Hoops Heist

Hoops Heist PDF

Author: Jon Finkel

Publisher:

Published: 2020-12-07

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 9781636499970

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This is the untold story of the city of Seattle, their beloved Sonics, and how the legacy of their stolen team created a transcendent hoops culture and a pipeline of NBA All-Stars, champions and icons with roots in the Emerald City and the Pacific Northwest.Few cities in the history of modern sports had a visceral connection to a professional sports team like the citizens of Seattle and their Sonics. Beginning with their first season in 1967 through their last in 2008, the city's love affair with their team and players was unlike any other. From Lenny Wilkens, Spencer Haywood, Slick Watts, "Downtown" Freddie Brown and Jack Sikma, through Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp and the electric 90s era, all the way up to Ray Allen's run and Kevin Durant's single season, Hoops Heist explores the incredible impact of the Sonics locally and the importance of the franchise nationally.Featuring exhaustive research and exclusive interviews with Seattle legends, NBA Hall of Famers and the players who came of age in the Sonics' shadow, including Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Roy, Doug Christie, Jason Terry, Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford and more, Hoops Heist captures the transcendence of the Pacific Northwest's basketball scene and its ongoing influence in today's NBA.

Pipeline to the Pros

Pipeline to the Pros PDF

Author: Ben Kaplan with Danny Parkins

Publisher: Triumph Books

Published: 2024-04-16

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 1637274351

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Jeff Van Gundy. Brad Stevens. Frank Vogel. Mike Budenholzer. Tom Thibodeau. Sam Presti. Leon Rose. Before you knew his name, before he drafted your favorite player, before he guided your team to a championship, he had a playing career of his own at an NCAA Division III college. He didn't play for fortune &– the NBA was out of reach, and his school didn't even give athletic scholarships. He didn't play for fame &– his games weren't televised, and the stands were rarely full. Whatever the motivation, he simply couldn't give up the game of basketball. And that didn't change after graduation, when it was time to pick a career path. For the first time in league history, NBA coaches and general managers are just as likely to have played Division III basketball as they are to have played in the NBA. While the number of former D3 players working in the NBA is higher than ever, small college alums have served in leadership positions since the league's founding. They shaped the NBA into what it is today, playing integral roles in the Lakers' initial success in Los Angeles, the inception of several expansion franchises, the creation of the popular All-Star Weekend dunk contest, the globalization of the league, and more. Their improbable and inspiring journeys tell a bigger story &– the history of small college athletics, the evolution of coaching and management in the NBA, and the hiring practices in the most competitive fields. Their alma maters were small, but their impact on the game, and the implications of their success, loom large.

The Spencer Haywood Rule

The Spencer Haywood Rule PDF

Author: Marc J. Spears

Publisher: Triumph Books

Published: 2020-10-06

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 1641253851

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"If you are a basketball fan, you should be aware of Spencer Haywood's immense historical importance. If you're not aware, you should be." —Bob Ryan, The Boston Globe Hall of Famer, Olympic gold medalist, MVP, and All-Star could all be used to describe the illustrious career of Spencer Haywood on the hardwood. From picking cotton in rural Mississippi to the historic 1968 Olympics to Winning ABA MVP to the battle with the NBA that would go all the way to the Supreme Court and change the league forever, Spencer Haywood's life has been a microcosm of 20th-century sports and culture. One of the most dominant big men of his era, Haywood burst onto the international scene as a teenager with a revelatory performance at the Mexico City Olympics. Yet, while his basketball career was just beginning back in that summer of '68, it was only one of many notable moments in the extraordinary and fateful life of the big man from Silver City, Mississippi. In The Spencer Haywood Rule, Marc J. Spears of ESPN's The Undefeated and Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe worked with Spencer to tell the remarkable story of a man who was born into indentured servitude in rural Mississippi, and all of the unbelievable trials, tribulations, successes, failures, and redemptions that followed. Haywood would go on to be the ABA Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season, but his triumphs on the court are only part of the?legend. His winding journey off the court saw him challenge the NBA's draft-entry rules and win at the Supreme Court level; run in New York City high-fashion circles in the mid-70s with his then-wife, supermodel Iman; and bottom out with alcohol and drug addiction during the infancy of the Showtime Lakers dynasty.? Spears and Washburn explore how Haywood's impact was felt throughout the NBA and in society at large—and still is to this day—culminating in Haywood's inspiring second act as an advocate for current and retired NBA players alike.

The Lufthansa Heist

The Lufthansa Heist PDF

Author: Henry Hill

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2015-08-01

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1493018965

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The inside story—from the organizer himself--of the largest unrecovered cash haul in history. This full account brings readers behind the heist memorialized in Goodfellas, a crime that has baffled law enforcement for decades. From Henry Hill himself, The Lufthansa Heist is the last book he worked on before his 2012 death. On December 11, 1978, a daring armed robbery rocked Kennedy Airport, resulting in the largest unrecovered cash haul in world history, totaling six million dollars. The perpetrators were never apprehended and thirteen people connected to the crime were murdered in homicides that, like the crime itself, remain unsolved to this day. The burglary has fascinated the public for years, dominating headlines around the globe due to the story’s unending ravel of mysteries that baffled the authorities.One of the organizers of the sensational burglary, Henry Hill, who passed away in 2012, in collaboration with Daniel Simone, has penned an unprecedented “tell-all” about the robbery with never-before-unveiled details, particulars only known to an insider. In 2013, this infamous criminal act again flared up in the national news when five reputed gangsters were charged in connection to the robbery. This latest twist lends the project an extraordinary sense of timing, and the legal proceedings of the newly arrested suspects will unfold over the next year, continuing to keep the Lufthansa topic in the news.

Heist

Heist PDF

Author: Howard Sounes

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2023-03-28

Total Pages: 458

ISBN-13: 1504084276

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A detail-driven account of how a gang of criminal misfits pulled off the world’s biggest cash robbery, from the bestselling author of true crime classic Fred & Rose. The target was a regional counting house for the Bank of England, a fortified concrete bunker located within a triangle of police stations, one only three hundred yards away. When former UFC cage fighter Lightning Lee Murray discovered that this cash centre held hundreds of millions of pounds, he assembled a team of mates including a mechanic, a roofer, and a used car dealer. A hairdresser made disguises for the men so they could pass off as police officers. In an Ocean’s Eleven–style robbery, the gang succeeded in hauling away a lorry-load of cash—a staggering £53 million (worth $87 million at the time)—a world-record sum. That’s when their problems began. By turns thrilling and hilarious, Heist is the compelling true story of this mind-blowing crime, including background on Lee Murray, the build-up to the heist, the robbery itself, and its aftermath. The subject of Catching Lightning, as seen on SHOWTIME.

Highway Heist

Highway Heist PDF

Author: James T. Bennett

Publisher: Independent Institute

Published: 2022-10-03

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 1598133462

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In this eye-opening book, Professor James Bennett guides readers through centuries of one of the most underrated yet widely used aspects of American life—roads. Relying on history and economic data—and with a humorous and oftentimes sharp tongue—Bennett explains how important America's highways and byways have been to everything from policymaking to everyday life. Crafting America's roads took persuasion, planning—and more taxes than any politician could have dreamed of. And far too often their realization, thanks, in Bennett's view, to flawed interpretations of the power of eminent domain, required destruction, sometimes on a massive scale, of long-established neighborhoods and important cityscapes. Likewise, the upkeep of America's highways has been the center of many a policy battle, waged by Republicans and Democrats alike. Yes, we all want roads in good working condition—but just how and who will pay for them remain contentious questions. Bennett argues persuasively that the road forward just might be a second, but more serious, sustained look at, and local experimentation with, private roads and toll roads. Agree or disagree with him, Bennett has written a significant contribution to America's ongoing debate about how her citizens should traverse, from "sea to shining sea," its fruited plain.

The Heist

The Heist PDF

Author: C. W. Gortner

Publisher: Blue Box Press

Published: 2022-08-02

Total Pages: 79

ISBN-13: 1952457904

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To catch a leopard wear diamonds. A year after THE BAIT, Ania Throne is on the prowl. Gone into hiding, she’s planned her next move to perfection, intent on winning her dangerous game of cat-against-cat with the Leopard. But Ania doesn’t know that even the best-laid heists have hidden flaws. Jerome Curtis has taken a job at a Hollywood movie studio to try and put his life back together. When a familiar face from the past shows up unexpectedly, Jerome realizes that much as he’s tried to forget her, there’s no escaping Ania. And this time, what she’s about to do could be her doom. The heist is on. Jerome must join with Ania again to bring down the mastermind thief who’s dead-set on not getting caught. Passion and vengeance collide as father and daughter bait each other in a high-stakes gambit, with Jerome caught in the middle. Because no matter how much Ania has tried to keep her lover safe, she’s only brought him back into the center of her ploy— and the Leopard intends to take full advantage of it. From the glamour of late 1950s Hollywood to a desperate chase in the ravines of Los Angeles, two leopards must hunt each other to the end. And only one of them can bring down its prey. THE HEIST is the thrilling conclusion in the To Catch A Leopard series, a dramatic romantic caper that began with THE STEAL and THE BAIT.

The Election Heist

The Election Heist PDF

Author: Kenneth R. Timmerman

Publisher: Post Hill Press

Published: 2020-08-11

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 1642935743

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With scenes ripped from today’s most viral blogs, The Election Heist plays to the suspicions of millions of Americans who believe Russia hacked the 2016 elections, and millions more who fear that nefarious players could manipulate the results in the 2020 race. Packed with complex and believable characters, rapid-fire dialogue, and chilling details about the very real vulnerabilities of our election infrastructure, The Election Heist is written by investigative reporter, bestselling author, and former congressional candidate Kenneth R. Timmerman. “Ken Timmerman has written another page-turner, with all the suspense of election drama, voter recounts, and political high-stakes poker the way the game is played in today’s super-charged political reality. If you enjoy the scheming of talented but devious political operatives, media personalities angling to make their careers on a ‘gotcha’ moment, and the winner-take-all gambles today’s candidates for political office must take, this is a book you can’t afford to miss.” —Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D., bestselling author of The Obama Nation, Unfit For Command, and many others “In 2020, governments still do not take the threat of a major election security breach seriously. Ken Timmerman gets it! His scenario in this book is all too plausible, which means the realities are chilling… A good and timely read.” —Tom Malatesta, nationally recognized cyber security expert “If you don’t think election security is important, think again. Ken Timmerman’s new book shows why all of us should be worried about the 2020 election.” —Stephen Moore, economic advisor to President Trump and Heritage Foundation senior fellow “Only someone who has been in the political warfare trenches like Ken Timmerman could write such a timely, political thriller ‘work of fiction’ like this.” —Hon. Joseph E. Schmitz, former Inspector General of the Department of Defense and member of the Trump for President National Security and Foreign Policy Advisory Board

The Great Greene Heist

The Great Greene Heist PDF

Author: Varian Johnson

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Published: 2014-05-27

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 0545525543

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Saving the school -- one con at a time. "A political heist page-turner set in middle school? Is that even possible? Varian Johnson shows us how it's done." - Gordon Korman, author of SWINDLE "Do yourself a favor and start reading immediately." - Rebecca Stead, author of WHEN YOU REACH ME Jackson Greene swears he's given up scheming. Then school bully Keith Sinclair announces he's running for Student Council president, against Jackson's former friend Gaby de la Cruz. Gaby wants Jackson to stay out of it -- but he knows Keith has "connections" to the principal, which could win him the presidency no matter the vote count. So Jackson assembles a crack team: Hashemi Larijani, tech genius. Victor Cho, bankroll. Megan Feldman, science goddess. Charlie de la Cruz, reporter. Together they devise a plan that will take down Keith, win Gaby's respect, and make sure the election is done right. If they can pull it off, it will be remembered as the school's greatest con ever -- one worthy of the name THE GREAT GREENE HEIST.

The Perfect Crime: Unmasking the Isabella Stewart Gardner Heist

The Perfect Crime: Unmasking the Isabella Stewart Gardner Heist PDF

Author: Larry Maness

Publisher: Speaking Volumes

Published:

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1645409961

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Before 11 priceless pieces of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a respected Italian violin maker visited the museum to inspect a rare musical instrument requiring restoration. He took measurements and photographs and reported his findings to the museum’s director. Then, he disappeared. Was the innocent invitation to the violin maker the first step in a complex plot to rob the Gardner? The museum director thinks so and hires Theo R. Perdoux, an expert in worldwide art thefts, to investigate. Inspired by the actual unsolved robbery of Boston’s Gardner Museum, Maness spins a plausible web that races ahead like a shot. The brisk pace and clever twists offer an intriguing explanation why masterpieces worth millions have never been found.