Basketball


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Inspired by a major ESPN film series, this is an extraordinary oral history of basketball—its eye-opening untold history, its profound deeper meaning, its transformative influence on the world—as told through an unprecedented series of candid conversations with the game’s ultimate icons. This is the greatest love story never told. It has passion and heartbreak, triumph and betrayal. It is deeply intimate yet crosses oceans, upends lives and changes nations. This is the true story of basketball. It is the story of a Canadian invention that took over America, and the world. Of a supposed “white man’s sport” that became a way for people of color, women, and immigrants to claim a new place in society. Of a game that demands everything of those who love it, yet gives so much back in return. To tell this story, acclaimed journalists Jackie MacMullan, Rafe Bartholomew and Dan Klores embarked on a groundbreaking mission to interview a staggering lineup of basketball trailblazers. For the first time hundreds of legends, from Kobe, Lebron and Steph Curry to Magic Johnson, Dr. J and Jerry West, spoke movingly about their greatest passion. Former NBA commissioner David Stern and iconic coaches like Phil Jackson and Coach K opened up like never before. Those who shattered glass ceilings, from Bill Russell and Yao Ming to Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie, explained what it really took to lay claim to their place in the game. At once a definitive oral history and something far more revelatory and life affirming, Basketball: A Love Story is the defining untold oral history of how basketball came to be, and what it means to those who love it.




A Basketball Story


Book Description

Passing, shooting, dribbling and making friends - it's all part of playing on your very first real basketball team!




The Comic Book Story of Basketball


Book Description

A fast-break history of basketball--from its humble beginnings to its all-time great players--featuring engaging true tales from the court and vivid, dynamic illustrations. Whether it's millionaire pros facing off in an indoor arena full of screaming fans or a lone kid shooting hoops on an outdoor court, basketball is one of the most popular and widely played sports in the world. The Comic Book Story of Basketball gives you courtside seats to the history of hoops. It chronicles the sport from its beginnings in a YMCA in Massachusetts to its current status as a beloved international game for men and women of all ages. Learn the true stories behind the college game, the street game, the women's game, and the international game, with legendary players and coaches like Dr. J, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Steph Curry profiled throughout.




Let's Play Basketball!


Book Description

A basketball asks to be taken outside to play.




Against All Odds


Book Description

Against All Odds: A Basketball Story by Drew Oakley Against All Odds is a story of two best friends who became brothers. Jamal’s family abandoned him and he was taken in by his best friend Kevin’s family when they were young. Both boys have a passion for basketball and, even though they are not related by blood, they are closer than most. Jamal is destined for a life as a pro basketball player and is the best high school student in the country. Kevin, on the other hand, is one of the smallest kids in school and is mainly on the basketball team since he is Jamal’s brother. All is going well for the brothers until tragedy strikes. Jamal, after being hit by a car, struggles on the road to recovery and must find a new passion in life outside of basketball. Kevin attempts to become the leader of the basketball team and overcome his physical limits. Jamal pushed Kevin to conquer his fears both in basketball and his love life by asking out a girl. Against All Odds touches upon the universal themes of perseverance, overcoming hardship, hope, friendship, love, hard work, and determination.




The Story of Basketball


Book Description

Traces the history of basketball including biographical sketches of fourteen players and coaches.




More Than Just a Game


Book Description

A look at how Black players came to shine on the basketball court.




Nikola Jokic: the Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Rising Stars


Book Description

Learn the Inspiring Story of the Denver Nuggets' Star Center Nikola Jokic! Read on your PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet or Kindle device! One of many riveting reads in the Basketball Biography Books series by Clayton Geoffreys. In Nikola Jokic: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Rising Stars, you will learn the incredible story of one of basketball's most exciting young centers, Nikola Jokic. Once just a second round pick in the 2014 Draft, Jokic has quickly become the future of the Denver Nuggets franchise, most recently securing his first All-Star selection. He is one of the best recent international players to transition their game successfully into the NBA. Still so young, Jokic has his prime years ahead of him as he continues to become a stronger and more skillful player. Time will tell as to whether his leadership abilities and talents on the court can translate to championships, but at the time of this writing, he is just twenty-four years old. A renaissance has occurred for the Nuggets organization, and Nikola Jokic is largely a reason for it. Get this book today if you want to know the inspiring story behind basketball's latest rising star. Perfect for sports fans of all ages. Here is a preview of what is inside this Nikola Jokic biography book: Childhood and Early Life Early Professional Career in Serbia Getting Drafted, Rookie Season, The Franchise Star, The MVP Contender International Career Jokic's Personal Life Impact on Basketball Legacy and Future J An excerpt from this Nikola Jokic biography: The influx of international talent into the NBA has contributed to the way the game has rapidly evolved. From a game that relied on size and athleticism, the NBA now has a lot of players that have become stars in their own right thanks to their rare combination of skills. It is now imperative that you come into the league with a complete skillset if you want to be a star in the NBA. But this trend is nothing new. We saw the foundations of this evolution back in the late '90s and early 2000s when international players brought something new to the NBA. We saw European players bring the Euro-step, which has now become a favorite move among elite NBA superstars. Then there was Dirk Nowitzki, a seven-footer that could hit jump shots like a shooting guard. We have also seen particularly big players such as Hedo Turkoglu and Peja Stokajovic who have the size of power forwards but the skills of guards. That trend has paved the way for the "unicorn" movement in the NBA. Unicorns are considered to be players 6'10" or above but with the skills of guards and wingmen. The rise of unicorns has led to matchup nightmares in the NBA and the evolution of basketball itself. In that regard, among some of the best unicorns we see today are Kristaps Porzingis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Ben Simmons. Though most of the unicorns we see in the league today are still international players, even the Americans have gone on to become a lot more skillful for their size. Now we see 6'11" Kevin Durant dribbling and shooting like a guard. There is also the 6'10" Anthony Davis, who moves with the grace of a wingman. And then there are seven-foot centers such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, and DeMarcus Cousins shooting three-pointers. Tags: Nikola Jokic Bio, Denver Nuggets basketball, marc gasol, jamal murray, paul millsap, gary harris, devin booker, luka doncic, isaiah thomas, joel embiid




Shoes of the Law A Basketball Story


Book Description

Jack Lawyer is a gifted athlete. Alan Dionne is not. They are friends because of shoes: Alan thinks they are the best he has ever worn, and Jack because the manufacturers pay him to play. To Alan, athletic competition is a noble endeavor; he believes in the Olympic Creed, and that the most important thing is the trying. To Jack, playing ball is a ticket out of his decaying mill town home, and the path to the riches of a professional career. They meet at a time when manufacturers of sporting equipment are beginning to funnel huge sums of money into amateur and collegiate sports, and this story chronicles both boy's (and later men's) trials through college and beyond. Is sport a noble endeavor in itself? Or, is it high-dollar entertainment? Can it realistically be both?




The Greatest Basketball Story Ever Told, 50th Anniversary Edition


Book Description

"Nothing in basketball beats Hoosier Hysteria, and this true-life Cinderella story of the 1954 Milan Indians has it all--courage, heart, suspense, and triumph. Greg Guffey brings the team and its championship odyssey to life again in this action-packed book. A great read " --Digger Phelps With the release of the movie Hoosiers starring Gene Hackman, the whole world discovered the "Milan Miracle." The true story of the Milan miracle is even better, and Greg Guffey tells it here in graphic and gripping detail. Here we get to know the real Coach Marvin Wood and the remarkable group of high school players who defeated mighty Muncie Central. In his new introduction, Guffey talks about the switch to class basketball in Indiana and the legacy of this story for the town and for the legendary team.