My name is Taylor, and I wrote this book with the intent that it might help people understand the consequences of doing wrong. Though it may sound that I am glorifying the things I did, if I had the chance to change my life I would have. Though I love where my life is today, there were times I wished I weren't alive. It took a lot more then what can be imagined to get over the life style I was living. I am proof that a bad kid can turn them selves around. If you think that in the end of this book that I haven't, then you are wrong and can look forward to reading my next book. The most important thing I was trying to get across is that every little thing in life including people can be very deceiving and to stick only to what you believe in and nothing else. In the end nothing and I mean nothing will matter except that your heart be in the right place.

Perfect for fans of Moneyball and The Book of Basketball, this vivid, thoroughly entertaining, and well-researched book explores the NBA’s surge in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s and its transformation into a global cultural institution. Far beyond simply being a sports league, the NBA has become an entertainment and pop culture juggernaut. From all kinds of team logo merchandise to officially branded video games and players crossing over into reality television, film, fashion lines, and more, there is an inseparable line between sports and entertainment. But only four decades ago, this would have been unthinkable. Featuring writing that leaps off the page with energy and wit, journalist and basketball fan Pete Croatto takes us behind the scenes to the meetings that lead to the monumental American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, revolutionizing the NBA’s image. He pays homage to legendary talents including Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan and reveals how two polar-opposite rookies, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, led game attendance to skyrocket and racial lines to dissolve. Croatto also dives into CBS’s personality-driven coverage of key players, as well as other cable television efforts, which launched NBA players into unprecedented celebrity status. Essential reading whether you’re a casual or longtime fan, From Hang Time to Prime Time is an enthralling and entertaining celebration of basketball history.