Celebrities and the fame that came with that were once upon a time looked at as one-dimensional, linear personalities or skill-sets, with every type living in their own universe not daring to challenge the universe of art with an attempt at translation. That was then and this is now, where every person with access to the internet is “famous” and every celebrity has the ability to sing, dance, act, have an athletic prowess, and be compelling no matter the arena.
50 Cent acts, Jay-Z makes alcohol, Drake materializes into any successful locker room with a snap of the whip onto the proverbial horses of a bandwagon. It is happening all the time with more emphasis with the internet giving a platform that is vast and free.
Athletics, or athletes in particular, are most subjected to the rhetoric of being simplistic jocks that have no place in the world of art or academia.
Most athletes fit in that box. They play, then they either analyze, teach, coach, train, or something “sports” after the playing days are over. There are also outliers like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has found a way to step out of the box that fits in the traditional “jock” while finding a way with his words and telling stories.
In the way that Matt Christopher once engaged me with his trademark style that connected athletics to the real world issues we deal with growing up, Jabbar (with collaborator Raymond Obstfeld) is recapturing that magic for this generation.
Stealing the Game is the second book in the line of written adolescent soap operas that followed Sasquatch in the Paint, Jabbar’s first fictional narrative from earlier this year.
In this sequel the story follows Chris, the Bronze Boy to his older brothers’ Golden Boy, who is trying to find his footing in a culture of orchestrated success fostered by his parents. He is a typical teen with likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, and the youthful wonder that we all had once upon a time. He is a quiet person, average student, and talented basketball player. With two lawyers as parents and an older brother in law school he keeps his secrets to himself to avoid being a disappointment to his parents.
The story follows the parables of coming of age, sports, family drama, and mystery that all come together in a sincerely easy read.
Jabbar has said that these books loosely follow his childhood and true events of being a young athlete from his perspective. Not autobiographical in nature, but a peak behind the curtain with creative angst that blurs the lines between fiction and non-fiction. The most compelling story-telling has always been a blurred line between fact and fiction.
This is a story that not only will entertain a younger generation, but will also show one of the greatest basketball players ever pick up the pen and tell a tale worth reading.
While this is a different lane for Jabbar outside of the sky-hook and strong introspective that he delivers in articles for the Los Angeles Times, TIME Magazine, and other outlets, it is chalk full of messages to youth about life and adolescent challenges.
The message Jabbar is sending this generation is one that we were all told as a child and all try to tell our children: You can do anything you set your mind to. If you have a passion to tell stories then the fact that you are one of the greatest athletes of all time should not hinder that. That is illustrated on the micro level with Chris in this book loving to write comics, but being expected to be a great athlete and student. It is illuminated on the macro level with Jabbar writing this book.
Messages like this are often lost in the shuffle. Whether you feel Jabbar is a breath of fresh literary genius or another athlete taking advantage of a podium or a guy that wanted to tell a story, the message cannot be lost with what this book is trying to tell.
Athletes (or people in general) do not have to be linear, one-dimensional characters, and if you truly want something all you have to do is pursue it. Because in the end you can do whatever you set your mind to.
What do you think?
Follow Kristofer on Twitter at @NBADraftInsider.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
