Built to lose: how the NBA's tanking era changed the league forever

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Triumph Books
Publication Date
[2021]
Language
English

Description

“From front offices to college campuses, Jake Fischer takes you on an engrossing tour of the NBA in its latest golden age, when some of the most captivating teams won by losing.” —Lee Jenkins, former Sports Illustrated NBA writer 

An insider account of modern NBA team-building, based on hundreds of exclusive interviews 

A single transcendent talent?can change the fortunes of an NBA franchise. One only has to recall the frenzy surrounding recent top pick Zion Williamson to recognize teams’ willingness to lose games now for the sake of winning championships later. It’s a story that weaves its way behind closed doors to reveal intricate machinations normally hidden from public view.  

Backed by extensive reporting and hundreds of interviews with top players, coaches, and executives, Jake Fischer chronicles secret pre-draft workouts, feuding between player agents and executives, surprising trade negotiations, interpersonal conflicts, organizational power struggles, and infamous public relations fiascos, making for a fascinating look at the NBA. 

The definitive account of the NBA’s tanking era, when teams raced to the bottom in the hope of eventually winning a championship. 

More Details

ISBN
9781637271735
9781629378718

Discover More

Author Notes

Loading Author Notes...

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
Boys among men: how the prep-to-pro generation redefined the NBA and sparked a basketball revolution - Abrams, Jonathan P. D.
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
Steve Kerr - Howard-Cooper, Scott
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
Chasing perfection: a behind-the-scenes look at the high-stakes game of creating an NBA champion - Glockner, Andy
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These books have the genres "sports and competition -- basketball" and "life stories -- sports"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These authors' works have the genre "sports and competition"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These authors' works have the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These authors' works have the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These authors' works have the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These authors' works have the genre "sports and competition"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These authors' works have the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These authors' works have the genre "sports and competition"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These authors' works have the genre "sports and competition"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These authors' works have the genre "sports and competition"; and the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These authors' works have the appeal factors cinematic, and they have the genre "sports and competition."
These authors' works have the subjects "basketball players," "basketball teams," and "basketball."
These authors' works have the subjects "basketball players," "sports organizations," and "professional basketball."

Published Reviews

Kirkus Book Review

An investigation of the NBA's so-called "tanking era," in which teams engineered losing seasons for future gain. In his first book, sports journalist Fischer, who has written for Sports Illustrated, SLAM, and other outlets, takes us back to the 2013-2014 season, when bad teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic began to arouse suspicions that they were tanking their seasons in order to collect higher picks in the next year's draft. This was a time when the NBA draft lottery still overtly favored the worst teams, so it was likely inevitable that a few coaches and executives would find subtle ways to exploit the system. However, the author suggests that this is a deep-seated, leaguewide problem, painting a picture of an endemic culture of purposeful losing, but the problem of tanking seems to apply to only a few teams. Fischer maintains a specific focus on Philadelphia and the legacy of its former front-office statistics guru Sam Hinkie, who served as general manager of the team from 2013 to 2016. The author makes a pointed effort to connect Moneyball-style analytics with the culture of teams like the 76ers, whose players were supposedly being silently groomed by management to play at a suboptimal level in order to better position the team for a top pick in the subsequent draft. Never mind the fact that the majority of NBA players--not superstars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry, who represent a small percentage of the league--are working diligently just to retain a roster spot in the cutthroat league. Although Fischer provides an intriguing, meticulously detailed insider's look at the complex, chesslike logistics of the NBA draft, he fails to prove the existence of a conspiratorial "race to the bottom." NBA die-hards will find enough to entertain, but there's not enough hard evidence to support many of Fischer's claims. A provocative but ultimately unconvincing indictment of the NBA. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Powered by Syndetics

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Staff View

Loading Staff View.