Inside Game: Race, Power, and Politics in the NBA

Though published through the regional University of Akron Press, the autobiography of Wayne Embry is essential reading for basketball fans, sports historians and those intrigued on how sports reflects the games played by the power brokers in society. Embry was a professional player and climbed the corporate ladder in the NBA during eras when the racial divide was felt in locker rooms and in neighborhoods throughout the nation. Perhaps mostly known nationally as the executive who traded Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Lakers - Embry drew the ire of Cleveland Cavalier fans for the trading of Ron Harper, which is covered in depth. But it's within the inside game on the hardwood floor of life - that needed the finesse of a swift ball-handling point guard and the sharp elbows of a tough power forward - where Embry ultimately excelled. He did not close the doors of opportunity when he maneuvered into a position to take advantage of a small opening, but has been a trailblazer by leading the way for many others into successful careers in pro basketball and the corporate world.

I just finished this book tonight, and it's one of the best sports autobiographies I've read in ages, and I read most of them. Wayne Embry is a pioneer, and a man that overcame a tremendous amount of racism and adversity in his life to become a power player (GM) of 2 NBA ballclubs. I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Embry in passing at camps, and he was a kind gentleman. I always admired him but never knew all that he went through. To be fair in my review, I must say that in reading the book, he seems at times overly-sensitive in his analysis of some situations, especially those with Cavs ownership, and that he often seems to have felt slighted, when he may have just been a casualty of an underachieving ballclub, and NOT the victim of racism. Either way, the man is an intellect, and also found success in business as a big-time McDonald's franchisee and sat on the BOD of several Fortune 500 companies, as well as a trustee of his alma mater, Miami of Ohio. A man who has been married to the same woman for almost 50 years. A man of conviction. I say this for Embry, whether or not you agree or disagree with his views, he pulls no punches. He tells it like it is, and does not sugar coat things in this book. There's nothing worse than shelling out $20 or $30 for a book, and then you get nothing but cliche nonsense, or the same old fuzzy stories you already knew from the sports pages or internet. This book is a must for old-time/vintage NBA fans or those who wonder what it's like to be a GM of a team. Wayne Embry was not only a physical specimen, but a cerebral giant of a man, and this is one helluva read. Kudos, Big Wayne. Regards, James R. Acho, Esq. www.cmda-law.com