Life on the Run

Bill Bradley's Life on the Run is an insightful and thoughtful account of what it was like to be a professional basketball player in the mid-1970s. Bradley writes about a bygone era--one where all the players weren't multimillionaires, teams traveled commercial, there was no ESPN and media oversaturation and players roomed together. While some things have changed since the book was published nearly 35 years ago, many of the things are the same.Bradley, a star at Princeton, chose to attend Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar for two years before joining the New York Knicks in the NBA. He thought he wouldn't play professionally, but he realized he missed the game while at Oxford.Bradley was the symbol of the Christian, scholar/athlete, but he says much of that image was overblown. "I studied, practiced and went to church, but the media exaggerated each facet of my life until expectations were such that I could never fulfill. The greater the acclaim, the more certain it was that the public appetite could never be satisfied. The only way out, I thought, was to reject basketball and become a lawyer or businessman."Bradley says being a professional athlete is a mixed blessing. He shows both sides of the coin in his book. He tells how players spend their days (and yes it's boring much of the time), how they cope with physical exertion, travel and constant aches and pains. He provides interesting profiles of his teammates and says that on many teams friendship is overblown and even hypocritical.Unlike most players today, Bradley was obsessed with team basketball and not individual statistics. "I do not depend on the outside for recognition," writes Bradley. "The press and public approval mean little to me. What is important is my own judgment as to whether the team plays according to my estimate of how an ideal team should."The 1970 championship Knicks vindicated Bradley's concept and approach to the game."Success of the group assures the success of the individual," he writes, "but not the other way around."It's truly a pleasure to rub shoulders with Bradley and his Knick teammates for 230 pages.

I hadn't read this book in 30 or more years, but bought in on my kindle. Bill Bradley, NY Knicks hall of fame, shows just how a professional athlete lives during a part of the season and expertly describes the highs and lows that one feels. He reflects on the challenges he faces on the court, and describes the introspection of his life off it. He talks equally about the wins and losses, and more importantly what drives him to keep doing it when compared to the challenges of trying to live a grounded and meaningful life. A great read about the "inside" game.

I didn't know what too expect with this book.I had picked it up on a whim. I'm a "slice of life" type of guy and I thought it would be informative. Being from New Jersey, I've been familiar with Bradley's pro career and his governmental one. I've always ad.tired him.The book was informative. It gave me insights into what a pro athlete experiences.What I didn't expect was that it would be a truly enjoyable read. Bradley's observations and comments about the world around him, to me, we're the cherry on top of the sundae. They filled in the picture and brought me back to those years.I found it highly entertaining.

I didn't start following the NBA until 2010 or so. While I'm sure the life of an NBA player has changed a lot between when Bill Bradley played and now, a lot remains the same: the traveling, treatment from fans, card games on planes, and more.It's also interesting to get a glimpse into a different era of the NBA, and think about how that has developed into today's era. If you're a fan of the NBA, I recommend this book.

Insightful. Easy to read. Fun. Tells you a lot about the life of a pro basketball player and his travels.

Too many tangents for my liking. I was looking for more in-depth of life with the guys.

Really a great read. Enjoyed particularly a look at the nab from a players perspective. I look forward to Sen Bradley's book on life after basketball.

It was interesting to read how much things have changed in recent years. The fact that players had today wash their own uniforms, had only &19 per diem for food,flew in coach seats,etc.etc.