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Why The Best Are The Best: 25 Powerful Words That Impact, Inspire, And Define Champions
Winning the NBA Championship in 2008. Losing in the NBA Finals in 2010. Though they were completely different endings, emotionally, both were amazing learning opportunities that author, Kevin Eastman, experienced as a member of the Boston Celtics coaching staff. These events, and many others from Kevin’s forty-plus years in the game, have motivated him to write Why the Best Are the Best. Kevin will take you behind the scenes and share an up-close look at how and why the best are the way they are. Why the Best Are the Best examines strategies to help you overcome mistakes and failures, as well as ways to turn them into your own personal success plan.
More importantly, this book will help you see that these same mindsets, habits, and strategies are not just for elite athletes or the otherwise famous. We can all insert them into our lives and careers to help us become our best. The best are the best, in part, because of the words they choose to live by. The best individuals and teams define their words, respect the power of those words, and use those words as a foundation for all they do. This book provides the 25 Power Words that will help you learn from the best to create a framework and mindset to become your best.
More importantly, this book will help you see that these same mindsets, habits, and strategies are not just for elite athletes or the otherwise famous. We can all insert them into our lives and careers to help us become our best. The best are the best, in part, because of the words they choose to live by. The best individuals and teams define their words, respect the power of those words, and use those words as a foundation for all they do. This book provides the 25 Power Words that will help you learn from the best to create a framework and mindset to become your best.
215 pages, Hardcover
Published August 10, 2018
76 people are currently reading
400 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Eastman
1,165 books355 followersKevin B. Eastman is an American comic book artist, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 10, 2021
CRITIQUE:
Introduction
What am I doing, reading and reviewing a book by an American basketball coach (Assistant Coach, Boston Celtics, NBA Champions 2008) about champions and leaders?
I've never even seen a live game of basketball. I've only ever watched the Australian Boomers (men) and Opals (women) games on TV.
Whatever little I know about basketball just made me ripe and ready to learn from Kevin Eastman.
But first, a declaration of interest: My first exposure to Kevin was on a webinar at the Gold Coast Elite Sports Conference hosted by RDK Sports International in 2021. One of our daughters works for this organisation, and introduced Kevin in the YouTube video below.
I was captivated by Kevin, by both the precision and clarity of his presentation. I immediately googled Kevin Eastman to see if he had written a book, and, voila, I bought this one.
I've read many management and self-help books over the course of my life and career, but this is the most profoundly insightful and useful.
The Magic of Words
As I suspected from the webinar, Kevin is a composite of a number of different, but related, skill-sets. He's an observer, a listener, a reader, a thinker, a writer, a speaker, a performer, a creator, a philosoph(is)er, a mentor, a leader, many of which roles reveal how much he values words:
Simple, Understandable Lessons
For Kevin, words are the tools with which to make concepts or abstractions both comprehensible and actionable:
Power Words of Champions
The core of the book is a list of 25 "power words of champions", all but one of which are nouns (the other being an adjective, "Unrequired"). Each word is the focus of a single sub-chapter. Each sub-chapter has a relevant quotation from a coach, player or manager, and is followed by a lesson of two to ten succinct pages. These words and lessons are Kevin's legacy, his gift to players, coaches, managers, readers, "those whose lives you touch."
What becomes obvious as you read the book is how generous Kevin is. His most important goal is to cement a player within a team, so that they are not just preoccupied with their own selfish performance, but that they contribute to and lift the performance of their team mates towards the success of the team. Being a champion is not just about the Self, but the Other(s).
This reminded me of my experience as a schoolboy cricketer. I was a leg spin bowler, and one of my class mates with whom I felt a rivalry was the wicket keeper. It seemed that the better I bowled, the more catches and stumpings he executed. I thought I was making him look good. But then I realised that if he didn't perform his role, I couldn't perform mine (taking wickets). If I didn't perform my role, not only did I not look good, but our team wouldn't enjoy success. I changed my attitude, we put our rivalry aside, and our team went undefeated for three years.
This approach emphasises the value of an "assist" or a "goal assist" in basketball and football. It's important to recognise the contribution of a team mate to the player who eventually scores the goal.
Team-ness
This approach is behind power words like "Trust", "Truth", "Sacrifice", "Respect" and "Humility", all of which contribute to Teamwork or what Kevin calls "Team-ness". He refers to Doc Rivers' introduction of the South African concept of Ubuntu ("humanity"):
Kevin doesn't use the word in the book, but what stands out is his "empathy" with everybody he works with. As a coach, his role was to help players realise and achieve their potential as a person, a player and a team mate.
In the Acknowledgements, he attributes this tendency and his success to his father:
Whether in sport, business, government or politics, Kevin's wisdom and perspective are both necessary and productive. This book will help you to succeed and to be a better team player.
[I want to thank our daughter, Lily, for introducing me to the world of Kevin Eastman, and living up to his values every day of her life. She continues to inspire us, her parents and her team mates! Go Tiger Lily!!!]
SOUNDTRACK:
Webinar 2 with Kevin Eastman, Former NBA Assistant Coach, VP of Basketball Operations and Author
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcVyK...
Ray Allen's AMAZING game-tying 3-pointer in Game 6, NBA Finals 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr6Xs...
Ray Allen gets ready to receive a pass and take a shot following Chris Bosh's offensive rebound. Some spectators thought that Ray's move was just good luck.
[Kevin reveals that "Ray had already been there thousands of times before in his practice workouts. He had taken that exact same shot over and over and over again. He knew what that moment would be like because he had prepared for it."]
If you want to achieve best practice, you have to practise best.
Kevin Eastman, Why The Best Are The Best
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3JZN...
Introduction
What am I doing, reading and reviewing a book by an American basketball coach (Assistant Coach, Boston Celtics, NBA Champions 2008) about champions and leaders?
I've never even seen a live game of basketball. I've only ever watched the Australian Boomers (men) and Opals (women) games on TV.
Whatever little I know about basketball just made me ripe and ready to learn from Kevin Eastman.
But first, a declaration of interest: My first exposure to Kevin was on a webinar at the Gold Coast Elite Sports Conference hosted by RDK Sports International in 2021. One of our daughters works for this organisation, and introduced Kevin in the YouTube video below.
I was captivated by Kevin, by both the precision and clarity of his presentation. I immediately googled Kevin Eastman to see if he had written a book, and, voila, I bought this one.
I've read many management and self-help books over the course of my life and career, but this is the most profoundly insightful and useful.
The Magic of Words
As I suspected from the webinar, Kevin is a composite of a number of different, but related, skill-sets. He's an observer, a listener, a reader, a thinker, a writer, a speaker, a performer, a creator, a philosoph(is)er, a mentor, a leader, many of which roles reveal how much he values words:
"I became convinced that success comes down to the words people live by, the concepts they execute, and the understanding of the context around both...
"The magic of words is that they are available and free to all of us. The difference is that some have chosen to insert them into their lives and not just have them in their vocabulary."
Simple, Understandable Lessons
For Kevin, words are the tools with which to make concepts or abstractions both comprehensible and actionable:
"...There is value in taking complex things and breaking them down into simple, understandable (and memorable) lessons."
Power Words of Champions
The core of the book is a list of 25 "power words of champions", all but one of which are nouns (the other being an adjective, "Unrequired"). Each word is the focus of a single sub-chapter. Each sub-chapter has a relevant quotation from a coach, player or manager, and is followed by a lesson of two to ten succinct pages. These words and lessons are Kevin's legacy, his gift to players, coaches, managers, readers, "those whose lives you touch."
What becomes obvious as you read the book is how generous Kevin is. His most important goal is to cement a player within a team, so that they are not just preoccupied with their own selfish performance, but that they contribute to and lift the performance of their team mates towards the success of the team. Being a champion is not just about the Self, but the Other(s).
This reminded me of my experience as a schoolboy cricketer. I was a leg spin bowler, and one of my class mates with whom I felt a rivalry was the wicket keeper. It seemed that the better I bowled, the more catches and stumpings he executed. I thought I was making him look good. But then I realised that if he didn't perform his role, I couldn't perform mine (taking wickets). If I didn't perform my role, not only did I not look good, but our team wouldn't enjoy success. I changed my attitude, we put our rivalry aside, and our team went undefeated for three years.
This approach emphasises the value of an "assist" or a "goal assist" in basketball and football. It's important to recognise the contribution of a team mate to the player who eventually scores the goal.
Team-ness
This approach is behind power words like "Trust", "Truth", "Sacrifice", "Respect" and "Humility", all of which contribute to Teamwork or what Kevin calls "Team-ness". He refers to Doc Rivers' introduction of the South African concept of Ubuntu ("humanity"):
"The literal translation is , 'I am because we are.' At its core are two basic tenets:
* People are people because of other people.
* I can only be all I can be, if you are all you can be...
"I need you to be at your best, so that I will be at my best."
Kevin doesn't use the word in the book, but what stands out is his "empathy" with everybody he works with. As a coach, his role was to help players realise and achieve their potential as a person, a player and a team mate.
In the Acknowledgements, he attributes this tendency and his success to his father:
"I want to thank my dad, who showed me every day what being caring, kind, and first-class is all about."
Whether in sport, business, government or politics, Kevin's wisdom and perspective are both necessary and productive. This book will help you to succeed and to be a better team player.
[I want to thank our daughter, Lily, for introducing me to the world of Kevin Eastman, and living up to his values every day of her life. She continues to inspire us, her parents and her team mates! Go Tiger Lily!!!]
SOUNDTRACK:
Webinar 2 with Kevin Eastman, Former NBA Assistant Coach, VP of Basketball Operations and Author
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcVyK...
Ray Allen's AMAZING game-tying 3-pointer in Game 6, NBA Finals 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr6Xs...
Ray Allen gets ready to receive a pass and take a shot following Chris Bosh's offensive rebound. Some spectators thought that Ray's move was just good luck.
[Kevin reveals that "Ray had already been there thousands of times before in his practice workouts. He had taken that exact same shot over and over and over again. He knew what that moment would be like because he had prepared for it."]
If you want to achieve best practice, you have to practise best.
Kevin Eastman, Why The Best Are The Best
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3JZN...
October 1, 2021
Book Review: Why The Best Are The Best: 25 Powerful Words That Impact, Inspire, And Define Champions
By Kevin Eastman
What if I said you can be the best of the best if you follow certain footsteps? The book Why The Best Are The Best by Kevin Eastman tells the reader these footsteps. This book is the ultimate motivator and one of the best “how-to” books. The book contains much realistic information in less than 210 pages. Kevin Eastman tells the reader many different strategies of how to be the greatest version of ourselves, and how to be the best of the best. This is an excellent read for all ages.
Kevin Eastman was a coach for 35 plus years and was the assistant coach for the 2008 World Champion Boston Celtics. Eastman coached Hall of Famers such as Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. Kevin Eastman grew up as a skinny and quiet kid from Jersey. He covered his lack of self-confidence by outworking, out-preparing, and out-hustling everyone he met. He explains a story of how he went for runs with a weighted vest and winter clothing in high humidities and summer type weather. This is one of the many stories he tells the reader about how to be the best of the best in the book.
Kevin Eastman connects to the writer in a very unique way throughout the book. He talks about how he used to be us. For example, he asks the reader questions such as “Do you ever fear failure?” and “Do you ever think everyone else is smarter than you?” Then Eastman ends the list of questions with “Well, join the club!”. This creates a connection between the reader and Kevin Eastman. This connection shows how a championship-winning coach is just like someone who works a nine-to-five job. This type of interrelation between the reader and Eastman creates a personal bond between Eastman and the readers.
Kevin Eastman tells his strategies by defining 25 powerful words that he used growing up as a child. Then he added many different triangles of three words or phrases each. These phrases and words were very interesting and helped the reader understand how different aspects of one’s life connect to one another. Throughout teaching his strategies, Kevin Eastman tells the reader many stories about his life and how he felt he was the best version of himself using the strategies in the book. In addition, Eastman tells the reader stories about players he has coached and other random people in his life to give the reader examples of the strategies he is telling the reader.
This book is formatted so the reader can jump around from one chapter to another based on what one wants to learn from Eastman. This book can be read like that because the reader is gaining new knowledge in every chapter even if a chapter is skipped. “... Each chapter is laced with ‘wisdom bombs’ making this a compulsory read for teams in any sport and teams in the ever-competitive corporate,” said George Raveling who is a Hall of Fame coach. Each chapter, except one of them, is relatively short. Despite the shortness of each chapter, the book contains descriptive and in-depth details about how the best are the best.
Kevin Eastman has a unique use of formatting and language in the book. Kevin Eastman uses certain language he uses to explain his strategies. The strategies stated are not just for people in the basketball world but for everyone with a goal. Also, Kevin Eastman emphasizes the personal connection between him and the reader. This book and Kevin Eastman have received much praise and respect from Hall of Famers in the basketball world. Why The Best Are The Best is a great book to read to get encouraged to accomplish a dream.
By Kevin Eastman
What if I said you can be the best of the best if you follow certain footsteps? The book Why The Best Are The Best by Kevin Eastman tells the reader these footsteps. This book is the ultimate motivator and one of the best “how-to” books. The book contains much realistic information in less than 210 pages. Kevin Eastman tells the reader many different strategies of how to be the greatest version of ourselves, and how to be the best of the best. This is an excellent read for all ages.
Kevin Eastman was a coach for 35 plus years and was the assistant coach for the 2008 World Champion Boston Celtics. Eastman coached Hall of Famers such as Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. Kevin Eastman grew up as a skinny and quiet kid from Jersey. He covered his lack of self-confidence by outworking, out-preparing, and out-hustling everyone he met. He explains a story of how he went for runs with a weighted vest and winter clothing in high humidities and summer type weather. This is one of the many stories he tells the reader about how to be the best of the best in the book.
Kevin Eastman connects to the writer in a very unique way throughout the book. He talks about how he used to be us. For example, he asks the reader questions such as “Do you ever fear failure?” and “Do you ever think everyone else is smarter than you?” Then Eastman ends the list of questions with “Well, join the club!”. This creates a connection between the reader and Kevin Eastman. This connection shows how a championship-winning coach is just like someone who works a nine-to-five job. This type of interrelation between the reader and Eastman creates a personal bond between Eastman and the readers.
Kevin Eastman tells his strategies by defining 25 powerful words that he used growing up as a child. Then he added many different triangles of three words or phrases each. These phrases and words were very interesting and helped the reader understand how different aspects of one’s life connect to one another. Throughout teaching his strategies, Kevin Eastman tells the reader many stories about his life and how he felt he was the best version of himself using the strategies in the book. In addition, Eastman tells the reader stories about players he has coached and other random people in his life to give the reader examples of the strategies he is telling the reader.
This book is formatted so the reader can jump around from one chapter to another based on what one wants to learn from Eastman. This book can be read like that because the reader is gaining new knowledge in every chapter even if a chapter is skipped. “... Each chapter is laced with ‘wisdom bombs’ making this a compulsory read for teams in any sport and teams in the ever-competitive corporate,” said George Raveling who is a Hall of Fame coach. Each chapter, except one of them, is relatively short. Despite the shortness of each chapter, the book contains descriptive and in-depth details about how the best are the best.
Kevin Eastman has a unique use of formatting and language in the book. Kevin Eastman uses certain language he uses to explain his strategies. The strategies stated are not just for people in the basketball world but for everyone with a goal. Also, Kevin Eastman emphasizes the personal connection between him and the reader. This book and Kevin Eastman have received much praise and respect from Hall of Famers in the basketball world. Why The Best Are The Best is a great book to read to get encouraged to accomplish a dream.
September 27, 2021
Good book on coaching.
Very good, if you love basketball, but still no Wooden's Bible.
Suffers from being slightly overcomplicated:
25 Power words
Champions Compass
3 Gaps
3 Dimensions
3 Sets
3 C's
3 Bests...
But simplicity is key!
Very good, if you love basketball, but still no Wooden's Bible.
Suffers from being slightly overcomplicated:
25 Power words
Champions Compass
3 Gaps
3 Dimensions
3 Sets
3 C's
3 Bests...
But simplicity is key!
August 27, 2019
This book is about how people can get better as a person. It tells multiple stories from a man named Kevin Eastman who coached basketball for many years. He tells stories about basketball greats such as Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and also stories from random people that made him a better person. It is a really good book and it will help you become a better overall person. Especially if you love sports.
*Sorry, it was a nonfiction book and it didn't really have main characters or any of that other stuff. I tried to do the last part as best I could.
*Sorry, it was a nonfiction book and it didn't really have main characters or any of that other stuff. I tried to do the last part as best I could.
July 30, 2019
This book is enjoyable and easy to read. I would highly recommend this book to any coach, teacher, or anyone in a leadership position. It is an inspiring self-help book that focuses on 25 power words that will help you become a better person. Any one who is looking to better them selves should definitely pick up a copy of this book!
Kevin Eastman is a seasoned basketball coach and businessman and tells very interesting life stories. Mostly about his years coaching the best of the best in the NBA. He has coached players such as Kevin Garnett and worked along side legends like Kobe Bryant. I could tell that Eastman is very passionate about coaching and wants to help other coaches succeed just as he did.
The 25 words Eastman writes about has made me rethink how I use my own words while coaching and teaching. He defines words that you need in everyday life. I have already re read all the notes I made while reading this book and am currently thinking of ways it can be applied to my basketball team.
I loved the stories he told about basketball and the passion his team had. He described how hard they had to work to accomplish their goals. The main goal was to win an NBA championship and they succeeded with teamwork and accountability. Eastman also writes about how to reach your goals. I enjoyed reading the chapter that was about the three mindsets. It explains how people need to reset their mindset after something in life does fail. This can be applied to coaches, players, and everyday life in general.
To end my review I would like to reiterate that this book is not just for basketball coaches. Eastman’s principles of success can be applied to anyone looking for self -improvement.
Kevin Eastman is a seasoned basketball coach and businessman and tells very interesting life stories. Mostly about his years coaching the best of the best in the NBA. He has coached players such as Kevin Garnett and worked along side legends like Kobe Bryant. I could tell that Eastman is very passionate about coaching and wants to help other coaches succeed just as he did.
The 25 words Eastman writes about has made me rethink how I use my own words while coaching and teaching. He defines words that you need in everyday life. I have already re read all the notes I made while reading this book and am currently thinking of ways it can be applied to my basketball team.
I loved the stories he told about basketball and the passion his team had. He described how hard they had to work to accomplish their goals. The main goal was to win an NBA championship and they succeeded with teamwork and accountability. Eastman also writes about how to reach your goals. I enjoyed reading the chapter that was about the three mindsets. It explains how people need to reset their mindset after something in life does fail. This can be applied to coaches, players, and everyday life in general.
To end my review I would like to reiterate that this book is not just for basketball coaches. Eastman’s principles of success can be applied to anyone looking for self -improvement.
March 26, 2022
As a student-athlete, I’m looking for books, videos, drills, anything that I can find to help me improve my game, and understanding of the game. Why The Best Are The Best by Kevin Eastman is a nonfiction book that talks about Eastman’s experience in the NBA and how the players work and their work ethic, how it affected him at a young age. The book is about 25 simple words that made a huge impact on Eastman’s life and the players that were a part of the team or fellow businessmen he encountered along his journey.
The book starts off with a foreword from Doc Rivers, NBA basketball coach and former player, talking about how Eastman was determined to find the best way to build “Championship DNA”. Eastman left no stone unturned as Doc said, he was consumed in videos and speeches, or even notes he’d taken from books he’s read. Eventually, Eastman came up with a list of 25 simple, but powerful words that impact, inspire and define champions. Two words that stuck out to me the most, and inspired me were Trust and Sacrifice. Out of all 25 amazing words, those two jumped off the page at me. “Trust needs Time, Consistency, and Proof” (Eastman 52-53). It takes a lot of time and hard work to be able to trust someone, it's not a simple thing at all. Time needs to be put in by everyone, you have to be consistent and work through challenges and disagreements as a team to become one with each other and trust each other. The second word that stood out to me was Sacrifice. “There are two ways to look at sacrifice: As the act of giving up. OR The opportunity to help something more” (Eastman 56). A team can't be one unless everyone has sacrificed something for the greater good of the team, not just to say they made a sacrifice.
The book starts off with a foreword from Doc Rivers, NBA basketball coach and former player, talking about how Eastman was determined to find the best way to build “Championship DNA”. Eastman left no stone unturned as Doc said, he was consumed in videos and speeches, or even notes he’d taken from books he’s read. Eventually, Eastman came up with a list of 25 simple, but powerful words that impact, inspire and define champions. Two words that stuck out to me the most, and inspired me were Trust and Sacrifice. Out of all 25 amazing words, those two jumped off the page at me. “Trust needs Time, Consistency, and Proof” (Eastman 52-53). It takes a lot of time and hard work to be able to trust someone, it's not a simple thing at all. Time needs to be put in by everyone, you have to be consistent and work through challenges and disagreements as a team to become one with each other and trust each other. The second word that stood out to me was Sacrifice. “There are two ways to look at sacrifice: As the act of giving up. OR The opportunity to help something more” (Eastman 56). A team can't be one unless everyone has sacrificed something for the greater good of the team, not just to say they made a sacrifice.
January 31, 2019
2019 is shaping up to an amazing year of reading. This book keeps the momentum rolling as I devoured this book in about a week and then had to go back and read again to explore more deeply my highlights and scribbles in the margin.
I really enjoyed the 25 words and has motivated me to think about my own words. What words with my youth teams pick? I found so many of the ideas concepts that can be applied as a teacher, youth coach, and parent. There are many universal truths contained in these pages that work no matter who you are. Additionally, I loved the basketball stories as I love reading about the drive of players like KG.
I will be gifting this book to others, but for now it will be required reading for my own children so they can apply the principles to their own lives.
I really enjoyed the 25 words and has motivated me to think about my own words. What words with my youth teams pick? I found so many of the ideas concepts that can be applied as a teacher, youth coach, and parent. There are many universal truths contained in these pages that work no matter who you are. Additionally, I loved the basketball stories as I love reading about the drive of players like KG.
I will be gifting this book to others, but for now it will be required reading for my own children so they can apply the principles to their own lives.
December 31, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. His principles of success can be applied to anyone’s life, not just for those playing basketball.
March 17, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. His principals can be applied to everyday life, not just in sports. Highly recommend this book.
July 30, 2020
Instantly on my re-read list. Despite taking copious notes, I know I will return to this book time and again for instant recalibration.
September 30, 2020
This coach defines many attributes for a successful life, yes, but even more for some ingredients for a fulfilling life. Easy to read. Thoughtful in its concepts.
November 3, 2020
This book is packed with little nuggets of good stuff. Definitely worth having on your shelf and pulling out from time to time.
June 18, 2021
Very good book to gain insight to words that champions live by and what it takes to be the best. Living with intention.
August 10, 2021
A lot of inspirational quotes and a great format for a book. I've read a lot of coaching books and I plan on using this one as a template for our upcoming high school season.
June 28, 2023
Very mediocre book. Wrestling through it. Not very inspiring and not fluent. I would not recommend it to a friend.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews