Beyond The Beat is a glimpse of the writing life complete with insight from the author on covering the NBA.
Wendell Maxey is a freelance writer and serves as an NBA Senior Writer for HOOPSWORLD where he’s appeared on NBA TV, NBA Radio on SIRIUS, ESPN Radio and is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association.
He’s covered the NBA for the past five seasons in New York during the Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas era from 2005-’07, New Jersey with the Nets postseason runs in ‘06 and ‘07 and now with the Portland Trail Blazers and their Rip City revival. In addition to HOOPSWORLD, he is a feature writer for the Northwest Examiner – a monthly newspaper in Northwest Portland - as well as Associated Content.com.
Wendell is currently conducting research and developing a manuscript for his first book co-authored with William Cornett on the Negro Leagues 1946 West Coast Baseball Association.
He resides outside of Portland, Oregon with his wife Emily and their two-year-old daughter Piper.
Wendell can be easily reached at:
i didn’t know lucas was a coach. cool. peace.
yes sir. he’s been on nate’s staff since 2005. heard he is feeling better and believe he is at home now. no word what the virus was from….just know it will be nice to have coach back.
Wendall, I look forward to reading your book. My wife and I took a cross country trip the first two months of the year and stopped at Buck’s house in Kansas City along with the jazz museum. I have been a lifelong baseball fan, but Ken Burns really shined the light on the Negro leagues for me. The museum is a real treat. Some amazing history.
thanks riles….it’s an on-going project. and now with the nba season in full swing, it’s more like a never-ending process. i was fortunate enough to visit the negro league museum this past summer….amazing. not sure if you have read buck’s book (actually joe posnanski) “the soul of baseball”….it’s a fantastic read. i’ll provide updates about my book as they come about…..stay tuned.
I have read “I was right on time”. Guess I’ll have to head over to half.com and buy another book. That’s what retirement is for! Just came across you yesterday thanks to the big O and enjoy your stuff. As a Blazer fan since they were called the Trailblazers in their first year it is nice to see this group of young men be competitive. I am actually one of the people who would not mind seeing 30 hanging for Sheed also. A little of my Tarheel bias showing, but also he appears to be a good husband and father, so I will forgive partaking of a substance that I feel should be legal. As long as he was not driving.
you’ll enjoy “the soul of baseball” riles….as for the blazers, it’s good to see a change in culture and a renewed faith in the team. that starts at the top and trickles down….and the fan base will reap the rewards.
Oh wow, I just happened along your blog and am so thankful! I’m traveling far from home and you just brought me a little closer. Are they really calling it Rip City Revival? How cool is that? These kids truly are amazing.
thanks for stopping by reid…..i tossed out “rip city revival” when i started the blog last june because the term fits. it’s freshing to see a rekindled spirit about the franchise….lord knows they needed it. sure, these guys will experience their share of growing pains, but it should be fun watching them grow together.
Hey Wendell merry Christmas to you and your family. Hope you can enjoy a rare Oregon white one. This brings back memories to my wife and I of our senior year at Newberg HS.
thanks riles….i appreciate the well-wishes. same to you and your family….minus the snow. the crazy part is there is still more to come. its the gift that keeps giving, if you like shoveling and driving in sloppy-sludgy-slippery-snow.
I got a real treat today. Got to drive one of our adopted daughters up on Bald Peak today. Lots of snow and fog still at 1300 feet. And we are headed for Baker City week after next. It was +1 at 9:00 tonight. Keep up the good work and have a safe New Year.
surely an amazing memory…..thanks for always reading and writing riles. guys like you keep this blog alive.
enjoy the new year.