SPORTS ILLUSTRATED staff writer Chris Mannix has boxed with Juan Manuel Marquez, played guard in the NBA's D-League and even tried his hand at bull riding at the Sankey Rodeo School in Martin, Tenn.. The latter assignment left him with a bunch of bruises and a fractured collarbone. "I liked all the first-person experiences, but fighting Juan was my favorite assignment for SI," says Mannix. "It was a tremendous experience that required brutal training and introduced me to a fear I never knew I had."

Mannix certainly knows basketball. He has covered the NBA since he arrived at SI in 2003 and currently writes the magazine's weekly notes column. He also is responsible for SI.com's weekly NBA power rankings. Among those NBA stars he has profiled: Chris Bosh and Andrei Kirilenko. As a teenager Mannix was a locker room attendant with the Boston Celtics for eight seasons (1995-2003) and covered high school sports for the Boston Globe. "Working for the Celtics was like attending a different fantasy camp every game. I spent pregames D'ing up the likes of Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen and yes, Michael Jordan. Last time I went one-on-one with MJ he beat me 48-0. I got one shot off -- and it was blocked."

Boxing is also one of Mannix's specialties and he has attended several championship fights over the last three years. He annually hands out SI.com's boxing awards and writes the web site's "Inside Boxing" column. Mannix has made numerous appearances on The Dan Patrick Show and sports radio shows across the country. He is also a frequent guest on ESPN's Outside the Lines and Rome Is Burning. Mannix received a bachelor of arts degree in English from Boston College in 2003 and graduated from Boston College High School in 1998 (which makes him a double Eagle).

Mannix is single and resides in New York City.

EXTRA POINTS

Favorite SI Vault story: This Is The Life (Oct. 31, 2005). "Jack McCallum's story on being an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns. Great story that became a great book."
Writers who have inspired your work: "McCallum, Chris Ballard and Jon Wertheim. I was influenced growing up by Kurt Vonnegut, Herman Melville and George Plimpton, the king of the first person story."
Hobbies: "Athletics: basketball, boxing and running in Central Park."
Favorite sport to cover: "Boxing, because fighters have no teammates to protect and only themselves to promote. They speak their mind and are almost always great quotes. A great fight can leave a lasting impression."
Favorite TV show character: "Jack Bauer, 24. Guy is a survivor."
Favorite book: "Gulliver's Travels. Brilliant and entertaining, all at once. The Great Gatsby is a close second."

Updated 21 October 2009