Málaga of the Spanish ACB League, and UNICS Kazan of the Russian Super League. Shirley also appeared in NBA preseason games with the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, and Minnesota Timberwolves, and played summer league games with the Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers. Shirley played a total of 18 games in the NBA from 2002 - 2005 where he averaged 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds. His final game was during his tenure with the Phoenix Suns on April 20th, 2005 in a 107 - 132 loss to the Sacramento Kings where he played for 4 minutes and the only stat he recorded was 1 assist. Shirley has three younger brothers, including chartmaker Matt Shirley. He appeared in the film Glory Road (#50 for Iowa, uncredited) and in an episode of the TBS Sitcom Ground Floor (Kevin). He also produced an unaired television pilot for Twentieth Century Fox called The Twelfth Man. Writing career Shirley's blogs at ESPN and elsewhere contained observations on players, teams, fans, cities, sports media, cheerleaders, the game of basketball, and topics outside the athletic sphere. He commented on topics such as the USA Patriot Act, which he condemned as "[putting] the US on a fast-track to an Orwellian destiny". His writing garnered attention from national sports media, as well as other outlets such as Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and by ESPN's Bill Simmons. Shirley's first book, Can I Keep My Jersey?, was published on May 15, 2007 by Random House. It received positive reviews from The Onion's AV Club, which noted that it "deserves a spot next to Ball Four." A paperback version of the book was released on December 26, 2007. His second book, Stories I Tell On Dates, came out October 17, 2017. A podcast of the same name followed soon after. His third book, Ball Boy, was released February 2, 2021. Between 2008 and 2015, Shirley wrote a monthly column about the NBA called "Historias de un Tío Alto" (loosely: "Stories by a Tall Guy") in El Pais. ESPN dismissal Shirley's writings have sometimes been the cause of controversy. In a Slate.com piece with Neal Pollack, he compared rooting for the San Antonio Spurs to cheering for cancer. In a 2009 column for ESPN.com, he called the Beatles overrated, drawing the ire of fellow music critics. And in 2010, he published a blog questioning the potential efficacy of relief efforts for that