LeBron James: The Making of an MVP by Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst | Cleveland Books | Gray & Company, Publishers | Guide and Gift Books about Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, and Ohio.

Description

#1 draft pick . . . Rookie of the Year . . . All Star . . . Olympic gold . . . Most Valuable Player—Cleveland Cavaliers player LeBron James has had an exciting ride to superstardom. This book, by Cleveland Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto and NBA beat writers Brian Windhorst, takes a close-up and thorough look at the forces that shaped LeBron into an MVP.

Pluto and Windhorst have covered the LeBron phenomenon closely from the start. Drawing from a decade of reporting and scores of personal interviews, their new book provides an inside look at each stage of LeBron's development—how his childhood shaped his personality and sparked his drive to succeed; how budding stardom in high school challenged him to grow up fast; how his first steps in the NBA weren't always easy; how he quickly grew into a forceful team leader in the NBA and on Team USA; and how he now works relentlessly to improve his game.

The book has been nominated for the American Library Association's "Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers" (2011).

Book Excerpt:

The Ceremony

MVP ... MVP ... MVP . . .

Night after night throughout the 2008-09 season, that chant rocked Quicken Loans Arena as the Cavaliers racked up a 39-2 record on their home court.

MVP ... MVP ... MVP . . .

One spring afternoon, that battle cry echoed all over the Palace of Auburn Hills as the visiting Cavaliers were sweeping the Detroit Pistons out of the first round of the 2009 playoffs. It was the same court where LeBron and the Cavs were rudely booted out of the playoffs in Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals - only this time, there were as many Cavaliers fans in the house as Pistons fans watching the decline of their once-proud team.

MVP ... MVP ... MVP . . .

Now, those three letters were being screamed by high school kids from St. Vincent-St. Mary, the inner-city parochial school off West Market Street in the shadow of downtown Akron, Ohio. That's because in the spring of 2009 LeBron James chose to come here - home - for the ceremony at which he would receive the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player award.

He walked into the gym, built in 1950, with cement block walls painted white and green, where the side baskets have old, square, wooden backboards and the seats are long, wooden bleachers.

MVP ... MVP ... MVP . . .

LeBron James stepped to the podium, in a dark blue business suit with a light blue tie, looking as much like a young corporate executive as the 24-year-old star of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He only revealed his nerves by bouncing his fingers a bit on the podium. He took a deep breath and stared at the packed gym where he'd starred for the St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish when they were the nation's top-ranked high school team in 2003.

LeBron was here to talk . . . [ Read More Free Samples ]

Reviews

Filled with respect and humor and inside looks at one of the greatest athletes to ever live and compete in our area. The photographs—mostly by PD photographers—are stupendous . . . You'll come away from reading this book feeling that you'd watched this kid grow up—right next door. Almost. It would make a great gift to the budding young athlete in your family—or to keep for yourself. — coolcleveland.com

As the saying goes: We are all witnesses. Hearts routinely broken and faith always tested by our local heroes, we've been lucky enough to watch The Myth of LeBron unfold. (Although it's hardly a myth: It doesn't get more real than the numbers James puts up.) Now, sportswriters Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst have compiled the authoritative reference . . . The book is deceptively slim, with 90 color photos covering James' career from high school standout to NBA MVP. Pluto and Windhorst offer more than a collection of greatest hits, though, telling the story of what shaped the superstar as both a player and a man. — Ohio Authority.com

A quick and visually appealing summation of James' career to date. — Balls Don't Lie

Photo Gallery

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About Terry Pluto

Terry Pluto is a sports columnist for the Plain Dealer. He has twice been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the nation's top sports columnist for medium-sized newspapers. He is a nine-time winner of the Ohio Sports Writer of the Year award and has received more than 50 state and local writing awards. In 2005 he was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame. He is the author of 23 books, including The Curse of Rocky Colavito (selected by the New York Times as one of the five notable sports books of 1989), and Loose Balls, which was ranked number 13 on Sports Illustrated's list of the top 100 sports books of all time. He was called “Perhaps the best American writer of sports books,” by the Chicago Tribune in 1997. He lives with his wife, Roberta, in Akron, Ohio. More About Terry Pluto

About Brian Windhorst

Brian Windhorst is a reporter for the Plain Dealer and has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers since 2003. He has been an NBA correspondent for ESPN.com and ESPN First Take since 2006. His writing has been honored by the Professional Basketball Writers Association and the Associated Press. He earned a degree in journalism from Kent State University in 2000. He lives in Brook Park, Ohio, and Jupiter, Florida. More About Brian Windhorst

Contains References to:

St. Vincent-St. Mary, Quicken Loans Arena, National Basketball Association, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, Patty Burdon, Pam and Frankie Walker, Gloria James, Dru Joyce, Keith DAmbrot, Sports Illustrated,