A Hoop Fable

Larry's parents had never seen him so preoccupied and possessed.

For hours each day, he'd play basketball-and after he finished playing, he'd spend hours reading various basketball books. Posters of players were plastered all over his room.

"We need to get some handle on this," his mother told her husband, Dave. While he wasn't as concerned, he agreed he would talk to the school psychologist.

That meeting, however, did not resolve much, and Dave was left wondering if maybe he was the one with a problem. He had never gotten passionately involved in sports. Maybe he was just envious of his son? Maybe he had been too passive as a child and should have had stronger interests?

He remembered that he was on the debating team, but never possessed the drive to win over the other team. Okay, he thought to himself, you'd better tolerate your son's intensity and be patient and see where it leads.

A Hoop Fable reveals how basketball provided Larry with a passion for life and gave him a foundation to move toward a successful career-and the lessons the game provided his family along the way.