Jack McCallum (born 1949) is an American novelist and

sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

Early life and education

He graduated from

Muhlenberg College Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Muhlenberg, the German patriarch of Luthe ...

, in

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: *Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California *Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County *Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, in 1971.

Career

McCallum joined the staff of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

'' magazine in 1981, and became known for his articles on the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA).Database (undated).
Jack McCallum Archive
''

''. Retrieved August 6, 2012. He won the Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award Print in 2005. During the 2005–06 NBA pre-season, McCallum began working as an unofficial assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns NBA basketball team, based in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, as part of an assignment for ''Sports Illustrated''. The piece soon evolved into a larger project, as the Suns granted McCallum full access to their practices and strategy sessions throughout the entire season. The resulting work was his book '' :07 Seconds or Less My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns'' (2006). In November 2008, McCallum announced that he had accepted a contract buyout from ''Sports Illustrated'', but he has continued to write pieces for the magazine as a special contributor. Additionally, McCallum wrote ''Unfinished Business: On and Off the Court With the 1990-91 Boston Celtics'', as well as ''Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and The Greatest Team Of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever'', a nonfiction book chronicling the players on the Dream Team and the events before, during and after the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. His most recent work, entitled ''Golden Days'' (2017), is on

Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

and Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors.

Novelist

With L. Jon Wertheim, McCallum also co-wrote a basketball novel, ''Foul Lines A Pro Basketball Novel'' (2006).Littlefield, Bill (March 5, 2006).
"On the Hardwood, Upsets, Excess, and the Mouth That Roared"
''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

''. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

Bibliography

* McCallum, Jack (2017). ''Golden Days: West's Lakers, Steph's Warriors, and the California Dreamers Who Reinvented Basketball''. New York City: Ballantine Books. . * McCallum, Jack (2012). ''Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever''. New York City: Ballantine Books. . (biography) * McCallum, Jack; L. Jon Wertheim (2006). ''Foul Lines A Pro Basketball Novel''. New York City:

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

. . (novel) * McCallum, Jack (2006). '' :07 Seconds or Less My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns''. New York City:

. .

References

External links

* * * McCallum, Jack (September 9, 2005).
"Hall of a Career A Mountain of Memories on the NBA Beat"
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