"Brilliantly audacious...written with the profundity of a sage baller and the acuity of a seasoned journalist."--Kiese Laymon, New York Times bestselling author of Heavy
An award-winning journalist's behind-the-scenes account from the epicenter of sports, social justice, and coronavirus, Can't Knock the Hustle is a lasting chronicle of the historic 2019-2020 NBA season, by way of the notorious Brooklyn Nets and basketball's renaissance as a cultural force beyond the game.
The Nets were already the most intriguing startup in the NBA: a team of influencers, entrepreneurs and activists, starring the controversial Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But this dynasty-in-the-making got disrupted by the unforeseen. One tweet launched an international scandal, pitting the team's Chinese owner and the league's commissioner against its players and LeBron James. The sudden death of Kobe Bryant, after making his final public appearance in Brooklyn, sent shockwaves through a turbulent season.
Then came the unimaginable. A global pandemic and a new civil-rights movement put basketball's trend-setting status to the ultimate test, as business and culture followed the lead of the NBA and its empowered stars. No team intersected with the extremes of 2020 quite like the Brooklyn Nets, and Matt Sullivan had a courtside view.
Can't Knock the Hustle crosses from on the court, where underdogs confront A-listers like Jay-Z and James Harden, to off the court, as players march through the streets of Brooklyn, provoke Donald Trump at the White House, and boycott the NBA's bubble experiment in Disney World.
Hundreds of interviews--with Hall-of-Famers, All-Stars, executives, coaches and power-brokers across the world--provide a backdrop of the NBA's impact on social media, race, politics, health, fashion, fame and fandom, for a portrait of a time when sports brought us back together again, like never before.
About the Author :
Matt Sullivan has been an editor at The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Esquire and Bleacher Report. His work in sports, celebrity and investigative journalism has been honored more than a dozen times by The Best American Sports Writing, the National Magazine Awards and the Edward R. Murrow Awards. A native New Yorker and graduate of Duke University, he lives with his wife, their daughter and a French bulldog.
Will Damron is a native of southeastern Virginia, and has worked as a professional audiobook narrator, historical interpreter, and stage actor. He has voiced hundreds of audiobooks, including bestsellers in every major genre, and has received two Audie Awards and four SOVAS Voice Arts Awards. In 2026, he was inducted into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame. Will lives in Atlanta with his wife, January, and their dog, Sir Toby Belch.
Review :
"A must-read for its in-depth look at the mental, economic, and political tribulations of NBA players."
-- "Library Journal (starred review)"
"More than a basketball book, this helps explain race relations, celebrity power, and personal choice in a changed world."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"No narrative has captured the dynamics of the 'player empowerment' movement quite like Can't Knock the Hustle. Sullivan has written about as revealing a basketball book as there's been in a long time: an insider's account with an outsider's moxie."
-- "Dave Zirin, sports editor, The Nation"
"Takes readers on a propulsive ride in his tour-de-force debut...Sullivan's detailed account will intrigue anyone who cares about sports and the role it plays in social justice today."
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
