Sam Smith and Phil Jackson grew to know and respect each other in the late 1980s. Smith was a Chicago Tribune sportswriter, and Jackson was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls. Forty years later, the two remain close friends. In 2021, Smith helped the NBA curate a list of the 75 greatest players of all time in celebration of its 75th anniversary.
In "Masters of the Game," Smith and Jackson discuss the career highs, lows, creativity and personalities of the all-time greats, including Jordan, Shaq and Steph Curry. Smith and Jackson offer analysis and dig into NBA gossip to provide a full picture of each player. And of course, these two old heads inevitably get into the GOAT debate.
On the next Charlotte Talks with guest host Erik Spanberg, we sit down with sportswriter Sam Smith to talk about the book, his career, and to take a look at some players on the list who have North Carolina roots.
GUEST:
Sam Smith, NBA writer for the Chicago Bulls website, bulls.com. He is the author of multiple books, including the New York Times bestseller, "The Jordan Rules." He’s now the co-author of "Masters of the Game: A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players."
