Book excerpt: What it was like to barnstorm with Magic Johnson

Below is an excerpt from the new memoir from former NBA player and two-time champion, Earl Cureton, “Earl the Twirl: My Life in Basketball.” The book, which arrives January 5 via McFarland Books, is co-written by Jake Uitti, who also co-wrote a recent memoir with former NBA star Muggsy Bogues. 

In Earl the Twirl, Cureton highlights the stories of a basketball veteran who wasn’t necessarily thought of as a star, someone who had to navigate tryouts, cuts, contracts, international play and the dreaded right of first refusal in the league. In this excerpt below from the chapter, “Playing Everywhere,” Cureton discusses barnstorming, traveling to Alaska and what it was like touring with the Magic Johnson all-star team in the 1990s.