Tanking to the Top
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports
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Narrated by:
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Yaron Weitzman
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By:
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Yaron Weitzman
About this listen
Enter the City of Brotherly Love and see how the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers trusted The Process – using a bold plan to get to first by becoming the worst.
When a group of private equity bigwigs purchased the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011, the team was both bad and boring. Attendance was down. So were ratings. The Sixers had an aging coach, an antiquated front office, and a group of players that could best be described as mediocre.
Enter Sam Hinkie - a man with a plan straight out of the PE playbook, one that violated professional sports' Golden Rule: You play to win the game. In Hinkie's view, the best way to reach first was to embrace becoming the worst - to sacrifice wins in the present in order to capture championships in the future. And to those dubious, Hinkie had a response: Trust The Process, and the results will follow.
The plan, dubbed "The Process", seems to have worked. More than six years after handing Hinkie the keys, the Sixers have transformed into one of the most exciting teams in the NBA. They've emerged as a championship contender with a roster full of stars, none bigger than Joel Embiid, a captivating seven-footer known for both brutalizing opponents on the court and taunting them off of it.
Beneath the surface, though, lies a different story, one of infighting, dueling egos, and competing agendas. Hinkie, pushed out less than three years into his reign by a demoralized owner, a jealous CEO, and an embarrassed NBA, was the first casualty of The Process. He'd be far from the last.
Drawing from interviews with nearly 175 people, Tanking to the Top brings to life the palace intrigue incited by Hinkie's proposal, taking listeners into the boardroom where the Sixers laid out their plans, and onto the courts where those plans met reality. Full of uplifting, rags-to-riches stories, backroom dealings, mysterious injuries, and burner Twitter accounts, Tanking to the Top is the definitive, inside story of the Sixers' Process and a fun and lively behind-the-scenes look at one of America's most transgressive teams.
Including exclusive interviews with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Coach Brett Brown, Sam Hinkie, and more.
©2020 Yaron Weitzman (P)2020 Grand Central PublishingListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"There are layers to the brilliance of this book: The reporting is generally way deeper than what's come before. Much of the writing about "The Process" only muddies the waters, adds noise where we are desperate for signal. Here, for the first time, is an account that will confuse no one: Yes, this is what Sam Hinkie was trying to do; yes, it failed in some ways, and succeeded in others. The lucky readers of TANKING TO THE TOP will gain the insight to judge what was what. And finally, even with all of this new information to impart...it's still sexy and fun to read. How in the hell did he do that?" (Henry Abbott, founder and CEO, TrueHoop)
"[A] dishy, punchy debut...Weitzman wildly entertains in this backroom NBA history." (Publishers Weekly)
"'The Process' was the boldest, brashest, diciest, most controversial roster-building exercise we've seen in the NBA. Sam Hinkie's gambit alarmed fans and outraged NBA executives - and it worked. But the Sixers' rise from laughingstock to contender was so much more complex and layered than a two-word catch phrase. In TANKING TO THE TOP, Yaron Weitzman unearths new details and fresh insights, with an insider's expertise and a deft touch, providing the definitive account of this fascinating saga." (Howard Beck, senior NBA writer, The Bleacher Report)
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Story
He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large. Yet few people know the real Charles. Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research, Timothy Bella's Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked about icons in the world of sports.
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Great insight to the big man’s life.
- By marci rodee on 07-03-23
By: Timothy Bella
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A Season in the Sun
- The Inside Story of Bruce Arians, Tom Brady, and the Making of a Champion
- By: Lars Anderson
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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The extraordinary behind-the-scenes story of how Coach Bruce Arians, Tom Brady, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came together to deliver one of the most improbable Super Bowl victories in NFL history.
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Forever Tom Brady
- By Michael G. Salardino on 12-26-21
By: Lars Anderson
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Overtime
- Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football
- By: John U. Bacon
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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For the past year, John U. Bacon has received unprecedented access to Jim Harbaugh’s University of Michigan football team: coaches, players, and staffers, in closed-door meetings, locker rooms, meals, and classes. Overtime captures this storied program at the crossroads, as the sport’s winningest team battles to reclaim its former glory. But what if the price of success today comes at the cost of your soul? Do you pay it, or compete without compromising?
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Good story.... but
- By Amazon Customer on 10-07-19
By: John U. Bacon
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The QB
- The Making of Modern Quarterbacks
- By: Bruce Feldman
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The QB tells the story of the interlocking paths of the most fascinating characters involved in this secretive world, examining how advanced analysis has taken root in football. Manziel's portrait is the most intimate look at him yet, detailing all his talents and antics. In The QB, the stories of these men illustrate how high the stakes of the quarterback's game really are, taking readers on a compelling journey into the heart of America's beloved game.
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Interesting and entertaining
- By R. Koehler on 02-25-15
By: Bruce Feldman
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From Darkness to Dynasty
- The First 40 Years of the New England Patriots
- By: Jerry Thornton
- Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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From Darkness to Dynasty tells the unlikely history of the New England Patriots as it has never been told before. From their humble beginnings as a team bought with rainy-day money by a man who had no idea what he was doing, to the fateful season that saw them win their first Super Bowl, Jerry Thornton shares the wild, humiliating, unbelievable, and wonderful stories that comprised the first 40 years of what would ultimately become the most dominant franchise in NFL history.
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great narration, great book
- By BenRias on 01-25-18
By: Jerry Thornton
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Glory Days
- The Summer of 1984 and the 90 Days That Changed Sports and Culture Forever
- By: L. Jon Wertheim
- Narrated by: Chris Abell
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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The summer of 1984 was a watershed moment in the birth of modern sports when the nation watched Michael Jordan grow from college basketball player to professional athlete and star. That summer also saw ESPN’s rise to media dominance as the country’s premier sports network and the first modern, commercialized, profitable Olympics. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird’s rivalry raged, Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe reigned in tennis, and Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon made pro wrestling a business, while Donald Trump pierced the national consciousness as a pro football team owner.
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A great sports summer
- By Hebern on 07-06-21
By: L. Jon Wertheim
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Tall Men, Short Shorts
- The 1969 NBA Finals: Wilt, Russ, Lakers, Celtics, and a Very Young Sports Reporter
- By: Leigh Montville
- Narrated by: Leigh Montville
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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They don’t set up any better than this. The greatest basketball player of all time–Bill Russell–and his juggernaut Boston Celtics, winners of ten (ten!) of the previous twelve NBA championships, squeak through one more playoff run and land in the Finals again. Russell’s opponent? The fearsome 7’1” next-generation superstar, Wilt Chamberlain, recently traded to the LA Lakers to form the league’s first dream team. Bill Russell and John Havlicek versus Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.
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Very good book with a caveat
- By Hebern on 12-06-21
By: Leigh Montville
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Raise a Fist, Take a Knee
- Race and the Illusion of Progress in Modern Sports
- By: John Feinstein, Doug Williams
- Narrated by: John Feinstein
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on dozens of shocking interviews with some of the most influential names in sports, this is the urgent and revelatory examination of racial inequality in professional athletics America has been waiting for. With an encyclopedic knowledge of professional sports, and shrewd cultural criticism, John Feinstein uncovers not just why, but how, pro sports continue to perpetuate racial inequality.
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Another Feinstein triumph
- By Glenn Canning on 12-06-21
By: John Feinstein, and others
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War Room
- The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team
- By: Michael Holley
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Bill Belichick is one of the titans of today's game of football. Now, sports commentator and best-selling author Michael Holley follows three NFL teams - the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Atlanta Falcons - from training camp 2010 through the Super Bowl and into the April draft, opening a new window into Belichick's influence on the game. This one-of-a-kind exploration takes football fans behind the scenes of the most popular sport in America, with unprecedented insider access to the head coaches, scouts, trainers, and players.
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Narrator choice - HUH?
- By Ryan Mullaney on 03-25-18
By: Michael Holley
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Boys Among Men
- How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution
- By: Jonathan Abrams
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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When Kevin Garnett shocked the world by announcing that he would not be attending college - as young basketball prodigies were expected to do - but instead would enter the 1995 NBA draft directly from high school, he blazed a trail for a generation of teenage basketball players to head straight for the pros. That trend would continue until the NBA instituted an age limit in 2005, requiring all players to attend college or another developmental program for at least one year.
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Bad pronunciation
- By K. Spearman on 07-03-16
By: Jonathan Abrams
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Dabo's World
- The Life and Career of Coach Swinney and the Rise of Clemson Football
- By: Lars Anderson
- Narrated by: Jamie Renell
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Dabo's World and learn about how Dabo Swinney used his energy, faith, and determination to turn the Clemson Tigers into a football powerhouse.
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Very Basic Retelling
- By Colonel on 12-31-22
By: Lars Anderson
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NFL Century
- The One-Hundred-Year Rise of America's Greatest Sports League
- By: Joe Horrigan
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The NFL has come a long way from its founding in Canton, Ohio, in 1920. In the 100 years since that fateful day, football has become America’s most popular and lucrative professional sport. The former scrappy upstart league that struggled to stay afloat has survived a host of challenges to produce American icons like Vince Lombardi, Joe Montana, and Tom Brady. It is an extraordinary and entertaining history that could be told only by Joe Horrigan, former executive director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and perhaps the greatest living historian of the NFL.
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Good but very business heavy vs football milestones
- By Katie Durr on 07-29-24
By: Joe Horrigan
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Golden Days
- West's Lakers, Steph's Warriors, and the California Dreamers Who Reinvented Basketball
- By: Jack McCallum
- Narrated by: Jack McCallum
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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In Golden Days, acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum uses these two teams - the Jerry West/Wilt Chamberlain/Elgin Baylor Lakers and the Stephen Curry/Kevin Durant/Draymond Green Warriors - to trace the dynamic history of the National Basketball Association, which for much of the last half century has marched memorably through the state of California. Tying together the two strands of McCallum's story is Hall of Famer West, the ferociously competitive Laker guard who later became one of the key architects of the Warriors.
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Very interesting and fun to read
- By Joe on 06-12-18
By: Jack McCallum
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Scribe
- My Life in Sports
- By: Bob Ryan
- Narrated by: Bob Ryan
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Ever since he joined the sports department of the Boston Globe in 1968, sports enthusiasts have been blessed with the writing and reporting of Bob Ryan. Tony Kornheiser calls him the "quintessential American sportswriter". For the past 25 years, he has also been a regular on various ESPN shows, especially The Sports Reporters, spreading his knowledge and enthusiasm for sports of all kinds.
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No my idea of a memoir
- By Michael Friedman on 12-19-14
By: Bob Ryan
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A Giant Win
- Inside the New York Giants' Historic Upset over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII
- By: Tom Coughlin, Greg Hanlon - contributor, Eli Manning - foreword
- Narrated by: Donald Corren, Tom Coughlin
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In A Giant Win, Coach Tom Coughlin reveals the intricacies of football, sharing details only a coach would know. He also details relationships with some of the most iconic players from the Giants, including Eli Manning and Michael Strahan. A Giant Win provides a frame for Coach Coughlin to discuss his life in football—including his years with the Giants as an assistant coach in the late 1980s and 1990, when he helped win a Super Bowl working under Hall of Fame Head Coach Bill Parcells and alongside the coach he’d oppose in Super Bowl XLII: Bill Belichick.
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Love Coach Coughlin Story
- By Alison on 02-29-24
By: Tom Coughlin, and others
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Saban
- The Making of a Coach
- By: Monte Burke
- Narrated by: Barry Abrams
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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As the head coach of the University of Alabama's football team, Nick Saban is perhaps the most influential - and controversial - man in the sport. Unpredictable in his professional loyalties, uncompromising in his vision, and unyielding in his pursuit of perfection, the highest-paid coach in college football has changed the face of the game. His program-building vision has delivered packed stadiums, rabid fans, legions of detractors, countless NFL draft picks, and a total of four championships.
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Narrator is awful.
- By kenneth on 08-12-15
By: Monte Burke
What listeners say about Tanking to the Top
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 04-02-20
Great presentation of the facts without bias
This book does a great job giving the audience a necessary chronology for how the 76ers bridge the Iverson era to Post-Process era. Weitzman gives the reader/listener a better understanding for Sam Hinkie, the shortcomings that led to the series of of events culminating in his resignation, along with some clarity on the players, executives, coaches, and ownership involved in the Sixers for the last several years. the more open minded you are, the more you will truly appreciate this book.
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- James Pope
- 12-04-20
good book
Obviously if you have any interest in the 6ers and/ or The Process this book will appeal to you. As far as I know its the only book available about the topic, so by default its the best.
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- Stephanie
- 05-20-20
Oh my gosh
This is a great break down of “ the process” I really hope this team wins a least one championship to make this worth the tanking.
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- anthony sowah
- 05-16-21
Good Book Needed Better Narration
A comprehensive look inside the ‘Process’ 76ers. The voice narration from the author the weakest part of listening to this on audio. Wish they would’ve sprung for a professional.
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- Alan Bernstein
- 03-11-23
Great history of tanking by Sixers
Great history.it's a shame story ended there as the last two moves by Brand were terrible. Holford and trade for HARRIS. THEY SHOULD HAVE STUCK WITH Hinke.
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- Patrick McNally
- 08-30-20
Fantastic for a basketball junkie like me
Everything about this book was great from the details of the early struggles of the Hinkie days, the quick detailed summary of each player and the behind the scenes stories! Fantastic book. Great job narrating as well, I love it when the author narrates.
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- Ken S.
- 05-16-20
Great story!
A comprehensive history of the recent, since drafting Iverson, Sixers.. general managers, presidents, coaches, players, the sam hinkie saga, told pretty dispassionately, I don't think the guy took sides but tried to tell the story, from all sides, as fact based as possible. up to the reader to draw their own conclusions.. hinkie dealt in guerrilla tactics, he was ruthless in some ways, but his philosophy was data driven, unfortunately, Sam pissed off too many people in the end, other GM's, agents, league brass... his use of 2nd round draft pics, his philosophy, from a financial perspective, it was revolutionary what he did... he exposed a weakness in the NBA drafting system, and used it with amazing one-pointedness and steadfastness....he wasn't really trying to hide anything... some of the line-ups he put out there in those years, starting two players on 10 day contracts... etc... really awful... but MAN, DID HE HAVE A STRATEGY! so that's the deal, I think any Sixer fan, even non-Sixer fans, a lot of people would find this book interesting, but especially Sixer fans will love this book.
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- JT
- 07-20-21
Great listen
Thoroughly enjoyed it. Great listen. Highly recommended. Anyone who has followed the nba over the last decade or so will love this.
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- LSmith
- 06-11-21
The Process - makes a great story
Fans of professional basketball, especially those of the Philadelphia 76ers, are familiar with "The Process." In a nutshell, it was the accepting of a few seasons of losing basketball in order to stockpile high draft choices to build a championship team. Add in a GM who not only used this strategy but also to accumulate second round picks from other teams that usually view them as expendable and you have the basic story of this book by Yaron Weitzman.
One must give credit to Weitzman for being able to put together a complete book when the main subject, the 76ers and their former general manager Sam Hinkle, refused to cooperate or allow Weitzman to interview personnel for the book. Nonetheless, he crafted a fun-to-read accounting of the team and how it went from the days of Allen Iverson to the current team led by Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
Two slight criticisms I have about the book are minor, but should be noted. One is that Weitzman makes this strategy of "tanking" and stockpiling draft choices as something that was revolutionary, mainly because of the way that Hinkle and the team sold it. It really isn't anything new – in fact, that is how the Iverson-lead teams in the 2000's were built. The other one is how one measures that the Process is successful. If one believes that making it to the second round of the playoffs makes the Process worthwhile, then so be it but many would believe that only a championship can be the crowning achievement. An achievement the 76ers have yet to accomplish with its current players.
But those are minor compared the wonderfully entertaining stories about the people who played key roles in building this team. The main subject would certainly be Hinkle and some of the crazy situations in which he found himself. He also was a polarizing figure, with some saying he had no idea what he was doing, while others were so supportive of his methods that they would go to the NBA draft when the 76ers would have a high draft choice chanting "Process." Weitzman's descript of Hinkle's reign as the 76ers general manger was engaging, especially on the audio version. His narrative led credibility to his writing, something I usually find when listening to an audio book that is narrated by the author.
The great stories are not limited to Hinkle. The adventure of Joel Embiid from a middle-class life in Cameroon to the NBA is a fascinating adventure. The ups and downs of Jimmy Butler are also great, from his demands to leave Minnesota to his leadership in his one 76ers season to when he too was shown the exit door, leaving as a free agent to sign with the Miami Heat. Information on Ben Simmons is also very good. That was the best part of this book – the human stories behind the Process.
Overall, this book is best read by those who are not familiar with the history of the team or this "new" method of building the team as there isn't any new or groundbreaking material, mainly due to the limits mentioned earlier. But still a good read or listen.
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- DRabe
- 09-10-21
Great content, terrible performance.
If you love basketball, you will have no problem listening to this book. If you're a little on the fence or not fully interested in the Sixers's tanking story, this performance can make it very difficult to finish. No enthusiasm and often sounds like first takes.
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