Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond

Tremendous novel, buy this book if you enjoy comedy

Sports autobiographies can be saccharine, overwrought, self-gratifying. Paul Shirley is none of these things. With tongue firmly in cheek, he works his craft with the skill of an anthropologist participant-observer (albeit an extremely tall one). Laughs are had on every page, sometimes to the embarrassment of one reading on a plane or other public setting. You will vividly participate in a life most of us won't ever know: the elite world of professional basketball, from it's lurid underbelly to the glory of the NBA playoffs. Your perspective on many basketball heroes - from Kobe and Shaq to Yao Ming to Steve Nash - will be changed. Paul Shirley already thinks too much - enough for several people. Don't think; just buy it.

Its surprising how funny a professional athlete can be. Paul Shirley's book gives great insight into what the world of a professional athlete is like. I remember reading his blog when he was with the Suns and how hilarious it was and the book is a perfect continuation to that blog. It is an excellent read for any sports fan and even the general public.

For all those people who didn't like this book because of the so-called "whining" and complaining - this book isn't really for them. I suggest they go to the self-help section of the bookstore and grab something there . . . or perhaps join the Oprah Book Club. For the people who've enjoyed Paul Shirley's blog over the years, you'd expect this book to be full of negative comments and complaints . . . as Paul himself said in the book, he writes better when the chips are down (p.54 - Jan. 12 entry) so y'all have been warned early on . . . However, as a pessimist and a cynic myself - I really didn't see his whining and complaining as such . . . it really is just an honest observation and being a basketball player that travels halfway around the globe - those observations are truly interesting and his witty remarks makes the book entertaining as well. It's well-written and would recommend the book to almost anybody (except Oprah and Dr. Phil).

Chances are the readers of "Can I Keep My Jersey?" are one of two types: 1) People who are basketball fans in general and have never read Paul Shirley before. 2) Readers who got hooked on Paul Shirley via his NBA Blog, or via Bill Simmons' columns on ESPN's Page 2. If you found this book by way of either of these methods, I'm sure you'll love it. If you're in group 1 and you have a smart-a & #, sarcastic, dry, witty, smart sense of humor, I think you'll like Paul's writing. I loved hearing about his experiences in foreign countries most of all. Paul gives you a look at being a complete fish out of water in places most tourists never go. If you've traveled outside the US, you'll definitely relate to some of his uncomfortable, awkward stories. You also get a first-hand tour of the dredges of professional basketball in the USA - the CBA and the ABA. Personally, having been to the wonderful world of Yakima, Washington, I found his CBA stories about his time there to be particularly entertaining. Again, this book isn't so much about the NBA or famous basketball players, it's about Paul's travels across the world while doing his job. I get the idea that while Paul loves playing basketball, he may not enjoy the rigmarole of playing in 3rd-world countries; it sort of seems like a paycheck for him in some points. Also, after making it into the NBA, he really brought an everyman-view to the NBA lifestyle too. I breezed through this book. If you're in his target demographic (I am) and would enjoy reading things like blogs, I would recommend it. If you're not though, I'm not so sure...

Paul Shirley has been my favorite basketball player for a few years now and I have never seen him play. Usually when I finish reading a book, I pass it on to my friends or my brother. The problem with this book is its written for guys like me: a white, Ivy league educated, former high school basketball player who follows the NBA and reads for leisure. It's not a large demographic. My "smart" friends don't play or watch basketball. My "basketball" friends don't read. It's a shame because I really think more people should know who Paul Shirley is.