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The heart of a superfan : a memoir of grit, love, family, and basketball / by Bhatia, Nav,1951-author.; Baluja, Tamara,author.;
"The Raptors' story is an underdog story--and the same is true for their greatest superfan. This memoir offers a courtside view into the extraordinary life of Nav Bhatia. You know him as the Raptors Superfan, but Nav Bhatia's story is bigger than basketball. Nav immigrated to Canada from India, where he had been persecuted for his religion, only to face a host of new challenges. Life as a new immigrant was gruelling and grey ... and then, a new basketball team came to town. As Nav cheered on the Raptors at game after game, as they lost, as they won, on the good days and the bad, he discovered solace and community in the greatest game on Earth, formed indelible bonds with many of the best players the sport has ever known, and solidified his own place in the Basketball Hall of Fame. In this memoir, Nav shares his incredible personal story of triumphing over adversity, and imparts the lessons that propelled him to success in all facets of life: as an entrepreneur, movie producer, humanitarian, son, father and husband, and the Raptors' most famous devotee. And woven throughout the book are intimate, colourful behind-the-scenes stories about the Raptors--from their very first game in 1995 to their 2019 Championship win, and beyond--that only the Superfan could know. This is a book about loyalty, perseverance and the power of sports to unite us across differences--and, most of all, about how following your passions can lead you to the most extraordinary places."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Bhatia, Nav, 1951-; Toronto Raptors (Basketball team); Basketball fans; East Indians; Immigrants;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Unguarded / by Pippen, Scottie,author.; Arkush, Michael,author.;
"Scottie Pippen has been called one of the greatest NBA players for good reason. Simply put, without Pippen, there are no championship banners-let alone six-hanging from the United Center rafters. There's no Last Dance documentary. There's no "Michael Jordan" as we know him. The 1990s Chicago Bulls teams would not exist as we know them. So how did the youngest of twelve go from growing up poor in the small town of Hamburg, Arkansas, enduring two family tragedies along the way, to become a revered NBA legend? How did the scrawny teen, overlooked by every major collegiate basketball program, go on to become the fifth overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft? And, perhaps most compelling, how did Pippen set aside his ego (and his own limitless professional ceiling) in order for the Bulls to become the most dominant basketball dynasty of the last half century? In Unguarded, the six-time champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist finally opens up to offer pointed and transparent takes on Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, and Dennis Rodman, among others. Pippen details how he cringed at being labeled Jordan's sidekick, and discusses how he could have (and should have) received more respect from the Bulls' management and the media. Pippen reveals never-before-told stories about some of the most famous games in league history, including the 1994 playoff game against the New York Knicks when he took himself out with 1.8 seconds to go. He discusses what it was like dealing with Jordan on a day-to-day basis, while serving as the facilitator for the offense and the anchor for the defense. On the 30th anniversary of the Bulls' first championship, Pippen is finally giving millions of adoring basketball fans what they crave; a raw, unvarnished look into his life, and role within one of the greatest, most popular teams of all time"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Pippen, Scottie.; African American basketball players; Basketball players;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 2
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On her game : Caitlin Clark and the revolution in women's sports / by Brennan, Christine,author.;
"America has never seen an athlete quite like Caitlin Clark. Attracting record-shattering attendance and TV ratings, she has riveted the nation with her famous logo threes and thrilling passes and changed how fans across the country view women's sports. Drawing on dozens of extensive interviews and exclusive, behind-the-scenes reporting, veteran journalist Christine Brennan narrates Clark's rise -- including the formative experiences that led to her scoring more points than any woman or man in major college basketball history -- and delivers fascinating new details about Clark's Olympic snub by USA Basketball, the safety concerns around her that led to charter flights for all players, the WNBA's lack of preparation for heightened national scrutiny, and troubling outbreaks of jealousy and resentment as a white player became the top story in a predominantly Black league. The 2024 season was a watershed. Always taking the high road in the face of criticism, Clark proceeded to write herself into WNBA record books as one of the league's most talented rookies ever. And her winning persona -- on full display whether surrounded by children begging for autographs or reporters hanging on her every word -- made Clark such a fan favorite that increasingly larger arenas needed to be found to accommodate the hordes who traveled hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles to watch her play. Clark arrived as a sports and cultural icon a little more than fifty years after the passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that opened the floodgates for girls and women to play sports in America. On Her Game is a sports story, certainly, but it's also the story of a nation falling in love with what it has created because of that law -- millions of new athletes, led by the magical Caitlin Clark"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Sports writing.; Personal narratives.; Clark, Caitlin, 2002-; Women's National Basketball Association.; Sports for women.; Women basketball players;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Time out / by Hayes, Sean,1970-author.; Greenwald, Carlyn,1995-author.; Milliner, Todd,author.;
"Heartstopper meets Friday Night Lights in this keenly felt coming-of-age story about a teen hometown hero who must find out who he is outside of basketball when his coming out as gay costs him his popularity and place on the team. In his small Georgia town, Barclay Elliot is basically a legend. Here basketball is all that matters, and no one has a bigger spotlight than Barclay. Until he decides to use the biggest pep rally in the town's history to come out to his school. And things change. Quickly. Barclay is faced with hostility he never expected. Suddenly he is at odds with his own team, and he doesn't even have his grandfather to turn to the way he used to. But who is Barclay if he doesn't have basketball? His best friend, Amy, thinks she knows. She drags him to her voting rights group, believing Barclay can find a bigger purpose. And he does, but he also finds Christopher. Aggravating, fearless, undeniably handsome Christopher. He and Barclay have never been each other's biggest fans, but as Barclay starts to explore parts of himself he's been hiding away, they find they might have much more in common than they originally thought. As sparks turn into something more, though, Barclay has to decide if he's ready to confront the privilege and popularity that have shielded him his entire life. Can he take a real shot at the love he was fighting for in the first place?"--
Subjects: Young adult fiction.; Gay fiction.; Novels.; Basketball players; Friendship; Gay teenagers; Gays; High school students; High schools; Homophobia; Prejudices; Schools; Basketball players; Friendship; Gay teenagers; Gays; High school students; High schools; Homophobia; Prejudices; Schools;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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We the North : 25 years of the Toronto Raptors / by Smith, Doug,1958-author.; Carter, Vince,writer of foreword.;
"Bringing Jurassic Park to your home, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Canada's most exciting team. Comprising twenty-five chapters to mark the team's twenty-five years, We the North celebrates the biggest moments of the quarter-century--from Vince Carter's amazing display at the dunk competition to the play-off runs, the major trades, the Raptors' incredible fans, including Nav Bhatia and Drake, and of course the challenges that marked the route to the championship-clinching Game 6 that brought the whole country to a standstill. We the North: 25 Years of the Toronto Raptors tells the story of Canada's most exciting team, charting their rise from a sporting oddity in a hockey-mad country to the status they hold today as the reigning NBA champions and national heroes"--
Subjects: Toronto Raptors (Basketball team);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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