Author Archives: Paul Knepper

https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-mad-manchurian-from-the-internment-camps-of-tokyo-to-the-hardwood-courts-of-the-nba# I was born in Harbin, Manchuria, (later China), in 1938. At the outbreak of the Second World War my mother, sister and I, along with other non-combatants of the Allied countries, were taken by the Japanese to an internment camp in Tokyo where we would remain four year–to the end of the war. MyContinue reading “Check out my podcast with Tom Meschery about his book The Mad Manchurian: From the Internment Camps of Tokyo to the Hardwood Courts of the NBA.”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/baseballs-outcast When twenty-three-year-old Ron LeFlore played his first organized baseball game, it was in a yard at the State Prison of Southern Michigan where he was serving five to fifteen years for armed robbery. An extraordinary athlete, the Detroit native had luck on his side: his coach, a convicted felon, had connections to the DetroitContinue reading “Podcast with Adam Henig about his book Baseball’s Outcast: The Story of Ron LeFlore”

In anticipation of the new Amazon documentary Jerry West: The Logo, I did a podcast with Jonathan Coleman about his exceptional book with Jerry. Jonathan went into great detail about Jerry’s life and character and what it was like to work with the legend. https://newbooksnetwork.com/west-by-west He is one of basketball’s towering figures: “Mr. Clutch,” whoContinue reading “Podcast with Jonathan Coleman, co-author of West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/building-the-milwaukee-bucks In three short years, the Milwaukee Bucks went from merely an idea to NBA champions. What started as a quest by Marvin Fishman and eventually Wesley Pavalon to get Milwaukee back in the big leagues became something bigger than they could have imagined. They attracted a hard-working coach in Larry Costello, a pioneer inContinue reading “Podcast with Jordan Treske, author of Building the Milwaukee Bucks: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and the Rapid Rise of an NBA Franchise, 1968-1975”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-chief A memoir of basketball, dedication, and longevity from Boston Celtics legend Robert Parish Growing up in the heart of Louisiana, Robert Parish and his three younger siblings played baseball, football, and tennis―but never basketball. Still, by seventh grade, Parish stood 6’6″ and couldn’t escape the attention of Coleman Kidd, the junior high basketball coachContinue reading “Podcast with Jake Uitti about his new book with Robert Parish, The Chief: The Story of the Boston Celtics’ Most Enigmatic Icon”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/bleacher-seats-and-luxury-suites Celebrated as a democratic space for all Americans, the major league ballpark in fact privileged the middle- and upper-class white male fan while tacitly marginalizing poor urban residents and people of color. Seth S. Tannenbaum examines how the game’s economically and socially stratified system reflected changing understandings of urban space, inclusion, and the bodyContinue reading “Podcast with Seth Tannenbaum about his book Bleacher Seats and Luxury Suites: Democracy and Division at the Twentieth-Century Ballpark”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/out-of-bounds Highly promising basketball player Chris Washburn was selected third overall in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. But a chance encounter with famed basketball player Len Bias introduced him to crack cocaine. Soon, the overwhelming temptations of fame, fortune, and drugs derailed his promising career. And by 1989, after failing hisContinue reading “Podcast with Chris Washburn and Ron Chepesiuk about their book Out of Bounds: From Broken NBA Dreams to Redemption”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/harry-bucky-lew Harry “Bucky” Lew leapt over pro basketball’s color wall in 1902 and continued to integrate every single role in the game over the next 25 years. He was the first Black player, coach, manager, referee, and franchise owner in otherwise white leagues. His accomplishments were well documented in the newspapers of his day, butContinue reading “Podcast with Chris Boucher, author of Harry “Bucky” Lew: A Biography of the First Black Professional Basketball Player”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/sports-chaos What happens when sports decision-making collides with business interests, legal battles, and moral dilemmas? Sports Chaos dives into the unpredictable world where experts, executives, and athletes must navigate high-stakes choices that shape the future of sports. From billion-dollar deals to ethical debates over owner and athlete behavior, this book unpacks The Colliding Reasons Problem,Continue reading “Podcast with the authors of Sports Chaos: Exploring the Reasons Behind Expert Business, Legal, and Moral Decisions”