How You Play the Game

This is a story of passion and commitment and faith—qualities that drove one working-class kid to not only build a sports empire, but also to change the way the entire sports industry has done business. In How You Play the Game, Jerry Colangelo, in his own words, tells how he emerged from the tough streets of Chicago Heights as a high school and college sports star…how he helped create and build the Chicago Bulls—at a time when the NBA was a second-tier professional league, and two basketball teams had already failed in the Windy City…how he moved to Arizona and started the Phoenix Suns, an organization that fought its way to become the ninth richest franchise in all of sports…and how he then began baseball’s newest team, the Arizona Diamondbacks.   This is a tale of determination, faith, and, most assuredly, good timing and good luck. In truth, this isn’t one story—but many.  Jerry weaves together a lifetime of great moments in sports and tense times in business.  Peppered with stories about players and coaches, including Charles Barkley and Connie Hawkins, Red Holzman, and Buck Showalter, as well as owners, general managers, investors, reporters, and more, How You Play the Game is truly an insider’s look at the sports world. Mr. Colangelo’s 30-year history mirrors the evolution of sports to the global marketing and media mega-industry it is today.