Toughness

Developing True Strength On and Off the Court

By: Jay Bilas

Narrated by: Jay Bilas

The popular ESPN basketball analyst and former Duke player looks at the true meaning of toughness.

If anyone knows tough, it’s Jay Bilas. A four-year starter at Duke, he learned an incomparable work ethic under coach Mike Krzyzewski, battling against the greatest college players in the game. After playing professionally overseas for several years, he returned to Duke, where he served as Krzyzewski’s assistant coach for three seasons, during which the Blue Devils won back-to-back titles. A graduate of Duke Law School, he has since become one of basketball’s most recognizable faces through his insightful, intelligent work on ESPN’s SportsCenter and College GameDay.

Through his ups and downs, on and off the court, Jay learned the true meaning of toughness from coaches, teammates, and colleagues. Now, he discusses this misunderstood - yet vital - attribute and how it contributes to winning in sports and in life.

Featuring never-before-heard stories and personal philosophies on toughness from top players and coaches - including Coach K, Bob Knight, Grant Hill, Mia Hamm, Jon Gruden, Tom Izzo, Bill Self, Curtis Strange, and many others - Bilas redefines what it takes to succeed.

©2013 Jay Bilas (P)2013 Gildan Media LLC

Great book for all athletes

Awesome book. Awesome reader, & loaded with quality, content. Provides tons of relatable information and life lessons, highly recommend!

Great book with lessons to live by

This is my second time listening to Toughness by Jay Bilas. I love the stories and how each story ties into a core part of the message that toughness is built on quality character traits and values that make you a really great person.

I train basketball players & I've used bookmarks and clips for almost every chapter which I share with my players via the 30 second links. One of the greatest is, "having fun is doing hard things well".

Jay's narration was engaging in personal, especially in moments when he had written about making mistakes and his lessons learned.

The message in this book is really important in today's culture of instant everything and expected entitlement. This should be required reading for athletes and nonathletes alike.

Just all of the sports references that can also pertain to life.

I enjoyed that Jay was a wonderful narrator, there were good takeaways, length was ideal, in chapter and total book. My boyfriend suggested this book and I’m glad he did.

Great advice, though heavy "on the court" slant

Solid book, containing great life advice which everyone should hear every now and again. Nothing here you haven't already heard though.

Most analogies are delivered through a very heavy basketball lens. Which is understandable considering Bilas' upbringing and career. While everything said can apply to your personal and professional life, it takes effort on the reader to draw the comparisons. I guess I was hoping for more balance between basketball lessons & life lessons.

Overall, if you're looking for advice or inspiration on becoming tougher and more effective in life, this is not so much a stellar choice, but a very solid one.

Compelling and thought provoking

Really well done with fantastic, relatable stories and anecdotes. A great read for leaders of all ages. The article at the end is gold.