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Loose Balls: Easy Money, Hard Fouls, Cheap Laughs, & True Love in the NBA
The first candid report from a land of fragile egos, available women, unexpected tenderness, intramural fistfights, colossal partying, bizarre humor, inconceivable riches, and desperate competition, Loose Balls does for roundball what Ball Four did for hardball. From revelations about the meanest, softest, and smelliest players in the league, to Williams’s early days as a “young man with a lot of money and not a lot of sense,” to his strong and powerful views on race, privilege, and giving back, Loose Balls is a basketball book unlike any other.
No inspirational pieties or chest-thumping boasting here—instead, Jayson Williams gives us the real insider tales of refs, groupies, coaches, entourages, and all the superstars, bench warmers, journeymen, clowns, and other performers in the rarefied circus that is professional basketball.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
No inspirational pieties or chest-thumping boasting here—instead, Jayson Williams gives us the real insider tales of refs, groupies, coaches, entourages, and all the superstars, bench warmers, journeymen, clowns, and other performers in the rarefied circus that is professional basketball.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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71 people want to read
About the author
Jayson Williams
5 books2 followersJayson Williams is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 11 seasons, primarily with the New Jersey Nets. He played his first three seasons with the Philadelphia 76'ers, who acquired him in trade with the Phoenix Suns following the 1990 NBA draft. Williams spent the remainder of his career with the Nets and was an All-Star in 1998. He was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Williams was charged in 2002 with the accidental shooting death of a limousine driver. He pled guilty to aggravated assault in 2010 and served a 27-month prison sentence.
Williams was charged in 2002 with the accidental shooting death of a limousine driver. He pled guilty to aggravated assault in 2010 and served a 27-month prison sentence.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 3, 2016
What a strange concept! Chapters are organized around smaller headers with a few paragraphs each, rather like notes on index cards for a speech. It makes the reading very jumbled. He starts off funny and insightful, like a fun cocktail party guest, but as we go on, the stories get slightly darker, with red flags appearing around violence and his temper. His career appears to run into some dead ends and his initial promise ultimately peters out. I would have liked to see more of his father's viewpoint as he would have been an good counterpoint. I wonder if his editor could not make a coherent story out of his life or if he wanted it to be like a one man show? He alternates between "funny" stories and observations so his true nature gets a bit lost in this.
July 22, 2019
Insightful Look at Life and Basketball
Funny, frank, and very personal look at basketball in the 1990s era. I thoroughly enjoyed the little stories he told and his complete honesty with his failures as well as successes. A good book that I recommend for all
Funny, frank, and very personal look at basketball in the 1990s era. I thoroughly enjoyed the little stories he told and his complete honesty with his failures as well as successes. A good book that I recommend for all
May 16, 2017
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14446552
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14446552
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February 25, 2023Even though this book is technically an episodic confessional about ‘90s era basketball, this is a comedy book in spirit. There are hundreds (maybe even a thousand overall?) of observations, opinions, and non-linear anecdotes throughout and each has its own punchline. It’s practically a stand-up routine in book form.
“[Clifford Ray, assistant coach with the Nets] told me one time he was doing this woman and he had her in the bathroom of his hotel room. He said, ‘I was doing her from behind. I had one foot in the toilet bowl and I had the other foot in the bathtub and I was flicking on and off the lights and flushing the toilet.’
When he was telling me this, I’m thinking, What the hell?
He said, ‘That was my action of thunder, lightning, and rain.’” (p. 48)
There’s an adage out there that goes something like, “The more you get to know someone, the more likely you’ll like them.” And I think that applies to this book. Other than Jayson Williams accidentally murdering someone after the book’s publication, I didn’t know much about him. His personality (opinionated; fast-talking) is extremely likable. Autobiographical books can be so stilted and bland and this wasn’t. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him actually speak before, but they were able to capture a distinct voice in this book. It was impressive.
“The same people who are complaining about athletes’ big salaries are the ones who are screaming about how this is a free country, how entrepreneurs are so great.” (p. 87)
The book is front-loaded and back-loaded with the best stories, imo. But a fatigue set in during the middle portion of the book. I stopped reading it for almost two months. The constant string of brief anecdotes became tiring after awhile— a redundancy set in. When he finally started sharing details (myths?) about his childhood with 50 pages left to go, patience felt rewarded. (His dad fought a gorilla for money? What?)
“Now if people want to get wild and throw a party, get crazy, they have to come do it at my house. I’m not always an angel. But if I’m a devil at home, no one gets hurt.” (p. 140) Talk about a sentence that didn’t hold up through the passage of time.
“[Clifford Ray, assistant coach with the Nets] told me one time he was doing this woman and he had her in the bathroom of his hotel room. He said, ‘I was doing her from behind. I had one foot in the toilet bowl and I had the other foot in the bathtub and I was flicking on and off the lights and flushing the toilet.’
When he was telling me this, I’m thinking, What the hell?
He said, ‘That was my action of thunder, lightning, and rain.’” (p. 48)
There’s an adage out there that goes something like, “The more you get to know someone, the more likely you’ll like them.” And I think that applies to this book. Other than Jayson Williams accidentally murdering someone after the book’s publication, I didn’t know much about him. His personality (opinionated; fast-talking) is extremely likable. Autobiographical books can be so stilted and bland and this wasn’t. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him actually speak before, but they were able to capture a distinct voice in this book. It was impressive.
“The same people who are complaining about athletes’ big salaries are the ones who are screaming about how this is a free country, how entrepreneurs are so great.” (p. 87)
The book is front-loaded and back-loaded with the best stories, imo. But a fatigue set in during the middle portion of the book. I stopped reading it for almost two months. The constant string of brief anecdotes became tiring after awhile— a redundancy set in. When he finally started sharing details (myths?) about his childhood with 50 pages left to go, patience felt rewarded. (His dad fought a gorilla for money? What?)
“Now if people want to get wild and throw a party, get crazy, they have to come do it at my house. I’m not always an angel. But if I’m a devil at home, no one gets hurt.” (p. 140) Talk about a sentence that didn’t hold up through the passage of time.
October 23, 2019
this book was okay. I personally liked it as a small-time reading option, because it is made up of short stories. this book is about Jayson Williams' life and everything in between that category. Many of the stories about the NBA Basketball player's life dealt with family, vacations, players, and contracts. It is a very good book if you want to read small sections at a time and skip around.
April 20, 2022
What an insufferable boor. Sexist, sniping, and clearly impressed with every thought that bubbles forth from the vaporous ether of his mind. There are a few interesting basketball anecdotes, and his father is a jewel, but don't waste a dime on this. Get it from the library instead, and only if you can't find a better basketball book.
April 11, 2023
The book is broken into small vignettes about Jayson William’s personal life and NBA career. He spoke on many tragic and sad situations in his on life and injected levity when he could and where appropriate. Each story is complete and with he classic joking style.
July 11, 2021
Read this book years ago. Mostly I remember how remarkable it was that Williams was a grandfather at such a young age. Not my favorite former NBA player memoir.
February 4, 2016
Loose Balls was a pretty good book. It is good to know what actually happens in the NBA. Sometimes you see people that are famous acting very well, when they're in the limelight. When you think of basketball you think of Lebron James or Steph Curry, you don't really think about the people that only play a little bit. And sometimes those are the people that have the greatest stories. This book is about a basketball player that just retired. He is telling about his experiences in the NBA and around the NBA. I think it's a pretty good book, because it shines a light in places that you would usually never think about. Like the parties that they have or the time that the players spend with each other. The way I took this book is like a high school for older men. They hangout with their friends all the time, and they get to spend the whole day playing the game of basketball. With like 2 or 3 games a week. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a good read, and wants to know more about the game of basketball.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2020
This book is just like Jayson Williams. Easily accessible and full of quips and stories. In the book, Williams tells many humorous tales of NBA hi-jinks. However, he contrasts these by telling stories of the racism and prejudice he encountered as a young child in South Carolina. The book thus achieves a good balance between humor and poignancy. I would recommend this to everyone, not just sports fans.
September 21, 2011
I loved it... I met Jayson in prison. And one of the first things he said to me was, "Do you read, would you like to read my book?" And I told him, "Man, you aint write no book..." And he countered, "Sure I did it's called LOOSE BALLS..." And he pulled it out his back pocket like a commercial.
It's a funny, personal, and moving page-turner. READ IT!
It's a funny, personal, and moving page-turner. READ IT!
January 25, 2008
I actually liked, and admired Jayson Williams before I read this book - um...after the book - not so much. He's got a hugely inflated ego, and a very high opinion of himself. Garbage, drivel - please don't waste your time.
June 26, 2009
This was a fun memoir for anyone who's at all interested in the NBA. Reading about what a hard-working and generous person Jayson Williams is (or was) makes it all the more heartbreaking to see the mess he's turned his life into since his retirement.
January 10, 2011
This wasn't a cohesive book so much as a collection of semi-related anecdotes. Some were very interesting or funny or touching, others were not. It's sad reading this now and knowing how his life has turned out.
January 23, 2012
Depressing to read this now knowing how far he has fallen, hopefully he can get it together again.
Similar to Tim Donaghy's book, it feels like a sizable portion of this is either made up or quite exaggerated.
Similar to Tim Donaghy's book, it feels like a sizable portion of this is either made up or quite exaggerated.
May 21, 2008
funny, but then my opinion changed after he shot his chaffeur.
July 1, 2008
Ironically I read this book not too long before the shooting incident at his home. In his book he discussed the the guns used in the incident.
August 6, 2008
The writing is not always perfect, but there are a lot of laughs in this book and it is easy to read.
December 16, 2008
I love basketball, and its great to hear firsthand knowledge of what goes on on and off the court. Amusing stories, but really, if you're not a sports fan. Don't worry about this book.
January 12, 2023
Adding Jayson Williams Loose Balls estimated read date, today, 01/12/2023. I do not remember it, except that I did not enjoy it.
March 31, 2015
He's a bit of an Arse. Cheats in school, throws people under the Bus.
Book had me bursting out laughing. It also made me shake my head at some of his stories, it read fast
Book had me bursting out laughing. It also made me shake my head at some of his stories, it read fast
July 21, 2015
Absolutely hilarious. If you followed the NBA during the 90's, you have to read this one. Lots of observations about his teammates and opponents.
July 3, 2008
Funniest book ever.
July 19, 2013
Funny =)
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews