Where do the best basketball players in the world turn when they want to improve their game? Whom does a future NBA Hall of Famer thank at his press conference when he’s named Rookie of the Year? Who is it that Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, and Men’s Journal all call the "Hoops Whisperer" because of his ability to engage, inspire, and challenge the players he trains? The answer to all of these questions is Idan Ravin.

Idan never played or coached in college or the pros, yet a virtual NBA All-Star team relies on him to better their game and reach their full potential. A soft-spoken former lawyer, Idan has become professional basketball’s hottest trainer.

In The Hoops Whisperer, Idan shares the fascinating story of how he transformed a passion for the game into working with iconic basketball stars such as Chris Paul, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard, and many more.  He offers a rare unguarded glimpse inside the lives of these great athletes, drawn from his intimate connection with them that is the basis of his success. 

Showcasing his unorthodox drills and improvisational techniques in action, Ravin reveals how faith, effort, dedication, and passion can make a player into a superstar—and anyone into a success. Combined with his own inspiring journey, Idan’s insights make The Hoops Whisperer a must-read for anyone who loves the game. 

REVIEWS

Kirkus Review
An unlikely inspirational book by the trainer for the NBA's biggest stars. Ravin became an athletic trainer without the seemingly requisite formal education or experience. Yet, solely through word of mouth from the league's biggest stars, he has built a career training elite athletes in their shared quest to improve their games and achieve their highest goals. Ravin didn't stay at his previous boring and soul-killing job; he created one based on the game he loved. Always an outsider, he remained mistrustful of organizations that would make him "sacrifice [his] identity or authenticity to try to blend into the environment." In devising his innovative training philosophy, the author figured if players could consistently handle "the complexity, intensity and pace of the workouts I dreamt up, then practice and games would feel like Oreos soaked in milk…
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The Boston Globe
”I am guilty of sometimes imposing my wants and wishes on others,” writes Idan Ravin.
He’s also guilty of soft-peddling: That’s like saying Carmelo Anthony will toss up a shot every now and again. Ravin has built a lucrative, one-of-a-kind career as a one-on-one basketball trainer imposing his apparently considerable will on some of the greatest athletes on the planet.
A basketball-worshiping kid who was cut from his seventh-grade team and nearly (but didn’t) make his Division 1 University of Maryland team as a walk-on, Ravin turned his personal disappointment into a continually evolving series of private training sessions that have made believers of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and many more of the game’s elite, much to the chagrin of some of the league’s old-guard coaches...
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Publishers Weekly
As a trainer, Ravin has helped hone the skills of some of pro basketball's biggest names, including LeBron James andCarmelo Anthony. His arrival at this starry occupation was hardly glamorous.  The product of a conservative Jewish household, Ravin fell in love with basketball as a child and devised his own training regimen.  Using that and his experience coaching youth basketball, he began training players while he pursue his unsatisfying law career.  Year by year, despite no ties to the NBA hierarchy and a playing career than ended in high school, he attracted high profile clients willing to pay from his personal and unorthodox training.  The book's caroming style - Ravin's twisting path to his unique career, insights on working with his clients and inspiration asides - is galvanized by Ravin's chummy directness and his practical observations: we can become enamored of reaching a goal that we lose sight on an equally rewarding path; even if you win the genetic lottery, insistent hard work is required to get the most out of a passion.  This is a self help book for the basketball player, but Ravin's common sense approach elevates it well beyond gimmicky categorization.

Ploughshares
What I find inspiring about Ravin’s story, now laid out for us in this year’s riveting The Hoops Whisperer, is that he has attained his career without the help of any connections or hook-ups. An uninspired lawyer by day, Ravin has always pursued excellence in basketball–whether as a youth player or improving the games of the world’s best–with a full-hearted and singular passion. It was unwavering passion and love for the game of basketball that kept Ravin hooked on it as he first coached a youth basketball team after work, and then finally worked out his first college players, and then finally worked out his first professional players, and all the way up to becoming a confidant of a player of Carmelo’s stature.
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Amazon.com
I am not a professional sports team fan. I do not work a job. As my grandmother used to say, I "follow the beat from a different drummer." I am an outsider. I am transcending the cultural norms of society and I am making my way through this world with love, gratitude, magic, and the combination of perseverance and persistence, diligence and determination, as well as patience and faith. I am making my own pathway through life. All of this is extremely similar, a mirror, to what Idan Ravin writes about throughout his deeply inspiring book. In reading Idan's book, my heart was blasted open, tears streamed down my cheeks, I laughed out loud, and I even threw the book across the room in frustration! I have cried out in astonishment, and I have made notes, markings, and scribbles throughout the entire thing as I have been fully absorbed in his writing and his willingness to be vulnerable with the reader. However, I did not read his book all at once… I first heard Idan speak in an interview with Brian Johnson (Optimize); Idan's journey, passion, and strong words of encouragement demanded my full attention immediately. I genuinely connected with his experience of growing up with limitations being put on dreams, ideals already set for adulthood, and cultural norms trying to dictate lifestyle, all struggling against the *constant pursuit of greatness* of what the heart really wants. The magic that he used to transform the cookie-cutter life he had been pursuing into the life he now leads is the ultimate key to anyone destined for greatness. Also, to read about his ability to be present with and to use such precision in deeply seeing his clients is exhilarating and fascinating. To read about his ability to speak candidly and with discernment to his clients is gracefully provocative, galvanizing, and simply beautiful. His book was not a one-time read for me; it continues, throughout these past few years, to be of support for me. I use it as a reminder to re-align with my focus towards my own goals, to re-commitment to my own greatness and to continue on my own path with faith, love, gratitude, and magic, but most of all... to have fun with it all!
- Joni Christine

If you are a basketball junkie, this book will definitely captivate your attention from cover to cover. More importantly, it transcends the game of basketball by giving a first-hand account of an individual who kept pursuing his dreams despite of not having the "pedigree" or inside track to the industry that he now flourishes in. This is a book that will motivate you to pursue your passions and dream big again. Ravin's attention to detail when it comes to the players he works with, will help any coach, parent, teacher, businessman connect with the people they interact with on a daily basis. The accounts of Kobe, CP3, Melo, KD, Steph, and many others also give you an inside look to the dedication and sacrifice that these alpha males pay to make it and stay in the NBA. Thank you for shaking the game up, Idan. Get this book.
- Daniel Shaw

It's a sports book....It's so much more....It's a great read. Both my husband and I read Idan Ravin's book "The Hoops Whisperer" and enjoyed for different reasons. The book follows NBA greats (and there are many player stories in the book) and their unique basketball training paths developed by the author with interesting insight into the mentality and dedication of the players. The backstory of the players and their personal lives off the court is a personality side not often seen. Idan Ravin's career journey interacting with the NBA players he trains and how he carved a life around his great love of basketball is a wonderful story in itself. After reading the book, you will watch NBA games, especially those with players described in "The Hoops Whisperer", in a new light. A very enjoyable read.
- KC Michal