Shoot Your Shot: A Sport-Inspired Guide To Living Your Best Life

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my 13yr old son who has lost his love for basketball. The sad part is, he has that God given talent for this sport, as well as any other he tries, and it's sad to see his talent, as well as love for the sport, wane. Not only that, he's not really doing well in school & has seemed to lost his way. We've tried it all & then some. Honestly, I his mother was feeling hopeless. When I came upon this book, I thought, just maybe he could be inspired by the stories of others (I did not know Dwayne Wade was academically ineligible his freshman year, wow look where he ended up). Maybe if I got it & I read it to him, maybe using it as talking points, he could find some hope & belief in himself again. Something told me to read it first, take notes & then do what I said I would do with him. But here's the huge part, I HATE reading, so I made it a conscious effort to do so on this New Years day Jan 1, 2025. I'm so glad I did! loved each and every thing about this book especially how the writer kept me engaged from the beginning, to the recaps, as well as the acknowledgements, hence why I'm doing this review! (I believe it was noted in the post-game section.) This book has turned out to be something I needed to encourage ME NOT to give up hope and actually inspired me to make 2025 a year of truly advocating & supporting my kids in ways I hadn't thought of! Several times I had tears in my eyes looking up and thanking God for putting THIS book in my hand, including reading about Kevin Durants tribute to his mom in the gratitude section...I can only HOPE and have Faith that my new found strength will someday be what my kids, especially my son, will never forget. So thank you for being a blessing to this newly inspired distraught mom who can't wait to start imparting this book & it's wisdom with God's strength to help my son do a 180 degree turn to realize that he IS here for a God given purpose and I will help him no matter what that purpose is to succeed. This book is not geared toward just sports but life and everyone should take 4 hours (again I am NOT a reader blaahhhhh I'll watch a video) to garner this divinely sent book. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Pray for me and my kids, it's been a difficult challenging ride...I hope this review helps another parent know their is still HOPE with God and it's in this book! God bless and Happy New Year!

What can I say about this book that has not already been said? I was looking for a book to buy as part of a birthday gift for my nephew. I wanted something inspiring and yet something that I believed would also keep his interest. I stumbled upon this book in my searches and BOY AM I GLAD I DID! I read the reviews and quickly decided that I’d give it a try. I ended up reading this book in 2 nights! I was hooked! My goal was to buy a book for my nephew that was inspiring and to highlight excerpts from the book to be like “words of wisdom” from his Auntie Michelle and then to wrap up the book along with other gifts for his birthday. I wanted a gift that we could bond over. And this book definitely delivered! “Shoot Your Shot” is a very seamlessly easy read, but not “dumbed down.” I’ve recently read a lot of leadership, self-help and motivational books from all the greats and boy does it hold its own weight! The reader is easily captivated by Brundage’s use of parallels to basketball and the lives of the legends. The lessons gleaned from this book cross boundaries of races, sex, status, economic background, education, age, etc. One of my favorite lessons gleaned and stories in the book has a quote that starts on page 90: “Not only can you learn from your predecessors, but you can also learn from your peers and some unlikely sources.” Brundage then dives into the story of how Allen Iverson learned his deadly crossover dribble- not from an All-Star, but in an unexpected place (I don’t want to give it away if you don’t know already). I really liked this lesson because oftentimes people are so focused on the ones who have already “made it,” that they might not be able to see the greatness standing right beside them. I truly could go on and on, but I’m going to end with telling y’all that I’m about to buy 2 more copies. One for another family member and one for myself! I have a feeling I will be giving away this book as a gift and as gift suggestions for a while.

"Shoot Your Shot: A Sport-Inspired Guide to Living Your Best Life" is an inspiring and motivational book that draws parallels between sports and life to offer practical advice on achieving success and personal fulfillment. The author uses engaging sports anecdotes and principles to illustrate key life lessons, making the content relatable and easy to grasp. Each chapter is packed with actionable tips and strategies for setting goals, overcoming obstacles, and maintaining a positive mindset. The writing is clear, encouraging, and energizing, making it a great read for anyone looking to level up their life using a sports-inspired approach. Highly recommended for athletes and non-athletes alike who want to live their best life!

Vernon Brundage Jr. does a great job at inspiring people who have a relationship with Jesus to get out there and do what God's blessed you with. Even if you don't know God it's an inspiring story to learn about him and what you are made of & to go and spread the word & love that you have been given. Great book.

What an inspirational and empowering read! “Shoot your Shot” contains lessons for the young and old. As I moved through each quarter and approached the end of regulation I was able to identify and reflect on the stages of my almost 65 years on this earth. The book’s parallels to life experiences were amazing and the analogies and quotes from the athletes were refreshing, If only I had the opportunity to read this book 45 years ago! It is an interesting and easy read, which does not require one to be an athlete or sports fan to understand the messages. My grandson, who is 14 years of age, has enjoyed “Shoot Your Shot” as much as I have. Kudos and much appreciation to this young writer who has captured how taking a chance or giving your best shot in life can motivate an individual to pursue and accomplish their life goals. This book should have a place in every school, library, therapist office and community center.

Highly recommended. A very inspiring and thought provoking read with insightful guidance appropriate for all walks of like, both for athletes and non-athletes alike. I am thrilled my son, a college basketball player, will be taking this guide to college with him as he prepares for Freshman year and his upcoming season.

In June 2020, I purchased Shoot Your Shot, via amazon.com as a gift for someone heavily involved with Basketball. With all the ugliness going on in the world today, I thought sending encouragement through this individual's passion was a phenomenal idea! The book arrived in approximately 2 days, and as I prepared to dress it up in the gift bag, I began thumbing through the pages, just to find the book was DIVINELY chosen! Not only does the author use basketball to inspire the reader, I noticed he's from Philadelphia, PA (same place the individual is from, I purchased the book for), he invests and serves the at risk youth in low-income communities (same thing the individual does in South Phoenix), but what inspired me the absolute most is how the author used scriptures from the Bible to back his writing! That was it for me, I had to purchase another book for myself, as well as include it in the curriculum as the study book in a Life Skills Class, I would be teaching at a local Sports Club. Long REVIEW short (lol) this book encouraged me through a devastating time when so many I knew was dying from COVID19, life as I once knew it was topsy turvy, turned upside down, oh but GOD sent a ram in the bush, by the name of Vernon Brundage Jr, with his gift of writing SHOOT YOUR SHOT! If I may intervene in the lives of every COACH, MENTOR, SPORT REPORTER, BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS, and others PLEASE allow me to do so, and request for you all to PLEASE purchase this book, and as you dive into the depth flow of it's uplifting rhythm, please remember the children you are associated with and put this masterpiece in their hands as well. Fall Sports 2020 have been cancelled almost worldwide, and although the players can't physically workout, this book would be a great workout mentally! Shoot Your Shot, will definitely be a game changer in the lives of those who read and apply the words to their life! May God Bless EVERYONE!

Vernon did an excellent job tying different, popular self-help and self-motivational tools into a simple, easy-to-understand, concise book. At no point, was I distracted or discouraged from the words, phrases and scriptures used to encourage me to "live my best life." Often with self-help books, you get a barrage of ideas and concepts to consume without much thought behind them. The stories are full of fluff or aren't about the author at all, so it makes it difficult to take heed of the lessons. The Shoot Your Shot Book is the complete opposite. With actual quotes and real life stories told by Vernon himself, you can see how with some work, dedication and perseverance it's possible to live the life you've always wanted and dreamed of. I look forward to referencing this book anytime I feel that I'm in a hard place or if things aren't going my way. I felt that the recaps at the end of each quarter were an especially helpful way to stay focused and were a great reminder of methods to achieve personal well-being. Thank you Vernon for helping me Shoot My Shot and become the best version of myself!

Easy to read, compelling, and full of powerful well written messages on achieving your full potential and living your best life.

Bought it for my 15-year old son who is pursuing basketball professionally. He needed an extra "boost" on improving his mindset and he loved reading this book.

Nothing in Particular

This book motivated me to live my best life.

Great Book, especially how the chapters are divided into a real basketball game. I love it.