Author gives courtside view of NBA life

Money, popularity and perceptions of greed aside, National Basketball Association insider Larry Platt insists the league has a human side. And he discussed that side of the game with a group of Penn students last night at the Kelly Writers House. Platt, a noted journalist at Philadelphia Magazine, held a reading last night from his latest book, Keeping it Real: A Turbulent Season at the Crossroads with the NBA, a chronicle of five different players during the 1997-98 season: Charles Barkley, Chris Webber, Jerry Stackhouse, Vernon Maxwell and Matt Maloney, who played for the Penn basketball team from 1992 to 1995. In addition to the connection with Maloney, Platt was encouraged to speak at Penn by a friend, Legal Studies Professor Kenneth Shropshire. Platt started off by reading a selection about Vernon Maxwell serving jail time during the 1998 playoffs. He then went on to discuss his experience spending time with many of these players during the season. "They trusted me," Platt said. "I've written about these players before with the exception of Chris Webber." According to Platt, all the players gave rave reviews about the book except for Jerry Stackhouse. "I was contacted by Stackhouse's agent that he didn't appreciate the book," the author said. In his talk, Platt intended to show those who came to the Writers House a new side of many of the NBA players. He explained that many of the "bad boys" of the league really have great hearts, using as an example Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson. "Iverson is the most dominant player that is just over six feet tall," Platt said. "Since he came from a tough childhood, which included spending time in jail unjustly, he has no fear because he has seen so much." After the discussion, Platt held a question-and-answer session with students about various topics associated with his book. The subject of students' questions ranged from Matt Maloney to the changing public images of players known as "bad boys" of basketball. One of these so called "bad boys" was New York Knicks star Latrell Sprewell, a player much maligned for attempting to choke then-coach P.J. Carlesimo when he was a member of the Golden State Warriors in 1997. "I love how hard he works," Platt said, defending Sprewell and explaining why he is no longer viewed as a league outcast. "He's a team player. He's like watching an artist." Platt covered Maloney during both his Penn playing days and with the Houston Rockets. "[He is a] very smart guy," Platt said. "He is a hard worker and a nice guy [to have] around." The talk was of particular interest to one student in attendance, College senior Erica Brand, who actually had an opportunity to work with Platt over the summer. "I met Larry as an intern at Philadelphia Magazine," Brand said. "His enthusiasm for his writing is obvious." Platt hopes to write in the future about the human side of other players, including Sprewell and Iverson.