---
product_id: 33644200
title: "\"Bad News\": The Turbulent Life of Marvin Barnes, Pro Basketball's Original Renegade Hardcover – October 11, 2016"
brand: "mike careybob costas"
price: "€ 71.67"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
category: "Books"
url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/33644200-bad-news-the-turbulent-life-of-marvin-barnes-pro-basketballs
store_origin: HR
region: Croatia
---

# "Bad News": The Turbulent Life of Marvin Barnes, Pro Basketball's Original Renegade Hardcover – October 11, 2016

**Brand:** mike careybob costas
**Price:** € 71.67
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** "Bad News": The Turbulent Life of Marvin Barnes, Pro Basketball's Original Renegade Hardcover – October 11, 2016 by mike careybob costas
- **How much does it cost?** € 71.67 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/33644200-bad-news-the-turbulent-life-of-marvin-barnes-pro-basketballs)

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- mike careybob costas enthusiasts

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## Description

Review
        	
        	
        		
        		
	        		
						
			        		&quot;Brutally honest, tragic, and fascinating, Carey&#x2019;s grim cautionary tale exposes the highs and lows of the complex basketball superstar.&quot; &#x2014;Publishers Weekly &#x201C;So here&apos;s the happiest, saddest, craziest basketball tale you&apos;re going to read for a long, long time. Marvin Barnes worked at a different syncopation from the rest of us, candle always lit at both ends, heart beating to its own rhythm. Nobody&#x2014;absolutely nobody&#x2014;was closer to him on his many travels than Mike Carey. Lucky for us, Mike Carey can write like a demon. This is a terrific book.&#x201D; &#x2014;Leigh Montville, New York Times bestselling author of Ted Williams and The Big Bam &#x201C;Mike Carey captures the essence of Barnes in an interesting read. Marvin&apos;s talent was limitless but so were his demons. &#x201C;Bad News&#x201D; is a very insightful book about one of the most gifted players of his day.&#x201D; &#x2014;Mike D&#x2019;Antoni, Former Spirits teammate and longtime NBA head coach &#x201C;&#x201C;Bad News&#x201D; is an exceptional and memorable read. Carey, one of our country&#x2019;s sports writing treasures, has masterfully recounted a classic cautionary tale.&#x201D; &#x2014;Dan Forer, Emmy award-winning producer of ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, Free Spirits &#x201C;&#x201C;Bad News&#x201D; should be a must-read for every sports fan. It&#x2019;s the story of a supremely gifted pro basketball player who gained fame and riches at a young age, only to lose all his self-respect and his entire fortune in a few short years due to a self-destructive nature and addictions to cocaine and heroin. The book chronicles the many years Barnes spent in prison, his humiliating struggle to survive as a homeless person, and the events that led to his death of a drug overdose at the age of sixty-two. Poignantly written by Mike Carey, the book should serve as a warning to today&#x2019;s athletes and those to come.&#x201D; &#x2014;M. L. Carr, former Celtics president and a teammate of Barnes in St. Louis and Detroit &quot;Mike Carey didn&apos;t simply research the story of the talented and troubled Marvin Barnes. Carey saw it firsthand for nearly forty years. The result is a compelling look at a mercurial life.&quot; &#x2014;Buck Harvey, San Antonio Express &quot;Carey captures it all. Barnes&#x2019; floppy hats, his leather bells, his parading around town with the most gorgeous women in his silver, glistening Rolls-Royce with a red mobile phone long before ANYONE had a mobile phone. He goes back to the beginning and takes you through a ride in that Rolls. It&#x2019;s a ride that is exciting and astonishing but incredibly predictable and ultimately sad.&quot; &#x2014;Terry Lyons, Digital Sports Desk&quot;Brutally honest, tragic, and fascinating, Carey&#x2019;s grim cautionary tale exposes the highs and lows of the complex basketball superstar.&quot;&#x2014;Publishers Weekly&#x201C;So here&apos;s the happiest, saddest, craziest basketball tale you&apos;re going to read for a long, long time. Marvin Barnes worked at a different syncopation from the rest of us, candle always lit at both ends, heart beating to its own rhythm. Nobody&#x2014;absolutely nobody&#x2014;was closer to him on his many travels than Mike Carey. Lucky for us, Mike Carey can write like a demon. This is a terrific book.&#x201D;&#x2014;Leigh Montville, New York Times bestselling author of Ted Williams and The Big Bam&#x201C;Mike Carey captures the essence of Barnes in an interesting read. Marvin&apos;s talent was limitless but so were his demons. &#x201C;Bad News&#x201D; is a very insightful book about one of the most gifted players of his day.&#x201D;&#x2014;Mike D&#x2019;Antoni, Former Spirits teammate and longtime NBA head coach&#x201C;&#x201C;Bad News&#x201D; is an exceptional and memorable read. Carey, one of our country&#x2019;s sports writing treasures, has masterfully recounted a classic cautionary tale.&#x201D;&#x2014;Dan Forer, Emmy award-winning producer of ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, Free Spirits&#x201C;&#x201C;Bad News&#x201D; should be a must-read for every sports fan. It&#x2019;s the story of a supremely gifted pro basketball player who gained fame and riches at a young age, only to lose all his self-respect and his entire fortune in a few short years due to a self-destructive nature and addictions to cocaine and heroin.The book chronicles the many years Barnes spent in prison, his humiliating struggle to survive as a homeless person, and the events that led to his death of a drug overdose at the age of sixty-two. Poignantly written by Mike Carey, the book should serve as a warning to today&#x2019;s athletes and those to come.&#x201D;&#x2014;M. L. Carr, former Celtics president and a teammate of Barnes in St. Louis and Detroit&quot;Mike Carey didn&apos;t simply research the story of the talented and troubled Marvin Barnes. Carey saw it firsthand for nearly forty years. The result is a compelling look at a mercurial life.&quot;&#x2014;Buck Harvey, San Antonio Express&quot;Carey captures it all. Barnes&#x2019; floppy hats, his leather bells, his parading around town with the most gorgeous women in his silver, glistening Rolls-Royce with a red mobile phone long before ANYONE had a mobile phone. He goes back to the beginning and takes you through a ride in that Rolls. It&#x2019;s a ride that is exciting and astonishing but incredibly predictable and ultimately sad.&quot;&#x2014;Terry Lyons, Digital Sports Desk
						    	
					    	
						
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        		About the Author
        	
        	
        		
        		
	        		
						
			        		Bob Costasis a long-time broadcaster who has covered every major American sporting event throughout his career, as well as the winter and summer Olympic Games. Over the course of his career, Costas has won twenty-eight Emmy awards, and in 2012, he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.
						    	
					    	
						
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## Images

!["Bad News": The Turbulent Life of Marvin Barnes, Pro Basketball's Original Renegade Hardcover – October 11, 2016 - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51q7PCZthUL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Sports tragedy.  One of the all time ABA greats on the court.  Off the court, equally if not exceedingly more, one of sports all time tragedies.
  

*by E***S on May 2, 2019*









  
  
    Sports tragedy.  One of the all time ABA greats on the court.  Off the court, equally if not exceedingly more, one of sports all time tragedies.
  


### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Both enjoyed multi-million dollar contracts in professional sports
  

*by P***F on December 28, 2016*









  
  
    Absolutely incredible book. I am 61 years old and a lifelong Providence resident. Providence is a city where it is common to know local celebrities. I met Marvin. I also knew Ernie DiGregorio, another star player for Providence College. I also had the opportunity to met and speak with Marvin during one of his rare periods of recovery in the later years of his life. I mention Ernie D because the path of Ernie's life was so completely different than Marvin's. The dichotomy is striking. Both men were at the very top of the sport. Both enjoyed multi-million dollar contracts in professional sports.  DiGregorio leveraged this opportunity to become a success in sports, business, and life in general. Yet Marvin lived a human tragedy: drugs, crime, prison, heroin addiction.  Ernie came from a stable home, with strong parental and family support. While the book does not provide the answer to the Barne's tragedy, it certainly documents in great detail the inability of Marvin to handle sudden fame and fortune. A close acquaintance to Marvin in the book stated that Marvin was afraid to succeed. My takeaway: Marvin was a victim of an incredibly toxic environment as a child. He was damaged as a young person, and was incapable of taking hold of resources within his grasp to make him a success in life. This is  the story of how fame and fortune can ruin a misguided life.
  


### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A Tragic Story That Needs Telling
  

*by M***R on February 17, 2017*









  
  
    I covered Marvin Barnes during his brief career with the Buffalo Braves. I remember his media conference when he reported to Buffalo and his Detroit Pistons team after a release from prison for carrying a handgun onto a plane. WBEN-TV reporter Vivian Rosenberg asked him if he would do anything differently. "I wouldn't have gone to prison," he responded. This is a story of a tremendous waste of talent wrapped up in a man with an endearing personality. Unfortunately, the poster the Buffalo Braves put out "Buffalo is Marvin's Garden," never became true.
  


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*Product available on Desertcart Croatia*
*Store origin: HR*
*Last updated: 2026-03-16*