LeBron James has been caught reading a few novels and books in the locker room. But this new book by author Hanif Abdurraqib isn’t something that the Los Angeles Lakers star would want to read. At least, that is what the poet and essayist had to say while making an appearance on the No Dunks podcast.
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Hanif’s book, There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension just came out a few weeks ago. He is a resident of Columbus, which is just a town over from James’ birthplace, Akron, Ohio. And despite having numerous stories about The Chosen One in his book, he wasn’t sure if Bron would want to read about himself.
“We’ve actually never spoken, we’ve never been in each other’s orbit. I know he has the book or I at least believe he has the book. I got it to him through Rich Paul which is very kind. But I don’t know if he’s read it. If I were him, I don’t know if I’d want to read it.”
Hanif further added, “I don’t know how he is about reading about himself. I’m not that interested in reading about myself…I don’t know if reading about himself would be a comfortable or joyful thing for him.”
Abdurraqib’s book details various things about James before he got drafted into the league. Hanif talks about his high school team, the Irish, and how he led the team in his senior year along with his best friends, Dru Joyce & Romeo Travis.
His book also has some eye-catching stuff about throwing his jersey in flames and how Bron would pull up to school driving a Hummer H2.
It also includes moments from his stint with the Miami Heat, his free agency decisions over the years, and his departure from Cleveland the first time around.
Though Hanif said that the book only had a fraction of mentions talking about James, it has some details of his performances in the playoffs. He also had a few personal opinions, for instance, talking about how James should go bald entirely.
Hanif even went so far as to talk about James’ draft and his preparation for making his NBA debut. Abdurraqib’s book also had information about Bron being on the cover of Slam Magazine; that too wearing a white Michael Jordan throwback jersey from the 1988 All-Star game.
So, Hanif hasn’t gotten any word about James reading his book. But it’ll be interesting to see if someone does ask him about Abdurraqib writing about him during any regular season interview.
