Product Description

Bob Greene shows us a side of Michael Jordan that doesn't make the sports page...the inside.

Journalist and bestselling author Bob Greene stepped into Michael Jordan's world just as Jordan was reaching the apex of his talent and his fame. With Greene, Jordan let down his guard.

In an extraordinary book that transcends sports biography, Greene takes the reader along with Jordan over two seasons with the Chicago Bulls, during glorious championship surges and trying personal moments. With rare insight, Greene reveals the person inside the icon: a man who makes millions but cannot go for a quiet walk around the block without getting mobbed, a man who competes ferociously on the court, but who performs some of his most remarkable and unexpected feats away from the limelight.

Drawn from inside Michael Jordan's daily life, rich with the sound of Jordan's own voice, Hang Time is a startlingly candid and intimate story of time spent with a champion, and of the growing friendship between two men.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #329858 in Books
• Published on: 1993-12-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 391 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Chicago Tribune syndicated columnist Greene ( He Was a Midwestern Boy on His Own ) is by nature a hero-worshipper, and he surely found a figure worthy of adulation in Chicago Bulls basketball superstar Michael Jordan. Over the course of two seasons (in which Chicago won two championships and Jordan was twice named the most valuable player in the NBA), Greene and Jordan conversed about many subjects, but principally about the athlete's adjustment to fame; his mostly unpublicized charitable contributions; and his reaction to adverse publicity, much of it undeserved. Jordan is candid (his teammates are not his friends), careful of his image (he always meets the media in a suit after the games) and relatively down-to-earth. Greene's unreserved admiration for his hero, meanwhile, successfully disguises this writer's tendency toward self-congratulation. An unusual sports book and a very good one. First serial to Life magazine.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Penetrating...Evocative...A vivid, enlightening portrait of the world's ultimate sports star."-- Chicago Tribune

"Exceptional...Greene has never been better...It's hard to imagine a better book about Jordan."-- Terry Pluto, Knight-Ridder Newspapers

"Jordan seems to open up more to Greene than anybody."-- Mike Lupica, New York Daily News
-- Review

Review

Customer Reviews

On and Off the Court, Mr. Jordan is a Winner.
It took a tragedy for their paths to cross, but once it did, something changed in both men. Bob Greene is an excellent writer, published author, and a syndicated columnist. He covered a tragic story about a young boy in Chicago named Cornelius Abraham. Someone in the Bulls' management read the story, contacted Mr. Greene, and sent a few tickets to an upcoming basketball game. Along with something to make the child's day even more memorable: A personal meeting before the game with Michael Jordan. But what Mr. Greene didn't know was that Michael Jordan would make the day as memorable as his legendary performances on the hardwood.

During the game, young Cornelius sat next to Mr. Jordan on the bench. When the game was over, Bob Greene went into the locker room to personally thank Michael Jordan for his kind gesture. Mr. Jordan appeared surprised that someone would actually thank him. He invited Mr. Greene, who was not a sportswriter, to attend future games. The allure was addicting, and Mr. Greene became a regular in the press area at Chicago Stadium.

This story is compelling, honest, candid, and without any pretenses. It demonstrates an unlikely, but thoroughly understandable, friendship that developed between two men from very different worlds. Bob Greene paints a picture of Michael Jordan that clearly defines the inner man, and not the icon that the public sees during 48 minutes on the basketball court. Or during countless television appearances.

Mr. Greene chronicles two years in the life of Mr. Jordan. He describes the lack of privacy that permeates his life, along with how few of us can properly appreciate or understand what Mr. Jordan does on the court. But this story has more depth than merely describing basketball feats or mega celebrity status. There are many poignant tales in this beautifully written book that will surprise the reader. Michael Jordan is a man of integrity, honor, and vast compassion. It is a shame that it took a chance meeting by a non-sports writing journalist to tell us the true story.

I came away feeling that despite all of his fame, fortune, and incredible athletic prowess, Mr. Jordan never lost sight of his roots in small town North Carolina. Nor did his fame blind him to the plights and struggles of those much less fortunate then he. Whether it was taking a pair of his shoes to a dying young man who would never walk again, inviting a crippled young woman to a celebrity dinner as his personal guest, or meeting four young men in a dangerous Chicago neighborhood after every game, he never advertised these incredibly unselfish random acts of kindness. For me, that demonstrated his true character. Very few people, knowing they have the power to do so much good, ever take the time that Mr. Jordan did to impact so many lives.

For me, one story sums up the whole book and character of the protagonist. Mr. Jordan described in vivid detail how he felt after being cut by his high school basketball coach. It wasn't the detail that impressed me, nor the depth of his feelings about the incident. He never named the coach. Obviously, those who knew the full story could determine the name of the coach. But Mr. Jordan did not humiliate the man, when for most of us, the temptation would have been overwhelming. Especially if you were the best basketball player in the world.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

Hang Time: Days and Dreams With Michael Jordan
I am an avid reader, especially books on Michael Jordan. From the first time I read this book I was moved by the portrait of Michael Mr. Greene portrays: not as Michael "Air" Jordan, but simply as Mike the person. Never has an auhthor captured the humaness of an athlete such as Mr. Greene was able to do in his book. It is a MUST read for all Michael Jordan fanatics. Even if you are not a Jordan fan or even a basketball fan, I would still encourage you to read this book. You will not only learn intimate things about the life of Michael Jordan, you will learn a lot about life itself.

what a dream it was
Wow, this seems like so long ago. Just thinking about where each man (Jordan and Greene) have gone since makes my head spin. This is the story of the greatest player during one of his greatest periods in basketball.
Greene is not a sports writer and perhaps that helps make this book even better. He does appreciate sports. He certainly appreciates Michael Jordan, especially after getting to know him, while working on this book.
Michael is not perfect and this book reveals that, but does not concentrate on that for sensationalism. The book relies on facts (or at least facts as seen by Greene).
Greene is a wonderful writer and Jordan a magnificent player. Their union for this book comes off smoothly. Perhaps each developed enough respect for the skills of the other that something special occurred. Whatever the case, this book is special.
Even 10 plus years later, after everything that has happened to both men, it still comes off as an enjoyable, insightful book.