Keepin' It Real:: A Turbulent Season At The Crossroads With The Nba

Larry Platt answers this and many other questions about the state of the NBA as he recounts from behind-the-scenes the remarkable 1997-98 season through the trials and triumphs of five high-profile players. There's Charles Barkley, bad boy turned old-guard statesman who wants one last shot at the ring. There's Chris Webber, the immensely talented superstar-to-be, who has spent four years fighting his reputation as a prima donna. Matt Maloney is the throwback; Jerry Stackhouse, the crossover star: each will go through a lifetimes's worth of changes, betrayals and morale checks for who they are and the choices they've made. Finally, there's Vernon Maxwell, the original GANGSTA hoopster, who can ball up as well as anyone, but whose career is threatened by his impulse to court danger.

An extraordinary look deep inside the game, Keepin'It Real is also a very American story of ability, achievement, and destructive temptation, a portrait of five athletes who compete mightily with all their heart and soul, not just for minutes and a multimillion-dollar payday, but for dignity and pride, and a lasting place in a brutal league that has offered them the world-at a price that just might destroy them and the league itself.

Take his profile of Chris Webber. Platt is right on the money that Webber is a good guy. Insiders know this. But what serious fans struggle with is why Webber has yet to reach his oncourt potential? Was the bar set too high in Washington? Remember: High expectations brought Webber to Washington; high expectations--and teammate Juwan Howard's unmoveable contract--ran him out of town. Platt doesn't touch the subject. He also forgets to mention that one of Webber's worst misteps that season was skipping a team-sponsored event with season ticket holders. Or, what about Webber's brushes with management regarding team planes and personnel moves? As a Wizards fan, trust me, Platt missed a lot of telling details in the Chris Webber saga. Hangin' with C-Webb for a few nights out of the year just ain't enough to qualify Platt as a basketball expert.

And so it goes with the other one-sided pro-player profiles. A generous heaping of objectivity could have saved this book and made a meaningful contribution to the ongoing debate about the future of a multi-billion dollar industry. Keepin' It Real? Get real!


Enlightening look at the lives of NBA players   August 18, 1999
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

In his book, Platt reveals some of what goes on behind the headlines. If anything, it makes us think twice about what the league, management and media types say about the people who actually play the game. While they are paid professionals, Platt shows us how little their pre-NBA experiences prepare the players for the big time and all that fame brings them.

The language used in the book - while rough - only adds to the impact of what the players themselves have to say about what is happening. If anything, language is obviously used as a weapon (esp. in Charles Barkley's case). You really have to think more about the message's intent rather than how it's expressed.

Great book - highly recommended to all those starry-eyed wannabes who think they have the right stuff.


This book is for real   June 18, 1999
While I can't feel sympathy for high-paid professional athletes under any circumstances, I loved this book's perspective. Platt went deep inside, rolling through the nights and smoking blunts with the playas to deliver an excellent look inside today's NBA.