The Hoops Whisperer

March 10, 2014
As a trainer, Ravin has helped hone the skills of some of pro basketball’s biggest names, including LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. His arrival at this starry occupation was hardly glamorous. The product of a Conservative Jewish household, Ravin fell in love with basketball as a child and devised his own training regimen. Using that and his experience coaching youth basketball, he began training players while he pursued an unsatisfying law career. Year by year, despite no ties to the NBA hierarchy and a playing career that ended in high school, he attracted high-profile clients willing to pay for his personal, unorthodox training. The book’s caroming style—Ravin’s twisty path to his unique career, insights on working with clients, and inspirational asides—is galvanized by Ravin’s chummy directness and his practical observations: we can become so enamored of reaching a goal that we lose sight of an equally rewarding path; even if you win the genetic lottery, insistent hard work is required to get the most out of a passion. This is a self-help book for the basketball player, but Ravin’s commonsense approach elevates it well beyond gimmickry categorization.

March 1, 2014
An unlikely inspirational book by the trainer for the NBA's biggest stars. Ravin became an athletic trainer without the seemingly requisite formal education or experience. Yet, solely through word of mouth from the league's biggest stars, he has built a career training elite athletes in their shared quest to improve their games and achieve their highest goals. Ravin didn't stay at his previous boring and soul-killing job; he created one based on the game he loved. Always an outsider, he remained mistrustful of organizations that would make him "sacrifice [his] identity or authenticity to try to blend into the environment." In devising his innovative training philosophy, the author figured if players could consistently handle "the complexity, intensity and pace of the workouts I dreamt up, then practice and games would feel like Oreos soaked in milk." Pampered NBA superstars fly him across the country and pay for the privilege of working out in empty practice gyms with no amenities, having their weaknesses exposed, and competing "under strenuous circumstances designed to fatigue, test and build." He earns their trust by creating an environment of collaboration and mutual respect based on accountability, honesty and positive reinforcement. Ravin's writing mimics the quick, staccato rhythms of the game. He shares his experiences in short, free-standing chapters that create a constant flow of his observations and beliefs. With characteristic modesty, the author might reject the idea he has written not only an insightful look at what motivates NBA players, but also an uplifting life guide. (Indeed, the words he repeats throughout are "intuition," "love" and "faith.") Ravin doesn't reinterpret such familiar aphorisms as "Do what you love" and "Follow your bliss"; rather, this book uniquely overlaps the genres of memoir, self-help, organizational psychology and philosophy. A sports book that will motivate readers to live a purposeful, authentic life.

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June 1, 2014

Ravin, a private trainer for NBA players, has written a moving book that is an intriguing mix of memoir, basketball instruction, and self-help. Impressively, for a first-time author with seemingly no ghost writer helping him, the author balances facts with emotion. The reader learns much about his training techniques and about basketball while also being inspired by his journey from bored lawyer to personal trainer for LeBron James, Chris Paul, and other stars. His compassion for all the players he works with comes across subtly and articulately in his writing. The word Zen comes to mind often while reading the book, as do the coaching styles and philosophies of Greg Popovitch and Phil Jackson--like Ravin they are notable in their approaches because they often let players figure their way out of difficulties rather than demand change immediately. It's no surprise that Ravin has encountered a lot of resistance from coaches because of what they consider to be his unorthodox methods. He details some of these confrontations, which ends up revealing a lot about how the coach-player relationship is structured, at least in the NBA. VERDICT This book should be of interest to all NBA fans. Readers of memoirs and nonreligious, inspirational stories may also find the account appealing.

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