When the Game Was Ours

I came to this book via the HBO documentary; A Courtship of Rivals, which I absolutely loved and as a result turned me into a NBA fan (I am from the UK so football was my 1st love). The book is a wonderful accompaniment to that documentary, but offers so much more insight and detail. A particular delight, was the backstory behind the Converse commercial and how their friendship developed from there. This book is a must for any sport historian fan and it is highly recommended

The book was everything I hoped it would be - fantastically researched & written with painstaking detail. Wonderful.

I nearly always have a book on the go but tend to read them at a pretty slow rate, wanting to absorb the information rather than rush through the text. This book however was so gripping, so larger than life and so inspiring that it kept me hooked page after page with as much detail as you could ask for about two amazing athletes and their incredible rivalry that's more magical than any fiction could hope to emulate. Like all great sports books, When the Game was Ours is a fascinating historical document of what a sport used to be like and the two players who helped to make it the mega-industry that it is today. Even though I knew all the results I still found myself immersed in the play-off storylines and totally inspired by the unrelenting work ethic and unselfish nature which made these two men and their teams such a brilliant success. Probably one of the top ten sports book I've read and I've read quite a lot.

My husband started to read his new pressie and basically could not put it down. He played professionally in UK and for GB in the 80's. Perfect read.

Superb capture of the time, and two great players. A must read if you are a fan of NBA in the 80s

One of the best books I have ever read, didn’t want to finish it.

Magic and Larry are very honest throughout this book, and their memories are skilfully stitched together by co-author Jackie McMullan. Each chapter starts with a climax, then goes back in time and sketches in the detail. This can be frustrating in one or two places, but generally works well. If you're a basketball fanatic you'd want more on the Magic/Isiaah Thomas rift, but Thomas clearly didn't want to contribute. Magic's infidelity is skipped over too, but he admits to it at least, and takes responsibility for contracting HIV, rather than blaming it on other people. Overall this is a fast, entertaining read, well worth the few quid for anyone interested in basketball, Bird or Magic.

A real insight into both players and the impact they had on the NBA - Highly recommended

I’m a Larry Bird fan even before the NCAA finals. Amazing player! The NCAA finals gave me a glimpse of Magic Johnson and the things he can do the on the hardwood. I was excited when they both got into the NBA. This book is a great read to see how they interacted in their words!

Beautifully written book.

Increíble la historia de estos dos jugadores

A must to all basketball fans. Bird and Magic made the NBA popular again after some years with low attendance.

Premetto di essermi appassionato al pianeta NBA proprio in contemporanea all'arrivo dei due Fenomeni per cui sono assolutamente incapace di essere obiettivo verso qualsiasi cosa li riguardi. Ho trovato comunque il libro molto interessante in quanto copre avvenimenti spesso trascurati, tipo il racconto di quando, ancora sconosciuti, sono stati compagni di squadra in una rappresentativa universitaria che ha tra l'altro giocato incontri in Italia. Ben rappresentata è l'ostilità agonistica reciproca, l'ammirazione che hanno sempre provato uno per l'altro e l'incredibile determinazione che li ha portati ad eccellere e a caratterizzare un'epoca.