{"product_id":"heaven-is-a-playground-a-journey-into-the-sweet-world-of-street-basketball-9781683584728","title":"Heaven Is a Playground: A Journey Into the Sweet World of Street Basketball","description":"\u003ch2\u003eThe Definitive Book on Urban Street Basketball Culture\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNow in paperback!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHeaven Is a Playground\u003c\/i\u003e was the first book on the uniquely American phenomenon of urban basketball. Rick Telander, a photojournalist and former high school basketball player, spent part of the summer of 1973 and all of the summer of 1974 in Brooklyn living the playground life with his subjects at Foster Park in Flatbush. He slept on the floor of a park regular's apartment, observing, questioning, traveling, playing with, and eventually coaching a ragtag group of local teenagers whose hopes of better lives were often fanatically attached to the transcendent game itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eMeet the Playground Legends\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTelander introduces us to Fly Williams, a playground legend with incredible leaping ability and self-destructive tendencies that threatened to keep him earthbound. Another standout was Albert King, a fifteen-year-old phenom whose shy, quiet demeanor masked an otherworldly talent that eventually took him to the NBA.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eUpdated Edition with New Perspectives\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis edition also includes Telander's perspectives on the arrival of an NBA team in Brooklyn. \u003ci\u003eHeaven Is a Playground\u003c\/i\u003e is one of a kind--a funny, sad, ultimately inspiring book about Americans and the roots of the sport that they love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRick Telander\u003c\/b\u003e is a sports columnist for the \u003ci\u003eChicago Sun-Times\u003c\/i\u003e and a former senior writer for \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eESPN: the Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e. Telander has won the Illinois Sportswriter of the Year Award nine times, and in 2018 he was awarded the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the author of eight books, including \u003ci\u003eIn the Year of the Bull\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy This Book Matters\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis groundbreaking work captures the raw energy and culture of 1970s Brooklyn street basketball, documenting the dreams, struggles, and extraordinary talents of young players navigating life through the game. A must-read for basketball fans, sports history enthusiasts, and anyone interested in urban American culture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sports Publishing LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50680370168082,"sku":"9781683584728","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_cd21c7df-af93-47bb-ada1-e89d8f82e63d.jpg?v=1734905712","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/heaven-is-a-playground-a-journey-into-the-sweet-world-of-street-basketball-9781683584728","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}