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The upbringing and values that shaped one of the best players in the NBA.

Writing with longtime ESPN writer and TV host Wilbon, it’s clear that Paul isn’t interested in merely recapping his basketball career, which is ongoing and will lead to induction into the Hall of Fame when the time comes. Instead, the book is a tribute to Paul’s grandfather Nathaniel “Papa” Jones, who owned a gas station in Winston-Salem (“as far as we knew, his station was the first Black-owned gas station in North Carolina”) and whom Paul considers to be his “biggest influence” and “my real-life superhero.” From the author’s loving depiction, it’s easy to see why. Growing up, Paul spent countless hours at the gas station absorbing his grandfather’s example of hard work, a value Paul applied to his basketball career to great effect in high school and as a star at Wake Forest and in the NBA. Papa’s “stained hands were legendary,” he writes, “and had more of an impact on our family and community than anything I can do on a basketball court.” In 2002, their community was shattered when Papa was murdered at the age of 61. In Paul’s next high school game, he scored 61 points in honor of his grandfather. That game serves as the primary narrative thread, with Paul leaving and returning to it every few chapters as he fills in the context around it. By the time the game is over, Paul has demonstrated clearly to readers how much his formative years mattered to him. The author also seeks to convey this to his two children. One of the more moving aspects of the book is when Paul shares his experiences with his children in an attempt to mitigate the reality-distorting privilege that comes from having him as their father. Throughout, the author movingly passes along the love he received from Papa and the rest of his family.

A fresh and refreshing take on the athlete memoir.