I have been looking for a book to read this New Year and I want it to be sports related. While I was searching for a good book in the sports genre, I came up with a list of the top 10 sports book that I would like to read before I die. So here they go.

10. Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior by Phil Jackson

 

Phil Jackson has been someone who I have admired with his 11 NBA Championships as a coach and 2 NBA championships as a player for the New York Knicks. I really want to read about the Michael Jordan years and his relationship with my favorite player of all time Kobe Bryant. The Zen Master’s tactics and personal life are something I am hugely interested in.

9. Drive: The Story of My Life by Larry Bird

 

Phil Jackson may have been the master of mind games, but Larry Bird was the master of the trash talk among other things on the court. I want to read this book for the reason that Larry Bird was a small town Indiana kid who went through several hardships before dominating a game whose players are renowned for their ability to jump high and run fast and Bird was not good at either of these.

 

8. Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger

The summer that Schwarzenegger turned 15 in Austria, he discovered bodybuilding and told his father, "I want to be the best-built man in the world. Then I want to go to America and be in movies."[1]

Need I say more!

 

7. Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas Hauser

I guess from this blog you might have seen that all I have ever written about is basketball and football books, but who can ignore the man who called himself the greatest in any top ten sports lists.

 

6. Beer and Circus: How Big-Time College Sports Has Crippled Undergraduate Education by Murray Sperber

 

I don’t necessarily agree with the statement, but I have always wondered about this for a long time. I hear this is a great book by an Indiana University professor and I would love to see his arguments which I may agree with even.

 

5. My Life by Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson

 

Probably one of the biggest success stories ever with his ‘magic’ on the court and unbelievable success in the business world. Also his biggest challenge by winning the battle against HIV should be inspiring to read.

 

4. What it takes to be #1 by Vince Lombardi

 

The legendary coach and his success with the Green Bay Packers due to his charismatic personality and superior leadership skills should be a good investment of time to achieve Lombardi-like success in any endeavor.

 

3. Greatness: The Rise of Tom Brady

 

I need to read something about Tom Brady and I came up with this. We all know about The Brady Six and how he always had to fight hard for his position from college to the pros and this should make for an incredible read.

 

2. Randy Moss (Superstars of Pro Football) by David Robson

 

Tom Brady to Randy Moss! Sound familiar. I couldn’t find any books written by the star wide receiver, so I settled for this book. I think the electrifying feats that were made by Randy Moss and his overall persona make him incredibly interesting.

 

1. The Kobe Code: Eight Principles For Success -- An Insider's Look into Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant's Warrior Life & the Code He Lives By Pat Mixon

 

Anything about Kobe Bryant has to be hands down my favorite thing in the world. I just love watching Kobe playing basketball and this would be my number one form of entertainment. There have a number of books about the Los Angeles Lakers guard but none by the man himself. I chose this book because it is recent and takes an in depth look at this character and the reasons why he is a big success story.