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HP Big Summer Read: Chapter 9 -- The Myth of the Man

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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We’re back today with the ninth and final piece of the 2016 Hardwood Paroxysm Big Summer Read, focusing on Ball Don’t Lie: Myth, Genealogy, and Invention in the Cultures of Basketball, by Yago Colás.

This was the second year of the project and the idea was simple: gather basketball fans to read and discuss a great basketball book together. Over the last nine weeks, Yago and I have connected digitally for a short video conversation about each chapter in his book and the mythology it unraveled.

In today’s video, Yago and I discussed Chapter 9: The Myth of The Man. This focuses on LeBron James, the mythology around his ascent to stardom and, specifically, The Decision, and the backlash he suffered as a result. LeBron and the criticism he took after deciding to join the Miami Heat encapsulated many of the previous myths discussed in Yago’s book.

Yago will be dropping into the discussion in the comments to add his thoughts and answer questions. If you ping him mention him in your comment, you’re likely to get a quicker response.

If you’re just stumbling upon this project now and would like to get caught up on the discussion, links to our discussions about all the previous chapters are below.

I can’t think Yago enough for being so generous with his time and expertise throughout this project. If you have not already read his book, it can be purchased here, and I can not recommend it highly enough. It is one of the most fascinating basketball books I have ever read, and definitely apart of the canon.

If you’re in the Baltimore area, you can see Yago speak about his book at the end of this month. Also, follow Yago on Twitter, Facebook, and at his blog.