Summary of David Halberstam's Playing for Keeps

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The Bulls’ games in Paris were not very good, and they lost the Final to Olympiakos Piraeus. However, the tournament was a reflection of the growing internationalization of the sport, and a celebration of the NBA’s connection with McDonald’s, one of America’s blue-chip companies.

#2 Ebersol and Stern were very close, and it was Ebersol’s company that determined which images went out to the nation. Ebersol understood that image was more important than reality in their business.

#3 In the wake of the last game of the 1997-1998 season, a black man named Micheal Ray Richardson came to David Stern and told him that if it hadn’t been for him, he would have kept on using. He was clean now.

#4 Michael Jordan was the most popular athlete in the nineties. He was well-known and well-liked by millions of people around the world. He was the most talented and charismatic athlete, and he was also the most successful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822507456

IRB Media

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Insights on David Halberstam's Playing for Keeps

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 17

Insights from Chapter 18

Insights from Chapter 19

Insights from Chapter 20

Insights from Chapter 21

Insights from Chapter 22

Insights from Chapter 23

Insights from Chapter 24

Insights from Chapter 25

Insights from Chapter 26

Insights from Chapter 27

Insights from Chapter 28

Insights from Chapter 29

Insights from Chapter 30

Insights from Chapter 31

Insights from Chapter 32

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Bulls’ games in Paris were not very good, and they lost the Final to Olympiakos Piraeus. However, the tournament was a reflection of the growing internationalization of the sport, and a celebration of the NBA’s connection with McDonald’s, one of America’s blue-chip companies.

#2

Ebersol and Stern were very close, and it was Ebersol’s company that determined which images went out to the nation. Ebersol understood that image was more important than reality in their business.

#3

In the wake of the last game of the 1997-1998 season, a black man named Micheal Ray Richardson came to David Stern and told him that if it hadn’t been for him, he would have kept on using. He was clean now.

#4

Michael Jordan was the most popular athlete in the nineties. He was well-known and well-liked by millions of people around the world. He was the most talented and charismatic athlete, and he was also the most successful.

#5

The word genius was used to describe Jordan. His effect not only on the fans but on his peers was special. He was not just a great athlete but an art form.

#6

After leading the Bulls to their second title, Larry Bird said that there had never been an athlete like Jordan. On the scale of one to ten, if all the other superstars are eight, he’s a ten.

#7

Jordan was a princely figure, and he knew it. He was immensely popular, and people wanted to be his friend. He was extremely good-looking, and his natural grace was charming.

#8

Jordan was a great basketball player and a great salesman. He sold the game of basketball to millions of people in different lands who had never seen it played before. He sold Nike sneakers if you wanted to jump high, Big Macs if you were hungry, first Coke and then Gatorade if you were thirsty, and Hanes underwear if you needed shorts.

#9

When the game began, it appeared that the Jazz would blow the vulnerable Bulls out. But Michael Jordan played exceptionally well, and his team was able to hang on.

#10

The Bulls won their fifth championship in 1996, and while they were a great team, they never really were tested by another great team like the Celtics and Lakers were.

#11

The Bulls’ road to the titles was hard, and they were able to beat a very good Detroit team in the early stages of the championship run. They were also able to beat a very good Cleveland team in the playoffs over a number of years.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

The Jordans were a middle-class black family who were determined that their children would rise to higher levels and finish college if at all possible. When Michael was young and someone called him a nigger, it was more the painful exception than the rule in North Carolina.

#2

The key to Michael Jordan’s fierce competitiveness, according to friends from his junior high and college days, was his rivalry with his older brother Larry, a formidable athlete in his own right. Larry had great strength and athletic ability, but he was simply too small to achieve in sports what his heart and will normally would have earned him.

#3

The first signs of Michael’s athletic excellence came in baseball: he pitched several no-hitters for a very good Wilmington Little League team. When he was twelve, he pitched for Wilmington in the eastern regional Little League championship game. The winner would go to the Little League World Series.

#4

When Jordan was in ninth grade, he was already considered the best player on his team. He was small for his age, but he was very quick. He had a competitive nature that made him want to win at everything he did.

#5

Jordan was extremely