Basketball's Greatest Players


Book Description

From Larry Bird and Michael Jordan to the hottest new legends such as LeBron James, this Step 5 Step into Reading early reader offers tons of facts about the best players in the game, what they were best known for, and how they got their start! Step 5 Readers tell stories in chapters using longer paragraphs, for children who want to take the plunge into chapter books but still like colorful illustrations and photography.




Basketball and Its Greatest Players


Book Description

Drawing crowds for its displays of both raw athleticism and spectacular showmanship, basketball has become one of the most exciting spectator sports in the United States, as well as the world. Players renowned for their maneuverability and skill—“Air” Jordan and his classic acrobatic moves, for instance—have intensified the level of competition in professional leagues and inspired everyday fans to “shoot hoops” in friendly games. This engaging volume examines the history and evolution of basketball and some of its most influential players.




The NBA's Greatest Players


Book Description

From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Dwight Howard to Dwyane Wade, this book features the 75 greatest players in NBA history. Not much has changed since the NBA made its debut in 1946 the rim is the same height and great players still dominate and the NBA's virtuosos can be found in these pages. Some are obvious, such as Michael Jordan, whose exploits transcended the game and made him a global icon. Others are not so well known, such as Paul Arizin, one of the first jump shooters. Many were superstars during their time, and others were not fully appreciated until much later. The 75 players featured in this book are a diverse lot, incorporating many different styles and contributing to their teams in ways not always reflected in box scores. But all have left an imprint or are making an imprint on the sport. These are the NBA's royalty, a line that can be traced from George Mikan all the way to today's king, LeBron James. With a foreword by Willis Reed and an afterword by James Worthy, it is a must buy for any fan of the NBA.




The Greatest Football Players of All Time


Book Description

""Hut, Hut, Hike!" This engaging volume serves as an introduction to some of the greatest athletes to grace the gridiron. Readers will discover the players who dominated their respective eras and see where their current favorites rank among the best of the best. The compelling text is organized by position so that any aspiring player can find an athlete to admire and strive to emulate. With gritty, star-studded photographs and flashy statistics tables, even a reluctant reader will go deep into this exciting text, learning as they imagine what it was like to play against the greatest of all time"--




The World's Greatest Basketball Players


Book Description

Describes the achievements and career statistics of basketball's greatest stars.




Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Basketball


Book Description

From Magic Johnson to Michael Jordan to LeBron James to Steph Curry, ESPN's Howard Bryant presents the best from the hardwood--a collection of NBA champions and superstars for young sports fans! Fast-paced, adrenaline-filled, and brimming with out-of-this-world athleticism, basketball has won the hearts of fans all across America—yet it is particularly popular among kids and teens. Giants of the game like Steph Curry, LeBron, and Michael Jordan have transcended the sport to become cultural icons and role models to young fans. From the cornfields of Indiana and the hills of North Carolina, to the urban sprawl of New York City, Chicago and L.A., love of the game stretches from coast to coast. Featuring Top Ten Lists to chew on and debate, and a Top 40-style Timeline of Key Moments in Basektball History, this comprehensive collection includes the greatest dynasties, from the Bill Russell-era Celtics, to the Magic Jonson-led Lakers, to the Jordan-led Bulls, right up to the Tim Duncan-led Spurs. All the greats take flight toward the hoop in this perfect book for young fans who dream about stepping on an NBA court. "A trove of awesome athletic feats, game-changing stars of the past and present, and rich fodder for heated arguments."--Booklist "Hoops fans will find a goldmine of information guaranteed to deepen their basketball knowledge and their understanding of the game."--VOYA "An easy hook for serious sports fans."--School Library Journal




Dream Team


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. As a writer for Sports Illustrated, McCallum enjoyed a courtside seat for the most exciting basketball spectacle on earth, covering the Dream Team from its inception to the gold medal ceremony in Barcelona. Drawing on fresh interviews with the players, McCallum provides the definitive account of the Dream Team phenomenon. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversial selection process. He takes us inside the team’s Olympic suites for late-night card games and bull sessions where superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird debated the finer points of basketball. And he narrates a riveting account of the legendary intrasquad scrimmage that pitted the Dream Teamers against one another in what may have been the greatest pickup game in history. In the twenty years since the Dream Team first captivated the world, its mystique has only grown. Dream Team vividly re-creates the moment when a once-in-a-millennium group of athletes came together and changed the future of sports—one perfectly executed fast break at a time. With a new Afterword by the author. “The absolute definitive work on the subject, a perfectly wonderful once-you-pick-it-up-you-won’t-be-able-to-put-it-down book.”—The Boston Globe “An Olympic hoops dream.”—Newsday “What makes this volume a must-read for nostalgic hoopsters are the robust portraits of the outsize personalities of the participants, all of whom were remarkably open with McCallum, both then and now.”—Booklist (starred review)




The Book of Basketball


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The NBA according to The Sports Guy—now updated with fresh takes on LeBron, the Celtics, and more! Foreword by Malcom Gladwell • “The work of a true fan . . . it might just represent the next phase of sports commentary.”—The Atlantic Bill Simmons, the wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining basketball addict known to millions as ESPN’s The Sports Guy, has written the definitive book on the past, present, and future of the NBA. From the age-old question of who actually won the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the one about which team was truly the best of all time, Simmons opens—and then closes, once and for all—every major pro basketball debate. Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons’s one-of-a-kind five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball. And ultimately he takes fans to the heart of it all, as he uses a conversation with one NBA great to uncover that coveted thing: The Secret of Basketball. Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), The Book of Basketball offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game’s finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler.




Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?


Book Description

ABC and ESPNUs "Mr. Stats" ranks the NBAUs greatest players of all time in this provocative and comprehensive book.




The Best Book of Basketball Facts & Stats


Book Description

A reference guide to all National Basketball Association teams, important players, coaches, games, and statistics.