True Legend By Mike Lupica

True Legend by Mike Lupica

The book true legend is about a young man a junior named Drew Robinson from New York living in California who was one of the biggest known high school players in the country. He moved there because a man named Seth Gilbert who saw him play and knew he was going to be a star and moved him and his mom there to play for his school. He was so talented in basketball that people gave him the name true. Drew would get special treatment from everyone he knew because he was already like a star. He would do just enough in school to get by because he knew colleges wouldn’t care about his grades. Drew was going to Oakley high school and they expected him to help them win a region and state championship. Drew wanted to help them and knew he could do it. He had a best friend named lee his teammate a friend that would do anything for him and he was a senior and really wanted to win a championship and beat their rivals a team they’ve never beaten before named Park Prep who had the second most known high school player in the country named King Gadsen so the first game of the season drew them faced Park Prep and Drew and King went at it trading baskets but Drew was passing the ball more than king and being a better team player he dished assist to lee one after another and he knocked down his shots he was on fire and In the final seconds drew and Oakley were down by one and lee who had been on fire all game was wide open but drew took the last shot contested cause he felt like he needed to because that’s what the fans wanted he missed and they lost they game drew just stood there on the court knowing he let his team down let alone his best friend. Drew went to Morrison park that night an old rundown park nobody went but drew loved going there cause he was alone and cause practice on his game without all the attention on him but tonight it was someone else there on the court drew had never seen before he did the most amazing things with the ball drew had ever seen he never came out from hiding he just watched him amazed from behind a tree. But didn’t know who he was but he knew he would see him again. After the game against drew started feeling off his game and they lost the next two games they should have blown the teams out drew started to practice more to get back on his game and he played the next game and did great but they still lost because drew didn’t dive for the ball and then he looked up in the crowd and saw the mystery man from the park and he was just shaking his head and drew knew why. So he went to the park again that night and tried to talk to the mystery man but when drew walked up to him he started to run and drew didn’t know why but he didn’t chase him. Drew went home and started thinking so the next day in school he saw his crush Callie Mason and his friend started making fun of him and he was denying liking her but when she got close he froze and she embarrassed him by talking about the shot he took against Park Prep but the next time they met it was after one of Oakley boys basketball practices and he started talking to her and got more comfortable with her with every word they exchanged then they played horse they were going back and forth but drew hated losing so much that he made a fool of himself again and dunked trying to showed of knowing she couldn’t do that and she walked out the gym and he didn’t see her for a few days but he went back to the park and this time he actually talked to the mystery man and he said his named was Donald so him and lee did some research and a guy named legend sellers popped up but it said that he was dead and they said could it have been that he was a ghost . then drew had another game and Mr. Gilbert said no matter what don’t ever get hurt playing high school ball and he did just what he said the last play came down to a loose ball he could’ve slapped to lee but he didn’t want to get hurt so the other team got the ball and win and there was the mystery man again and he was shaking his head again drew followed him home this time and found out his hotel room number and sat and talked to him asking why’d he care so much about his game he was responding with rude comments and telling drew the things he should have down and drew was like he didn’t care what he thought but Donald said then why are you here. And told him the story of how he really was legend sellers the man who died in the fire was just so burnt they couldn’t tell that it wasn’t me and he was happy he was out the spotlight they was a party the next day and he messed it up with callie again and so he went to mr gilberts house with lee after the game the next day and he took Mr. Gilberts Maserati with no license and drove out the anger he had speeding through the streets and brought lee along with him even though he said it was a bad idea then they heard sirens and drew didn’t stop he tried to lose the cops and did for a while and hit a tree but lee said drew your more important to the team than me so he took the blame for driving and recking the car so coach suspended him for three games and park prep was the third game and they needed lee and drew felt terrible about lee taking the blame so he confessed to his mom and his coach after the next game he got suspended the next two games they lost against one school and park prep again but they still had the playoffs they stormed through the play off then it was the final game against park prep and it was like the first it came down to the buzzer with 7 seconds left drew was off balance and bounced a pass off of kings back and to one of his teammates to win the game and won the state championship after he met up with legend and legend said he wanted to come out of hiding and finally finish school so drew and Callie helped him by talking to drew English teacher to help him get the rest of the credits he needed so they did then months later Drew’s to best friends graduated and he got the girl he always wanted .

Characters
Drew” True “Robinson: One off the best high school basketball players around the main character of the story he was a star in basketball and really good kid but was getting to much pressure and attention and didn’t know how to handle it sometimes so he would do dumb things at times that could jeopardize his future he was also stubborn and determined
Lee Atkins: one of Drew’s best friend the senior shooting guard for Oakley also the person that he knew would always be there for him even if drew didn’t treat him like the friend lee always was to him he was a rich white boy and could shoot the lights out on the wing so drew called him his ‘’wingman’’ lee was also passionate about basketball.
Donald “Legend” Sellers: He was a mysterious man in the park when drew for met him doing amazing moves with the basketball he was a former basketball player at Oakley who was supposed to make it big in basketball but fell off being hooked on drugs and he was reported dead after the homeless shelter caught on fire he was very stubborn and drew saw a lot of similarities between himself and legend
Callie Mason: the star of Oakley high school girls basketball team a very popular girl she was Drew’s crush and one of the best high school girls basketball player in California she was a stubborn girl and did not like drew at first but started to get to know him and saw the better side of him
Seth Gilbert: A rich man who was the reason drew and his mom moved to California he had big plans for Drew and thought he could control everything and knew what best was for drew called himself Drew’s manager and wanted to controls Drew’s career trying to be his manager one drew made it to the pros
Reflection
This book is related to life because basketball is played every day and there are really basketball players around who go through some of the things drew went through and most basketball players have many stories and games that are related to this book. It’s not just in basketball when sometimes go bad many people have bad days or bad times in their life and overcome them this book had real life aspects in it some things that happened in this book could be going on somewhere around the world right now it also tells how people do things to get there way and tell lies that eats them up inside that’s happen to almost everyone.

Reaction
This was the greatest book I had ever read it was so interesting and I always just wanted to know what was going to happen next I couldn’t stop reading I think anyone that reads this book will like it because it’s a great book with a great mystery and a lot of twist and turns I was captivate the whole time I read this book. I think the book meant that no matter how bad things get it van get better and no matter how popular of famous you get you should always remember to not let it get to your head or that you could better so don’t think that you should stop practicing or taking advantage of people or want special treatment because of how talented you are at something. At times I thought the book would end as it did but it was times in the book I didn’t know what was going to happen next or what to expect. At the end it didn’t ended as I wanted it to or as expected.

Lessons learned
I learned that don’t ever get to big headed and think you all that because that could ruin you as a person I also learned don’t ever treat your best friends like there not important especially if they would do anything for you no matter what is I also learned that telling the truth isn’t always the best thing for you but it’s the right thing to and you should always do the right thing whether it benefits you or hurts you. Another lesson is don’t ever let anybody get you out of your comfort zone or doing what your use to because of what they say or what they do that should not change the way you play or carry yourself .