As a Duke fan, I loved getting to know Carlos Boozer more than I feel like I already did. His backstory is quite inspirational and I appreciate the hard work and dedication he has for the sport.

Just like the last book I read, Boston Ball, this book was in that same list that somebody compiled about the best upcoming sports books and when I saw it, I immediately was intrigued and threw it in my Amazon Wishlist. I have a few more books from that list that I will read when they come out:

Magic: The Life of Earvin “Magic” Johnson – by Roland Lazenby

Ice: Why I Was Born to Score – by George Gervin, Scoop Jackson
By God’s Grace – by Chris Webber
Prehistoric: The Audacious and Improbable Origin Story of the Toronto Raptors – by Alex Wong

See, I prefer basketball books!

So, back to Carlos Boozer…

I didn’t know he lived in Alaska. I didn’t know anything about his immediate family. Most athletes are private and don’t disclose this information, and I am glad he did as I learned about Sickle cell anemia. His first born had it, as Carlos and his ex-wife both were carriers. They had twins soon after, and they disease free. Because of that, doctors were able to use their cells to cure the other one. Man, that is amazing. Don’t be surprised if you see one of his kids playing professionally!

I really enjoyed reading about how he got started playing basketball, his college recruitment, his college playing career at Duke University (he won a national championship in 2001), his NBA career, his Olympic playing career, and all of his injuries he suffered.