Game Face: A Lifetime of Hard-Earned Lessons On and Off the Basketball Court

Game Face is an honest and moving memoir of a great scorer and a fascinating man. Whether sharing poignant stories of his challenging youth, or fast paced descriptions of going head to head with legends such as Larry Bird and Dr. J, Kings's autobiography is a compelling and addictive ride through a great career and the golden era of the NBA. What I liked most about Game Face was the author's willingness to be so vulnerable and so generous towards all who impacted his life. I became a Bernard King fan after my father took me to see Fast Break, and I remain a fan of this gentleman to this day. I can't recommend this book highly enough. I believe it is a classic of the genre of sports memoirs, and memoirs in general, and I look forward to sharing it with my children when they are old enough. Thank you Bernard King for all the great memories I have of you as a player, and thank you again for your inspirational and engaging memoir. You are a true class act.

Luv the 1980s NBA aspect of this book maybe more then any other aspect. Only two issues w/Bernard King in autobiography. First he downplays to the point of non-existence in (not) explaining his serial sexual misconducts with numerous woman. The repeated sexual accusations (rape, sodomy, etc) were his biggest issue throughout his productive NBA career. He could score at will and at his peak, was a top 10 NBA player for several seasons. But he definite off-the court issues that he just simply refuses to discuss while greatly detailing the rest of his childhood hardships.The other issue I has was, while greatly mentioning his parents during his years growing up - he makes virtually no mention of his younger siblings, including future NBAer Albert King. This is odd as he gets maybe 3-4 sentences in the whole book. His other basketball brother (Gerard) gets no mention. Again odd stuff, I felt King was not completely open about his family past, or like the numerous sexual charges during his career - he just refused to discuss it. Good not great (or completely honest) read.

I don’t know…it just seems to me that these NBA Superstar, post career autobiographical works have been forced to meet a certain monastic book format, whether it’s the publishers/editors trying to limit the “literary” aspirations of these stars (or most likely their ubiquitous ghost writers) or our hero displaying their de rigeur reticence.And over time it’s become remarkably rote with these works; indeed, books authored by Dr. J, Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, Kareem…etc. all seem to have fallen into this same conventional aesthetic: four hundred or so pages, highlights of their career fairly discussed with feelings shared, opinions, perhaps even controversial ones passed along but with an overall effect of the story having an unsatisfactory ring to it.The story inevitably begins with the star describing his oftentimes destitute youth…but even here it is seemingly limited by how far he’s willing to go, whether it’s his own personal decision or one ordained by the editors. And it is within this discourse that we discover where basketball becomes our hero’s savior and ultimate ticket out of whatever youth hardship and angst that has been holding him back.And it is this very same template, I’m afraid, that characterizes this latest entry into the genre by the phenomenal Bernard King. During his peak playing years King was primarily known as a fiercely intense competitor who also fiercely guarded his personal life, a true dichotomy in that he was also an exceedingly well spoken and articulate individual. Billed as a sort of an emotional “coming out” then, Game Face falls short…yes, we do get previously unknown personal revelations that for a major fan like myself (King was a super influence on me during my playing days…I lived for two years in Brooklyn and played in the Fort Greene projects where King also played) were illuminating and have some very instructive on-the-court lessons that help describe his amazing offensive game. But it is the overall effect that is very frustrating…King would begin by describing familiar points in his career, even offering a personal feeling, but where expansion of these episodes was critical, the conversation just ended. At no point was this more frustrating than with his early career addiction problems…yes he does describe its genesis but he devotes nowhere near the time nor space here to truly understand the demons he faced, nor, most importantly, the work he did to recover. Again, whether this was a personal choice or an editor’s, we’ll never know. What we do know is that it is very frustrating for those who actually idolized this man back then and who still carry a strong interest to this day.A book certainly for every Bernard King fan, there is plenty here that our man reveals for the first time. And my belief is that this becomes the major problem…I personally wanted him to expand greatly upon so many of his points and when he didn’t, I grew rather frustrated. So if you’re a mild King fan, you’ll love this book but if you’re like me, one who’s been wanting to learn much of the King mindset for nearly forty years now, this will likely disappoint.

I was a season ticketholder with the New Jersey Nets when Bernard King made his NBA debut, and I've followed his career ever since. This book is an entertaining, first-person account of the Hall of Famer's life on and off the court. Anyone who watched Bernard play should find this an interesting story of his life. His troubles with racism, drugs and alcohol are discussed here, along with detailed highlights of his college and NBA career.A must-see for Bernard King fans is his ESPN 30 for 30 special, narrated by the King himself, in dramatic detail. Definitely worth checking out.

This man is a person I've admired as a basketball player and from afar as a person. Enjoyed learning about his background along with his candor. Was surprised to read that he was not close with his brother Albert, thought they would be, both being pro ballplayers.

From Fort Hamilton, to Tennessee to Nets, Jazz, Warriors, Knicks, Bullets.....and Hall of Fame.....a whirlwind and so much good reading. Bernard will attending my youth basketball camp next week, and can't wait for him to sign it for me.

I loved everything about this book! As a Brooklyn boy who grew up there in the 70’s, so much of what Bernard went through resonated with me, on and off the courts. His ability to vividly capture his thoughts and emotions made this a non-stop page turner. Highly recommended!

Great book, Bernard King lived an incredible life and had an incredible basketball career, wild stories on and off the court....great read.

One loveeeee!

Buch war ungelesen, lediglich der Versand hat ein wenig länger gedauert.