• Boys Among Men

  • How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution
  • By: Jonathan Abrams
  • Narrated by: Mirron Willis
  • Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (86 ratings)

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Boys Among Men  By  cover art

Boys Among Men

By: Jonathan Abrams
Narrated by: Mirron Willis
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Publisher's summary

When Kevin Garnett shocked the world by announcing that he would not be attending college - as young basketball prodigies were expected to do - but instead would enter the 1995 NBA draft directly from high school, he blazed a trail for a generation of teenage basketball players to head straight for the pros. That trend would continue until the NBA instituted an age limit in 2005, requiring all players to attend college or another developmental program for at least one year. Over that decade-plus period, the list of players who made that difficult leap included some of the most celebrated players of the modern era: Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady, and numerous others. It also included notable "busts" who either physically or mentally proved unable to handle the transition. But for better or for worse, the face of the NBA was forever changed by the prep-to-pro generation.

In compelling, masterfully crafted prose, Boys Among Men goes behind the scenes and draws on hundreds of firsthand interviews to paint insightful and engaging portraits of the most pivotal figures and events during this time.

©2016 Jonathan Abrams (P)2016 Tantor

What listeners say about Boys Among Men

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Bad pronunciation

It was well read, but the pronunciation of names was egregious. There should have some phonetics or have someone who actually watches basketball read the book.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good voice, bad preparation

The narrators voice is spot on. But you gotta do your homework before you get on the mic. I winced with every single mispronounced name. And there were over a hundred.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

good backstory of high school players going to NBA

always wondered what things these high school players experienced when deciding to jump to NBA.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Names mispronounced

Great writing but the audio performance is distracting with the mispronunciations of many of the well-known names of the basketball words and the word "phenom."

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

name mispronunciations are rough

Would you consider the audio edition of Boys Among Men to be better than the print version?

i didn't read the print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'm a knicks fan, so any mention of the knicks

How did the narrator detract from the book?

mispronouncing so many names!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

Great story and very well written book. However the narrator wasn't very good in my opinion. He mispronounced a lot of names.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book. Narrator needs work

Would you be willing to try another one of Mirron Willis’s performances?

No.

Any additional comments?

If you're reading a book that is 100% directed at basketball super fans, you should probably have a narrator who is at least somewhat familiar with basketball. It might seem knit-picky, but some of the mispronunciations of very famous basketball personalities was really distracting. Jonathan Abrams wrote a really good book, I feel like the narrator did him a big disservice by not doing his homework.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Poor reading

The reader was monotonous and mispronounced several words and names. It should have been more colorful and he should have learned how to pronounce players' names.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • ck
  • 12-08-16

Good book weird narrator.

What didn’t you like about Mirron Willis’s performance?

It's like the narrator doesn't know anything about basketball. He constantly mispronounces some very well known people's names.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Basketball Nerd's Dream

This book is an amazing look at how the NBA has been shaped by teenagers. I loved the details on the players families and upbringings. If

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