The Hoops Whisperer: On the Court and Inside the Heads of Basketball’s Best Players

As a trainer, Ravin has helped hone the skills of some of pro basketball’s biggest names, including LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. His arrival at this starry occupation was hardly glamorous. The product of a Conservative Jewish household, Ravin fell in love with basketball as a child and devised his own training regimen. Using that and his experience coaching youth basketball, he began training players while he pursued an unsatisfying law career. Year by year, despite no ties to the NBA hierarchy and a playing career that ended in high school, he attracted high-profile clients willing to pay for his personal, unorthodox training. The book’s caroming style—Ravin’s twisty path to his unique career, insights on working with clients, and inspirational asides—is galvanized by Ravin’s chummy directness and his practical observations: we can become so enamored of reaching a goal that we lose sight of an equally rewarding path; even if you win the genetic lottery, insistent hard work is required to get the most out of a passion. This is a self-help book for the basketball player, but Ravin’s commonsense approach elevates it well beyond gimmickry categorization. (May)