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Another calendar year is right around the corner, and in my personal opinion it’s a great time to make one of the most achievable New Year’s resolutions — read more!
If you’re reading this newsletter, chances are you’re a Utah Jazz fan, and I thought it would be fun to find out what the players and coaches are reading, have read or recommend reading. So, without further adieu, here is a reading list, compliments of the Utah Jazz!
- “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace — Jazz head coach Will Hardy recommended this Wallace text that originates from his commencement speech given at Kenyon College in 2005. Hardy said, “It’s amazing and it only takes like 45 minutes to read.”
- “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho — This one comes as a recommendation from Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen
- “The 50th Law” by 50 Cent and Robert Greene — A play on Greene’s previous work, “The 48 Laws of Power,” John Collins said he really enjoyed learning about 50 Cent’s life and the historical anecdotes that are used throughout the work.
- “The Shining” by Stephen King — Walker Kessler reads a lot and has been reading some of King’s work lately because his father is a fan. Kessler loved the book and was in awe of the character development. I can cosign the recommendation having recently finished this one myself.
- “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue” by V.E. Schwab — The word around the Jazz was that I needed to get a rec from Chris Jones, who is said to always be reading. He gave this suggestion saying that it was the best book he read over the offseason.
- “Game Day!” by Patty Mills — This is a collection of children’s books written by none other than the NBA veteran and Jazzman himself, Patty Mills. Ever the savvy business man, when asked for a recommendation he said, “There’s a really good children’s series called ‘Gameday!’ by an incredible author.”
- “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu — The last thing that assistant coach Andrew Warren read was this ancient military treatise.
- “Out There Screaming” edited by Jordan Peele — This anthology is a collection of horror stories written by black authors curated by Jordan Peele. Jordan Clarkson said it’s a must-read.
- “The Power of a Positive Team” by Jon Gordon — The message of this book is self-explanatory and was suggested by Micah Potter.
- “Chop Wood Carry Water” by Joshua Medcalf — This is a motivational story with a message of getting out of one’s own way in order to enjoy the process of becoming great and comes recommended by Svi Mykhailiuk.
- “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall — Jazz assistant coach Evan Bradds was asked to suggest a book and without skipping a beat he mentioned this book.
New with the Jazz
Quote of the week
“‘The Shining,’ I just finished that and it was really good. I also recently read ‘Pet Cemetery.’ Always loved ‘The Inheritance Cycle’ books, you know Eragon and all that. Of course I was super in Percy Jackson when I was growing up. I never read the ‘Lord of the Rings’ books but I read ‘The Hobbit’ and it was good...” — Walker Kessler when asked for a single book recommendation
From the archives
Extra points
- Jazz beat Nets for their second straight win, but is that a good thing? (Deseret News)
- What the NBA is saying about BYU’s Egor Demin? (Deseret News)
- For the Jazz the G League is not a demotion, it’s a tool. And they’re using it as much as possible (Deseret News)
Around the league
- NBA announces newly revamped All-Star format.
- Thunder’s Alex Caruso inks four-year extension worth $81 million.
- Magic’s Mo Wagner out for the season after ACL tear.
Up next
- Dec. 28 | 7:30 p.m. MST | Utah Jazz vs. Philadelphia 76ers | KJZZ
- Dec. 30 | 7 p.m. MST | Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets | KJZZ
- Jan. 1 | 5:30 p.m. MST | Utah Jazz @ New York Knicks | KJZZ