Basketball Jones

by E. Lynn Harris

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Aldridge James ("AJ") Richardson is a kept man and Drayton (Dray) Dexter Jones is the man who's footing the bills. The only problem is that Dray is a rich, handsome NBA star ... who just happens to be married. When someone tries to break up their happy home, the blackmailing begins and the drama ensues.

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Member Reviews

4 reviews
Basketball Jones is the story of Aldridge “AJ” Richardson and his boyfriend, NBA star Dray Jones. They’ve been in love for seven years but must keep their relationship a secret to avoid jeopardizing Dray’s career. Dray even goes so far as to marry a woman, Judi. Trouble ensues when someone starts blackmailing AJ and Dray and threatens to expose them.

I listened to this book on audio and I think that added to my enjoyment of it. The narrator, Mirron Willis’s voice is as smooth as silk and the tone he used for Dray was incredibly sexy. The blackmailer’s identity was supposed to be a mystery until the end, although I had it figured out well before AJ did. I didn’t mind though because I loved the characters so much and was show more having fun following along, even if it was predictable. AJ and Dray had a very tender, loving relationship and I enjoyed that aspect as well.

I’m sad that E. Lynn Harris passed away earlier this year. This is the first book of his I’ve read and I’m looking forward to reading the others.
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It fulfilled my expectations and I was not disappointed. I did enjoy it because it was different from my usual reading. The book was different from others in the genre because it did not follow the usual romance formula. The plot pulled me in. The setting was not a character but it did come to life. I did not really feel like I was experiencing the time and place. The book could have been in a different place and it would not have mattered. A different time would have changed how the characters handled the situations. The book did not end how I expected. It did fit the genre. The scope is very small with few characters.

The author was the narrator. It was very fitting. I found the characters realistic. I would like to meet Jade and show more Sisqo. I liked AJ, Jade, and Sisqo. I disliked Mo and Judy, and Dre. The actions seem possible because I know people can be awful and people do many things for the ones they love. I would not have made the same decision as Dre, Judy, or Mo in the decisions they made. The characters are believable and develop fully. show less
The plot in this book is crazy. I can see this happening in real life and probably has. Wow, I wouldn't want to be caught in his shoes. I wish someone would take care of me like that! This was a GREAT book.
I've always been a fan of E. Lynn Harris, devouring each book as soon as I could get my hands on them. Not so much this one. The story is average and predictable. Very disappointed!

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Author Information

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22+ Works 4,544 Members
Born in Flint, Michigan and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, E. Lynn Harris graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1977, earning a degree in journalism with honors. After college, Harris sold computers for IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and AT&T for 13 years before quitting his job to write his first novel. The resulting book, show more Invisible Life, was self-published in 1992 and sold mostly at beauty salons and black-owned bookstores. After being published in trade paperback by Anchor Books, Invisible Life became the #1 book on the Blackboard Bestseller List of African-American Titles and spent a total of 25 consecutive months on the list. Harris was an openly gay African American and was best known for his depictions of African American men on the down low or in the closet. He won numerous awards for his work including two Novel of the Year Prizes by the Blackboard African-American Bestsellers, Inc. for Just As I Am and Any Way the Wind Blows, the James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence for If This World Were Mine, and the Lambda Literary Award for the anthology Freedom in This Village. His other books include And This Too Shall Pass; Abide with Me; Not a Day Goes By; A Love of My Own; I Say a Little Prayer; What Becomes of the Brokenhearted; Just Too Good to Be True, and Basketball Jones. His work also appeared in American Visions, Essence, Washington Post Sunday Magazine, Sports Illustrated and the award-winning anthology Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America. He died on July 23, 2009 at the age of 54. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Common Knowledge

Original publication date
2009-01-27
People/Characters
Drayton Jones; Aldridge James "AJ" Richardson; Judi Ledbetter
Important places
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
First words
Although I have two degrees, including an MBA from Georgia State University, I haven't worked a nine-to-five since I met Dray. When we first moved to Atlanta, I was kept busy furnishing his new condo and my town house, which ... (show all)were about ten minutes apart. Even though we spent a lot of time together, Dray thought it best that we have separate living quarters. I understood that. I even picked up a few clients for interior design work and then pursued my MBA at night but didn't tell Dray about it, because he made it clear he wanted me to be able to travel at a moment's notice to attend his road games.

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, LGBTQ+, General Fiction, Romance
DDC/MDS
813.54Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991945-1999
LCC
PS3558 .A64438 .B37Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1961-
BISAC

Statistics

Members
187
Popularity
173,563
Reviews
4
Rating
½ (3.47)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
8
ASINs
2