Basketball Jones Basketball (pg. 23): The blue and orange basketball that is held by one of the members of the support team belongs to my Uncle, Jim “Basketball” Jones. The basketball features his logo and is the same basketball the he gives away over 450 times a year as he travels and performs at schools. My Uncle Jim got me into speaking and is definitely a part of my support team.

Nike Air Mag 1989 (pg. 6): The Nike Air Mag is a shoe featured in one of my favorite movie trilogies, Back To The Future. In 1989, legendary Nike designer, Tinker Hatfield, was asked to design a sneaker set for the future that would be featured in the sequel, Back To The Future II. The futuristic design includes light panels in the soles and automatic power laces. The shoe is known as an iconic cinematic prop and can be found under the desk located in the science lab.

Cochlear Implant (pg. 17): The little girl showing off her follow thru is my niece, Riley Niedzwicki. She was born on November 7th, 2012 and a few weeks after her birth - we found out that Riley was deaf. Although she was not given the gift to '“hear”, she was given a determined Mother and Father. After a couple of surgeries, Riley received a set of Cochlear Implants that would help her to hear the world around her. On July 11th, 2013, Riley heard her mother’s voice for the first time. Her hearing journey continues and I featured Riley in this book because I wanted her, and other kids with special needs, to see that shooting the basketball can be for everybody.

Batman (pg. 8): In the top block on page 8 you can see the “Bat Signal” shining above the skyline. Batman is my favorite superhero and probably my favorite fictional character. Ever since I was a kid (maybe even while an adult) I would fix myself a cape with a blanket and jump around the house defending my Gotham City/living room. There have been many actors who have played the Dark Knight, but my Batman will forever be…….Michael Keaton.

Walsh University (pg. 14): The chair featured in the stance scene on pg. 14 is a replica of the chairs used for the bench when I played college basketball at Walsh University. The logo on the back padding includes a Fighting Cavalier with our nickname, “Cavaliers” along the bottom. Playing for the Cavaliers gave me the opportunity to meet some of my best friends that I have today including my wife. My time there also included winning the school’s first National Championship in Men’s basketball.

Space Jam Bottle (pg. 4): The bottle labeled, “Michael’s Secret Stuff”, pays homage to SpaceJam, the 1996 animated/real life basketball movie starring Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny. The bottle is used to trick the Looney Tunes into thinking that Michael Jordan gets his basketball talents by drinking the bottle’s contents (its only water). The Tunes drink the “secret stuff” and take their new found confidence to defeat the Monstars.

Hover Board (pg. 6): Another iconic gem featured in the Back to the Future Franchise, the HoverBoard can be found under the desk on page 6. As a young boy, I dreamed of one day riding a hoverboard like Marty McFly through my neighborhood - even if board was pink and purple.

Way of Thinking (pg. 21): The lightbulb featured on the bottom of the page is the symbol from the book, “Way of Thinking”, written by my father, Michael Jones. The book features all the life lessons and experiences that he learned as a father of two and small business owner. It’s an encyclopedia of all the messages that he branded into my brain growing up and that I still carry with me to this day.

Seinfeld Poster (pg. 5): Hanging behind the shoulders of the scientist and the player on page 5 is a poster that resembles the logo from the mega successful sitcom, Seinfeld. The show ran for 9 seasons and is in the conversation as one of the most popular/successful sitcoms of all time. It is hands down my favorite sitcom and the laughs provided from that show have gotten me through some of the harder times in my life.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (pg. 8): Just like the bat signal shining above the skyline on pg. 8, another action hero can be found below in the sewers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Growing up watching the animated cartoon series and the live actin trilogy made me a fan for life. Donatello always has been and still is my favorite of the four turtles.