Chris Paul

Foreword

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Recommended by Chris Paul

HOOP MUSES is the perfect gift for every basketball fan. This book really does justice to the incredible history, culture, and style of the women's game. (from Amazon)

Hoop Muses: An Insider’s Guide to Pop Culture and the (Women’s) Game book cover
Seimone Augustus, Kate Fagan, Sophia Chang

“In vibrant color and style, Hoops Muses tells the vital stories that celebrate the history and tradition of our game.” —Sue Bird, WNBA legend Hoops Muses is an homage to WNBA and women's basketball, bringing style and flair to all the details, moments, and people who have shaped the collective world of (women’s) hoops. Hoops Muses will take us through time – literally. We begin in the future, in 2072, on the night of the WNBA’s 75th Anniversary, as New York Liberty phenom Jacklyn Jones is paid a visit by one of basketball’s long-ago (wink, wink) greats. This unlikely duo then goes on a sweeping, roundtrip adventure through basketball history, starting at the very beginning: Springfield, 1891. As the years pass, they learn the roots of the game (think: the first-ever collegiate game between Stanford and Cal, where men scaled the walls for a peek inside, or, the legend of Chicago’s Club Store Co-Eds, the all-Black barnstorming squad of the 1930s). AND as the early 20th century morphs into modern times, they see the game grow, the milestones reached. On their journey, they learn about the teams and the women (along with a few men) who helped build the foundation on which The Future will be built: -Fort Shaw and the 1904 World Championship -Pat Summitt and the early years of the Lady Vols -Delta State, featuring Margaret Wade and Lusia Harris -Cheryl Miller and Hollywood’s USC Trojans -UConn-Tennessee and the “Sliding Doors” moment that sparked their rivalry Plus, they have front-row seats to a whole lot of quirky, blissful fandom, including … The Movies That Should Have Been WNBA Jam The Moments The Shots To be a (women’s) hooper is to be part of a long and proud tradition … but one not often celebrated in popular culture. Hoops Muses is here to change that.

Recommended by Chris Paul

The first time I heard ET’s voice, I became an instant fan. If you’ve ever been to church and you hear the pastor speaking, and you think, Man, he must be talking to me, that’s how it is to hear ET speak. It always feels like he’s talking directly to you. He shows up 100 percent every time without asking for anything in return. And it’s not just for me. It’s for everybody. I’ve seen him give his phone number out to kids because he could tell they needed someone to talk to. He does it because it’s his calling. It’s his calling to coach us all in whatever way we need it. It’s his calling to be on our team. (from Amazon)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Eric Thomas moves, inspires, encourages, and challenges people to reach their full potential. You Owe You is flat-out brilliant, and he ain’t lied yet!”—Deion Sanders, Coach Prime No matter your story or your struggle, Eric Thomas—celebrated motivational guru, educator, and problem-solver to many of the top athletes and business leaders—will “help you work harder, discover your real motivation, and crack the code of enduring success” (Ed Mylett, #1 bestselling author of The Power of One More) If you feel like success is for others, that only certain people get to have their dreams fulfilled, Eric Thomas’s You Owe You is your wake-up call. His urgent message to stop waiting for inspiration to strike and take control of your life is one he wishes someone had given him when he was a teenager—lost, homeless, failing in school, and dealing with the challenges of being a young Black man in America. Once he was able to break free from thinking of himself as a victim and truly understand his strengths, he switched the script. And now, with this book, Thomas reveals how you, too, can rewrite your life's script. With support, he recognized that his unique gift is being able to capture the attention of all kinds of people in all kinds of settings—boardrooms, locker rooms, churches, classrooms, even the streets—thanks to his wealth of experiences and command of language. Today, Thomas considers himself blessed to speak to an audience that is as large as it is diverse, from the rich and famous to kids struggling in school to young men in prison hoping for a new start. Thomas’s secrets of success have already helped hundreds of thousands on their journey, but this is his first guide to show you how to start today, right now. These critical first steps include deeply understanding yourself and the world around you, finding your why, accepting that you may have to give up something good for something great, and constantly stretching toward your potential. No matter where you are on your journey toward greatness, you owe it to yourself to become fully, authentically you. And Eric Thomas’s You Owe You can help get you there.