBA. And O'Connor brings readers up to date on Telfair's fate in the NBA in an all new chapter.
About the Author
IAN O'CONNOR, a columnist for USA Today, has won numerous national writing awards and is one of the most respected sports journalists in America. He also appears on ESPN's popular The Sports Reporters and on roundtable shows on WCBS-TV. He lives in northern New Jersey.