Legendary basketball writer John Feinstein, author of 45 books, dies suddenly

John Feinstein, the longtime sportswriter who authored the best-selling Season on the Brink about the Bobby Knight-led Indiana Hoosiers and more than 40 books overall, has died, his family confirmed. He was 69.

Feinstein died March 13 at his brother’s home in McLean, Virginia. He was 69. His brother, Robert Feinstein, confirmed the death but did not provide an immediate cause.

His tireless work ethic was evident until the end of his life; he filed a column for The Post the day before his death, focused on Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo.

Feinstein joined The Washington Post in 1977 as a night police reporter before making a name for himself on the sports beat. Over the course of his career, he covered a wide range of sports, gaining a reputation for his deep sourcing and his ability to craft personality-driven narratives.

His work often centered on athletes, coaches, and the dynamics of sports management. Feinstein became a regular commentator on NPR, ESPN, and the Golf Channel, and hosted radio programs on SiriusXM.

While his books spanned topics such as baseball, football, tennis, golf, and the Olympics, Feinstein was perhaps best known for his coverage of college basketball.

In 1985, Feinstein took a leave of absence from The Post to follow Indiana University’s basketball program and its volatile coach, Bob Knight, for an entire season. The result was A Season on the Brink, published in 1986.

The book offered an unflinching look at Knight’s character, depicting him as a complex figure—a brilliant coach with a volatile temper and a penchant for obscenity-laden tirades. The book was an instant success, spending 17 weeks at the top of best-seller lists and later being adapted into a TV movie starring Brian Dennehy.

“I can’t possibly overstate how important Knight was in my life,” Feinstein reflected in a 2023 column after Knight’s death. Knight had given Feinstein unprecedented access to the team, but following the book’s release, he did not speak to Feinstein for eight years, upset by the book’s candid portrayal of his behavior.

Feinstein returned to The Post in 1991, continuing his work as a full-time reporter while also publishing best-selling books like A Season Inside (1988), A Good Walk Spoiled (1995), Hard Courts (1990), A Civil War (1996), and Where Nobody Knows Your Name (2014).