iBookstore Top 50 Basketball Ebooks

The top 50 best selling basketball ebooks on the Apple Boks. The chart of the most popular basketball iBook best sellers is updated daily.

Chart list of the top baseball ebooks was last updated:

Sports Ebook Best Sellers

Top Baksteball Ebook Best Sellers

1

Heartland - Keith O’Brien Cover Art

Heartland

Heartland A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird by Keith O’Brien

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the New York Times bestselling author of Charlie Hustle and Fly Girls comes one of America’s greatest sports stories: the improbable rise of Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores. In the fall 1974, Larry Bird—one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball—was lost, and in danger of slipping away. He had dropped out of Indiana University, spurning legendary Hoosiers head coach Bobby Knight. He returned home to French Lick, a tiny town in the second poorest county in Indiana, and he got a job hauling trash. It could have ended right there for Bird, were it not for two men: Bob King, an old coach with bad knees, and Bill Hodges, a man who knew what it was like to be poor and overlooked. In the spring of 1975, during one of the darkest chapters of Bird’s life, King and Hodges convinced Bird to leave French Lick and play basketball at Indiana State University, a college that couldn’t even fill its arena, much less compete with Bobby Knight. Then, while no one was watching, King and Hodges built a team of players around Bird who were just like him: they were castoffs and leftovers, ready to work. Four years later, in March 1979, this unheralded team would put together one of the greatest seasons in American sports history. By the time it was over, more than 50 million people would tune in to watch the Indiana State Sycamores play in the NCAA finals against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. What happened that night would change college basketball and the NBA. Perhaps more importantly, it would change the members of this hardscrabble team, binding them together forever. In some ways, their one shining moment would never end. Drawing on exclusive, in-depth interviews with players, coaches, and staffers, New York Times bestselling author and PEN American award–winning biographer Keith O’Brien offers a stirring account of the mighty Indiana State Sycamores. With its unforgettable ensemble cast, Heartland is more than just a sports book. It’s the story of a group of young men who achieved the greatest feat of all: immortality.

2

The Mamba Mentality - Kobe Bryant Cover Art

The Mamba Mentality

The Mamba Mentality How I Play by Kobe Bryant

The Mamba Mentality: How I Play is Kobe Bryant’s personal perspective of his life and career on the basketball court and his exceptional, insightful style of playing the game—a fitting legacy from the late Los Angeles Laker superstar. In the wake of his retirement from professional basketball, Kobe “The Black Mamba” Bryant decided to share his vast knowledge and understanding of the game to take readers on an unprecedented journey to the core of the legendary “Mamba mentality.” Citing an obligation and an opportunity to teach young players, hardcore fans, and devoted students of the game how to play it “the right way,” The Mamba Mentality takes us inside the mind of one of the most intelligent, analytical, and creative basketball players ever. In his own words, Bryant reveals his famously detailed approach and the steps he took to prepare mentally and physically to not just succeed at the game, but to excel. Readers will learn how Bryant studied an opponent, how he channeled his passion for the game, how he played through injuries. They’ll also get fascinating granular detail as he breaks down specific plays and match-ups from throughout his career. Bryant’s detailed accounts are paired with stunning photographs by the Hall of Fame photographer Andrew D. Bernstein. Bernstein, long the Lakers and NBA official photographer, captured Bryant’s very first NBA photo in 1996 and his last in 2016—and hundreds of thousands in between, the record of a unique, twenty-year relationship between one athlete and one photographer. The combination of Bryant’s narrative and Bernstein’s photos make The Mamba Mentality an unprecedented look behind the curtain at the career of one of the world’s most celebrated and fascinating athletes.

3

Mind of a Competitor - Virgil Akers Cover Art

Mind of a Competitor

Mind of a Competitor by Virgil Akers

Mind of a Competitor isn't just a basketball book—it's a blueprint for how to think, train, and compete at a higher level. In today's game, talent isn't enough. Skill alone won't separate you. What truly sets athletes apart is their mindset. In this powerful and practical guide, Coach Akers breaks down the core principles that every serious athlete must develop to succeed—on the court and in life: •Attitude – How you show up every day •Action – The discipline to do the work consistently •Achievement – Becoming who you need to be to succeed •Heart – Competing when things get hard •Desire – The drive to work when nobody is watching •Belief – Trusting yourself when results don't show yet This book is built from real experience—training athletes, developing players, and understanding what separates average from elite. It's not about hype. It's not about shortcuts. It's about the mindset required to grow, compete, and win. Whether you're: •A basketball player looking to elevate your game •A young athlete trying to build discipline •A parent looking for guidance for your child •Or someone who wants to develop a stronger mindset This book will challenge you to think differently—and hold yourself to a higher standard. Because competing isn't about being better than everyone else… It's about becoming the best version of yourself—every single day.

4

Court Queens - Emma Baccellieri & Jordan Robinson Cover Art

Court Queens

Court Queens Celebrate the Players, Teams, and History of Women's Basketball by Emma Baccellieri & Jordan Robinson

A definitive, first-of-its-kind, richly photographic celebration of women’s basketball captures the passion, energy, and skill of the sport—and the many players and coaches who helped build it. Women’s basketball is taking the country by storm with record-breaking viewership and attendance—and unprecedented attention. These new stars stand on the shoulders of countless trailblazing players and coaches. While fighting for their place on the court over the last 130 years, they were also playing some of the most thrilling, hard-fought games in basketball history. Deeply researched and deftly written, this love letter to the game covers the history of college and professional women’s basketball through vivid portraits of forgotten heroes, individual games, unforgettable moments, and iconic teams and seasons. Journalists and superfans Emma Baccellieri and Jordan Robinson begin with Senda Berenson introducing the game to women at Smith College in 1892—where the players wore ankle-length skirts!—and chart the growth of the sport around the country over the decades that followed. From six-on-six to five-on-five, college to professional to international, they cover the people who have defined women’s basketball. Baccellieri and Robinson chronicle some of the legendary players who helped build the game as we know it today, like Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, and Diana Taurasi, and the coaches who shaped them. From the early professional leagues to the birth of the WNBA and right up to the modern day of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, the book traces how far the women’s game (and fandom) has come. And for every star whose name you already know, Court Queens introduces you to a handful of electric, game-changing others who never got the shine they deserved. Packed with hundreds of photos and pieces of memorabilia, this seminal work is filled with stories you won’t soon forget.  

5

Game Changer - Bob Whitsitt Cover Art

Game Changer

Game Changer An Insider's Story of the Sonics’ Resurgence, the Trail Blazers’ Turnaround, and the Deal that Saved the Seahawks by Bob Whitsitt

From groundbreaking trades to team-saving negotiations, Bob Whitsitt reveals the behind-the-scenes deals that changed the destinies of three iconic Pacific Northwest sports teams: the Seahawks, the SuperSonics, and the Trail Blazers.  In 1994, Whitsitt was named the NBA Executive of the Year—but in 1978 he was just an intern for the Indiana Pacers. Over the next decade and a half, he would find his way to the front lines of an athletic revolution, leading a transformation that took the NBA from an asterisk in sports to a global phenomenon.  By 1986, at the tender age of thirty, Whitsitt had been recruited to salvage the Seattle SuperSonics, whose glory had faded after the 1979 NBA championship. In just one season, and after many daring player trades, Whitsitt guided the team back to fighting form and into the playoffs. Whitsitt’s grit and risk-taking moves caught the eye of billionaire Paul Allen, who coaxed the savvy executive into taking the helm of the Portland Trail Blazers and leading them back into championship contention. Whitsitt went on to play a pivotal role in convincing Allen to purchase the Seahawks to keep them in town, lobbying for a new stadium—and the implosion of the iconic Kingdome—and ushering in a new era of professional football in Seattle. Whitsitt is the only person to have been both the president and general manager of the Seahawks, Sonics, and Trail Blazers.  In Game Changer , Whitsitt offers insights and stories from the glory days of three beloved teams, including   how he earned the nickname Trader Bob by mapping his trades many moves—and even years—ahead; his prescient recruitment of one of the first straight-to-pro basketball players, Shawn Kemp—and why his second signing of Kemp was one of his worst missteps; his time-tested negotiation tips for any situation; how he knew the mercurial George Karl was the right man to coach Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, and the rest of the scene-stealing Sonics team; the truth behind the heroics needed to keep the Seahawks in Seattle; his rankings of the all-time-best NBA players and coaches; advice for how to get a job in professional sports.  An unprecedented view into the front office of three of the most beloved franchises in the NBA and NFL during their most pivotal years, Game Changer offers a new vision for pro sports, perfect for students of the game, lifelong fans, and sophisticated dealmakers alike.

6

Breaking In Without A Jersey - Anthony Goods Cover Art

Breaking In Without A Jersey

Breaking In Without A Jersey An Insider Guide to Breaking Into NBA Scouting and Front Offices by Anthony Goods

Breaking In Without a Jersey is a short, honest guide to how NBA scouting and front offices actually work. If you have ever wondered how people get hired without connections, what teams value, and what the job looks like day to day, this book is for you. It is written from the perspective of a former NBA scout and built to give aspiring scouts a real framework they can keep using as they grow. Inside, you will learn: How scouting differs from being a fan and what teams really evaluate How front offices are structured and where most people actually enter What a scout is responsible for beyond watching games Why projection matters more than highlights How to build your process, your discipline, and your credibility over time How to prepare like a scout before you ever get the title This is not a promise of a job. It is not a shortcut. It is a clear look at the work, the mindset, and the path so you can decide if this world is for you and then prepare the right way. If you are a student, coach, analyst, or basketball obsessive who wants to break into scouting or a front office, start here.

7

Boxed out of the NBA - Syl Sobel & Jay Rosenstein Cover Art

Boxed out of the NBA

Boxed out of the NBA Remembering the Eastern Professional Basketball League by Syl Sobel & Jay Rosenstein

The Eastern Professional Basketball League (1946-78) was fast and physical, often played in tiny, smoke-filled gyms across the northeast and featuring the best players who just couldn't make the NBA—many because of unofficial quotas on Black players, some because of scandals, and others because they weren't quite good enough in the years when the NBA had less than 100 players. In Boxed out of the NBA: Remembering the Eastern Professional Basketball League, Syl Sobel and Jay Rosenstein tell the fascinating story of a league that was a pro basketball institution for over 30 years, showcasing top players from around the country. During the early years of professional basketball, the Eastern League was the next-best professional league in the world after the NBA. It was home to big-name players such as Sherman White, Jack Molinas, and Bill Spivey, who were implicated in college gambling scandals in the 1950s and were barred from the NBA, and top Black players such as Hal "King" Lear, Julius McCoy, and Wally Choice, who could not make the NBA into the early 1960s due to unwritten team quotas on African-American players. Featuring interviews with some 40 former Eastern League coaches, referees, fans, and players—including Syracuse University coach Jim Boeheim, former Temple University coach John Chaney, former Detroit Pistons player and coach Ray Scott, former NBA coach and ESPN analyst Hubie Brown, and former NBA player and coach Bob Weiss—this book provides an intimate, first-hand account of small-town professional basketball at its best.

8

The Breaks of the Game - David Halberstam Cover Art

The Breaks of the Game

The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam

"Among the best books ever written on professional basketball," the New York Times bestseller about the grim 1979-eighty season of the Portland Trail Blazers ( The Philadelphia Inquirer ). The Breaks of the Game offers an unparalleled glimpse into the gritty, high-stakes world of professional basketball during the late 1970s, including fascinating profiles of legendary superstars Bill Walton and Kermit Washington. Through the lens of the Portland Trail Blazers' 1979-1980 season, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist David Halberstam explores the intense pressures faced by players, coaches, and team owners as they navigate the emerging complexities of the NBA. Readers gain a deep understanding of the psychological, emotional, and physical challenges that define the lives of professional athletes. Halberstam also delves into broader societal issues such as race, class, and the evolution of basketball from a sport to a commercial spectacle, backed by rigorous research and insightful analysis. For those fascinated by the inner workings of sports, the triumphs and tribulations of athletes, and the business behind the game, The Breaks of the Game is an essential read. Experience the raw, unfiltered truth of the NBA's most transformative era and understand the game beyond the court.

9

Relentless - Tim S Grover Cover Art

Relentless

Relentless From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim S Grover

For more than two decades, legendary trainer Tim Grover has taken the greats—Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and hundreds of relentless competitors in sports, business, and every walk of life—and made them greater. Now, for the first time ever, he reveals what it takes to achieve total mental and physical dominance, showing you how to be relentless and achieve whatever you desire. Direct, blunt, and brutally honest, Grover breaks down what it takes to be unstoppable: you keep going when everyone else is giving up, you thrive under pressure, you never let your emotions make you weak. In “The Relentless 13,” he details the essential traits shared by the most intense competitors and achievers in sports, business, and all walks of life. Relentless shows you how to trust your instincts and get in the Zone; how to control and adapt to any situation; how to find your opponent’s weakness and attack. Grover gives you the same advice he gives his world-class clients—“don’t think”—and shows you that anything is possible. Packed with previously untold stories and unparalleled insight into the psyches of the most successful and accomplished athletes of our time, Relentless shows you how even the best get better . . . and how you can too.

10

Raise the Roof - Pat Summitt Cover Art

Raise the Roof

Raise the Roof The Inspiring Inside Story of the Tennessee Lady Vols' Groundbreaking Season in Women's College Basketball by Pat Summitt

"It wasn't a team.  It was a tent revival." So says Pat Summitt, the legendary coach whose Tennessee Lady Vols entered the 1997-98 season aiming for an almost unprecedented "three-peat" of NCAA championships.   Raise the Roof takes you right inside the locker room of her amazing team, whose inspired mixture of gifted freshmen and seasoned stars produced a standard of play that would change the game of women's basketball forever. The 1997-98 season started innocently enough.  One Saturday in August, four young freshmen--Semeka Randall, Tamika Catchings, Ace Clement and Teresa Geter--arrived on the Tennessee campus to begin their college careers.  Welcoming them were a number of players from the previous year, including Chamique Holdsclaw and Kellie Jolly.  But that night, in a sign of things to come, a simple pickup game turned into an amazing display of basketball brilliance--freshmen against established players, and with barely a shot missed by either side.  Suddenly Pat Summitt glimpsed the future: fast, aggressive and hugely talented.  This might be the team she'd worked her whole career to coach. As the season got under way, other dramas unfolded.  After one emotional team meeting, Summitt realized that many on the team were playing for something more than just the glory of the game: all four freshmen, for example, came from single-parent homes, and the tough circumstances of the majority of the other players seemed to add an extra edge to their desire to win it all.  Further, Chamique Holdsclaw, widely regarded as the greatest female player ever, was being dogged by questions about turning pro--and she seemed reluctant to rule it out.  Meanwhile, another member of the team began to notice the unwelcome attentions of a fan, who soon turned out to be a full-fledged stalker. All this was behind the scenes; out on the court, the win column was swelling with every game: 8-0, 15-0, 21-0.  As 1997 turned into 1998, Pat Summitt began privately to admit that this team had changed her: these kids were so lovable, funny and eager to please that she simply had to let them into her heart.  Along the way, the Lady Vols were redefining what women were capable of, trading in old definitions of femininity for new ones--in short, they were keeping score.  And by the time they entered the NCAA Final Four tournament in Kansas City, Summitt found herself believing the impossible: despite all the distractions, the 1997-98 Lady Vols could go undefeated, and, in doing so, raise the roof off the sport of women's basketball. Packed with the excitement of a season on the brink of perfection and filled with the comedy and tragedy of one year in the life of a basketball team, Raise the Roof will have readers cheering from the bench for a team of all-conquering players and their astonishing coach.

11

Uncommon Favor - Dawn Staley Cover Art

Uncommon Favor

Uncommon Favor Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three by Dawn Staley

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER For the first time, Dawn Staley shares powerful and inspiring stories that have shaped her journey on and off the court. A three-time Olympic gold medalist, six-time WNBA All-Star, and the first person to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award as both a player and coach, Staley has shattered expectations at every level of the game. While her name resonates with both longtime WNBA fans and newcomers, she has kept her personal life private. Uncommon Favor reveals the journey that led to Staley’s success, including the challenges she faced. From dealing with sexism on the court to feeling isolated in new environments, Staley honed her skills and learned valuable life lessons about mental fortitude and maturity that have grounded her throughout her career. Beginning with her humble origins on the North Philadelphia basketball court and her rise to national fame at the University of Virginia—where she led her team to three Final Fours—Staley recounts the key moments that shaped her winning mindset. Staley’s iconic career in the WNBA and her groundbreaking coaching journey at the University of South Carolina highlight the milestones and turning points that have defined her success, both on and off the court. Fearless and authentic, Uncommon Favor shares the rewards of leading with conviction and the courage to redefine the limits of what is possible.

12

The Secret Game - Scott Ellsworth Cover Art

The Secret Game

The Secret Game A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph by Scott Ellsworth

Winner of the 2016 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing: The true story of the game that never should have happened -- and of a nation on the brink of monumental change. In the fall of 1943, at the little-known North Carolina College for Negroes, Coach John McLendon was on the verge of changing basketball forever. A protégé of James Naismith, the game's inventor, McLendon taught his team to play the full-court press and run a fast break that no one could catch. His Eagles would become the highest-scoring college team in America -- a basketball juggernaut that shattered its opponents by as many as sixty points per game. Yet his players faced danger whenever they traveled backcountry roads. Across town, at Duke University, the best basketball squad on campus wasn't the Blue Devils, but an all-white military team from the Duke medical school. Composed of former college stars from across the country, the team dismantled everyone they faced, including the Duke varsity. They were prepared to take on anyone -- until an audacious invitation arrived, one that was years ahead of anything the South had ever seen before. What happened next wasn't on anyone's schedule. Based on years of research, The Secret Game is a story of courage and determination, and of an incredible, long-buried moment in the nation's sporting past. The riveting, true account of a remarkable season, it is the story of how a group of forgotten college basketball players, aided by a pair of refugees from Nazi Germany and a group of daring student activists, not only blazed a trail for a new kind of America, but helped create one of the most meaningful moments in basketball history.

13

Outside Shot - Keith O’Brien Cover Art

Outside Shot

Outside Shot Big Dreams, Hard Times, and One County's Quest for Basketball Greatness by Keith O’Brien

Outside Shot is the acclaimed true story of a small-town team and an American community struggling for redemption, called "a reporting tour de force" and "utterly gripping" by The New York Times The Cardinals of Scott County High School were beloved once--and with good reason. For years, the boys and their legendary coach gave fans in central Kentucky, deep in the heart of basketball country, just what they wanted: state titles, national rankings, and countless trips to Kentucky's one-of-a-kind state tournament, where winning and losing can change a young man's life. But in 2009, with the economy sputtering, anger rising, and Scott County mired in a two-year drought, fans had begun to lose faith in the boys. They weren't the heroes of Scott County anymore; they were "mini-athlete gods," haunted by dreams, burdened by expectations, and desperate to escape through the only means they knew: basketball. In Outside Shot , Keith O'Brien takes us on an epic journey, from the bluegrass hills and broken homes of rural America, to inner-city Lexington, to Kentucky's most hallowed hall: Rupp Arena, where high school tournament games are known to draw twenty-thousand people, and where, for the players and their fans, it feels like anything is possible. The narrative follows four of the team's top seniors and their coach as they struggle to redeem themselves in the face of impossible odds: once-loyal fans now turned against them, parents who demand athletic greatness, and scouts who weigh their every move. It delves deep inside the lives of the boys, their families, and their community--divided along lines of race, politics, religion, and sports. And it chronicles not only the high-stakes world of Kentucky basketball, but the battle for the soul of small-town America. A story of inspiration and poignancy, filled with moments of drama on and off the court, Outside Shot shows that if it's hard to win basketball games, it can be even harder to win at life itself.

14

Sacred Hoops - Phil Jackson & Hugh Delehanty Cover Art

Sacred Hoops

Sacred Hoops Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior by Phil Jackson & Hugh Delehanty

One of the NBA's most successful coaches delivers "an earnest and refreshing answer to the dollar driven soullessness of modern professional sports" ( People ). With a new introduction by the author "Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball." —Phil Jackson When Phil Jackson first wrote these words in  Sacred Hoops , he was the triumphant head coach of the Chicago Bulls, known for his Zen approach to the game. He hadn't yet moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he would bring his total to an astounding nine NBA titles. In his thought-provoking memoir, he revealed how he directs his players to act with a clear mind—not thinking, just doing; to respect the enemy and be aggressive without anger or violence; to live in the moment and stay calmly focused in the midst of chaos; to put the "me" in service of the "we"—all lessons applicable to any person's life, not just a professional basketball player's. This inspiring book went on to sell more than 400,000 copies. In his new introduction, Jackson explains how the concepts in  Sacred Hoops  are relevant to the issues facing current teams—and today's reader. "The perfect antidote to the win-at-any-cost mentality of professional sports." — Interview magazine "As deep and clear and pure an expression of the power of mindfulness and compassion in action as any I have ever encountered." —Jon Kabat-Zinn, bestselling author of Wherever You Go, There You Are

15

The Big East - Dana O'Neil Cover Art

The Big East

The Big East Inside the Most Entertaining and Influential Conference in College Basketball History by Dana O'Neil

The definitive, compulsively readable story of the greatest era of the most iconic league in college basketball history—the Big East “This book, full of long-standing rivalries, unmatched moments in the lives of coaches and players, and juicy insider gossip, is, like the game of basketball, a ton of fun.”— Philadelphia magazine The names need no introduction: Thompson and Patrick, Boeheim and the Pearl, and of course Gavitt. And the moments are part of college basketball lore: the Sweater Game, Villanova Beats Georgetown, and Six Overtimes. But this is the story of the Big East Conference that you haven’t heard before—of how the Northeast, once an afterthought, became the epicenter of college basketball. Before the league’s founding, East Coast basketball had crowned just three national champions in forty years, and none since 1954. But in the Big East’s first ten years, five of its teams played for a national championship. The league didn’t merely inherit good teams; it created them. But how did this unlikely group of schools come to dominate college basketball so quickly and completely? Including interviews with more than sixty of the key figures in the conference’s history, The Big East charts the league’s daring beginnings and its incredible rise. It transports fans inside packed arenas to epic wars fought between transcendent players, and behind locker-room doors where combustible coaches battled even more fiercely for a leg up. Started on a handshake and a prayer, the Big East carved an improbable arc in sports history, an ensemble of Catholic schools banding together to not only improve their own stations but rewrite the geographic boundaries of basketball. As former UConn coach Jim Calhoun eloquently put it, “It was Camelot. Camelot with bad language.”

16

The City Game - Pete Axthelm Cover Art

The City Game

The City Game Basketball from the Garden to the Playgrounds by Pete Axthelm

"The master prose stylist portrays parallel basketball worlds in New York City: Madison Square Garden . . . and the playgrounds of Harlem" ( Sports Illustrated ).   The New York Knickerbockers, one of the NBA's charter franchises, played professionally for twenty-four years before winning their first championship in 1970, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in a thrilling seven-game series. Those Knicks, who won again in 1973, became legends, and captivated a city that has basketball in its blood.   But this book is more than a history of the championship Knicks. It is an exploration of what basketball means to New York—not just to the stars who compete nightly in the garden, but to the young men who spend their nights and weekends perfecting their skills on the concrete courts of the city's parks. Basketball is a city game, and New York is the king of cities.

17

Masters of the Game - Sam Smith & Phil Jackson Cover Art

Masters of the Game

Masters of the Game A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players by Sam Smith & Phil Jackson

The legendary sportswriter and the Hall of Fame, eleven-time NBA champion coach separate the music from the noise in the stories of the greatest who ever played and their impact on the game Sam Smith and Phil Jackson grew to know and respect each other in the late 1980s, when Smith was a Chicago Tribune sportswriter and Jackson was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls. Forty years later, the two remain close friends. In 2021, Smith helped the NBA arrive at a list of the seventy-five greatest players of all time in celebration of its seventy-fifth anniversary. Phil Jackson was asked to participate too, but he’s not a big fan of ranking greatness. They’ve been enjoying the argument ever since. In Masters of the Game , Smith and Jackson chop it up about the basketball life, the sport, and the genius and the shadow side of the all-time greats: Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Bill Russell, Wilt, Jerry West, Bird, LeBron, KD, Steph Curry, Bill Walton, and more. In a conversation full of high-grade analysis and high-grade gossip, we meet the stars of long-ago eras of basketball and see the mark race left on players and the business of the game—and we get a master class on character and the alchemy of a good team. And of course, inevitably, these two old heads get into the GOAT debate. There are so many huge characters here, and Smith and Jackson can hold their own with any of them. Their spirit—sharp, wise, irreverent, honest, respectful of the lore and legacy of the game but never pious—and the clash of their different perspectives combine to make this book a joyous ride, a short course in greatness open to all students.

18

Wish It Lasted Forever - Dan Shaughnessy Cover Art

Wish It Lasted Forever

Wish It Lasted Forever Life with the Larry Bird Celtics by Dan Shaughnessy

From award-winning Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy, an “entertaining” ( The Wall Street Journal ) and nostalgia-filled retelling of the 1980s Boston Celtics’ glory years, which featured the sublime play of NBA legend Larry Bird. Today the NBA is a vast global franchise—a billion-dollar industry seen by millions of fans in the United States and abroad. But it wasn’t always this successful. Before primetime ESPN coverage, lucrative branding deals like Air Jordans, and $40 million annual player salaries, there was the NBA of the 1970s and 1980s—when basketball was still an up-and-coming sport featuring old school beat reporters and players who wore Converse All-Stars. Enter Dan Shaughnessy, then the beat reporter for The Boston Globe who covered the Boston Celtics every day from 1982 to 1986. It was a time when reporters travelled with professional teams—flying the same commercial airlines, riding the same buses, and staying in the same hotels. Shaughnessy knew the athletes as real people, losing free throw bets to Larry Bird, being gifted cheap cigars by the iconic coach Red Auerbach, and having his one-year-old daughter Sarah passed from player to player on a flight from Logan to Detroit Metro. Drawing on unprecedented access and personal experiences that would not be possible for any reporter today, Shaughnessy takes us inside the legendary Larry Bird-led Celtics teams, capturing the camaraderie as they dominated the NBA. Fans can witness the cockiness of Larry Bird (who once walked into an All-Star Weekend locker room, announced that he was going to win the three-point contest, and did ); the ageless athleticism of Robert Parish; the shooting skills of Kevin McHale; the fierce, self-sacrificing play of Bill Walton; and the playful humor of players like Danny Ainge, Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell, and M.L. Carr. For any fan who longs to return—for just a few hours—to those magical years when the Boston Garden rocked and the winner’s circle was mostly colored Boston Green, Wish It Lasted Forever is a masterful tribute to “the Celtics from 1982–1986 [that] is so good even fervent Celtics haters will have trouble putting it down” ( New York Post ).

19

The Book of Basketball - Bill Simmons & Malcolm Gladwell Cover Art

The Book of Basketball

The Book of Basketball The NBA According to The Sports Guy by Bill Simmons & Malcolm Gladwell

Foreword by Malcolm Gladwell   Newly updated with fresh takes on LeBron, Kobe, the Celtics & more* *Including even more footnotes! Bill Simmons, the wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining hoops addict known to millions as ESPN.com’s 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.

20

Don't Put Me In, Coach - Mark Titus Cover Art

Don't Put Me In, Coach

Don't Put Me In, Coach My Incredible NCAA Journey from the End of the Bench to the End of the Bench by Mark Titus

An irreverent, hilarious insider's look at big-time NCAA basketball, through the eyes of the nation's most famous benchwarmer and author of the popular blog ClubTrillion.com (3.6m visits!). Mark Titus holds the Ohio State record for career wins, and made it to the 2007 national championship game. You would think Titus would be all over the highlight reels. You'd be wrong.   In 2006, Mark Titus arrived on Ohio State's campus as a former high school basketball player who aspired to be an orthopedic surgeon. Somehow, he was added to the elite Buckeye basketball team, given a scholarship, and played alongside seven future NBA players on his way to setting the record for most individual career wins in Ohio State history. Think that's impressive? In four years, he scored a grand total of nine—yes, nine —points. This book will give readers an uncensored and uproarious look inside an elite NCAA basketball program from Titus's unique perspective. In his four years at the end of the bench, Mark founded his wildly popular blog Club Trillion, became a hero to all guys picked last, and even got scouted by the Harlem Globetrotters. Mark Titus is not your average basketball star. This is a wild and completely true story of the most unlikely career in college basketball. A must-read for all fans of March Madness and college sports!

21

Dream Team - Jack McCallum Cover Art

Dream Team

Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever by Jack McCallum

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)

22

Toughness - Jay Bilas Cover Art

Toughness

Toughness Developing True Strength On and Off the Court by Jay Bilas

ESPN basketball analyst and former Duke player Jay Bilas looks at the true meaning of toughness in this New York Times bestselling book that features stories from basketball legends. If anyone knows tough, it’s Jay Bilas. A four-year starter at Duke, he learned a strong work ethic under Coach Mike Krzyzewski. After playing professionally overseas, he returned to Duke, where he served as Krzyzewski’s assistant coach for three seasons, helping to guide the Blue Devils to two national championships. He has since become one of basketball’s most recognizable faces through his insightful analysis on ESPN’s SportsCenter and College GameDay . Through his ups and downs on and off the court, Bilas learned the true meaning of toughness from coaches, teammates, and colleagues. Now, in Toughness , he examines this misunderstood—yet vital—attribute and how it contributes to winning in sports and in life. Featuring never-before-heard stories and personal philosophies on toughness from top players and coaches, including Coach K, Bob Knight, Grant Hill, Mia Hamm, Jon Gruden, Tom Izzo, Roy Williams, Bill Self, Curtis Strange, and many others—Bilas redefines what it takes to succeed.

23

Showtime - Jeff Pearlman Cover Art

Showtime

Showtime Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s by Jeff Pearlman

The New York Times bestselling author of Sweetness delivers the first all-encompassing account of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of professional sports’ most-revered — and dominant — dynasties.   The Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s personified the flamboyance and excess of the decade over which they reigned. Beginning with the arrival of Earvin “Magic” Johnson as the number-one overall pick of the 1979 draft, the Lakers played basketball with gusto and pizzazz, unleashing their famed “Showtime” run-and-gun style on a league unprepared for their speed and ferocity—and became the most captivating show in sports and, arguably, in all-around American entertainment. The Lakers’ roster overflowed with exciting all-star-caliber players, including center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and they were led by the incomparable Pat Riley, known for his slicked-back hair, his Armani suits, and his arrogant strut. Hollywood’s biggest celebrities lined the court and gorgeous women flocked to the arena. Best of all, the team was a winner. Between 1980 and 1991, the Lakers played in an unmatched nine NBA championship series, capturing five of them. Bestselling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman draws from almost three hundred interviews to take the first full measure of the Lakers’ epic Showtime era. A dazzling account of one of America’s greatest sports sagas, Showtime is packed with indelible characters, vicious rivalries, and jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes stories of the players’ decadent Hollywood lifestyles.  From the Showtime era’s remarkable rise to its tragic end—marked by Magic Johnson’s 1991 announcement that he had contracted HIV— Showtime is a gripping narrative of sports, celebrity, and 1980s-style excess.

24

The Legends Club - John Feinstein Cover Art

The Legends Club

The Legends Club Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Valvano, and an Epic College Basketball Rivalry by John Feinstein

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The riveting inside story of college basketball's fiercest rivalry among three coaching legends—University of North Carolina's Dean Smith, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, and North Carolina State's Jim Valvano—by the king of college basketball writers. "One of Feinstein’s best."— Chicago Tribune On March 18, 1980, the Duke basketball program announced the hiring of Mike Krzyzewski, the man who would restore glory to the team. The only problem: no one knew who Krzyzewski was. Nine days later, Jim Valvano was hired by North Carolina State to be their new head coach. The hiring didn't raise as many eyebrows, but the two new coaches had a similar goal: to unseat North Carolina's Dean Smith as the king of college basketball. And just like that, the most sensational competitive decade in history was about to unfold. In the skillful hands of John Feinstein, The Legends Club captures an era in American sport and culture, documenting the inside view of a decade of absolutely incredible competition. Feinstein pulls back the curtain on the recruiting wars, the intensely personal competition that wasn't always friendly, the enormous pressure and national stakes, and the battle for the very soul of college basketball.

25

The Last Great Game - Gene Wojciechowski Cover Art

The Last Great Game

The Last Great Game Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds That Changed Basketball by Gene Wojciechowski

The definitive book on the greatest game in the history of college basketball, and the dramatic road both teams took to get there. March 28, 1992. The final of the NCAA East Regional, Duke vs. Kentucky. The 17,848 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia and the millions watching on TV could say they saw the greatest game and the greatest shot in the history of college basketball. But it wasn't just the final play of the game-an 80-foot inbounds bass from Grant Hill to Christian Laettner with 2.1 seconds left in overtime- that made Duke's 104-103 victory so memorable. The Kentucky and Duke players and coaches arrived at that point from very different places, each with a unique story to tell. In The Last Great Game , acclaimed ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski tells their stories in vivid detail, turning the game we think we remember into a drama filled with suspense, humor, revelations and reverberations. The cast alone is worth meeting again: Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, Bobby Hurley, Jamal Mashburn, Christian Laettner, Sean Woods, Grant Hill, and Bobby Knight. Timed for the game's 20th anniversary, The Last Great Game isn't a book just for Duke or Kentucky or even basketball fans. It's a book for any reader who can appreciate that great moments in sports are the result of hard work, careful preparation, group psychology, and a little luck.

26

Return of the King - Brian Windhorst & Dave McMenamin Cover Art

Return of the King

Return of the King LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Greatest Comeback in NBA History by Brian Windhorst & Dave McMenamin

In this New York Times bestseller, get the inside scoop into LeBron James's return -- and ultimate triumph -- in Cleveland. What really happened when LeBron James stunned the NBA by leaving a potential dynasty in Miami to come home to play with the Cleveland Cavaliers? How did the Cavs use secret meetings to put together the deal to add star Kevin Love? Who really made the controversial decision to fire coach David Blatt when the team was in first place? Where did the greatest comeback in NBA history truly begin-and end? Return of the King takes you onto the private planes, inside the locker-room conversations, and into the middle of the intense huddles where one of the greatest stories in basketball history took place, resulting in the Cavs winning the 2016 NBA title after trailing the Golden State Warriors three games to one. You'll hear from all the characters involved: the players, the executives, the agents, and the owners as they reveal stories never before told. Get the background on all the controversies, the rivalries, and the bad blood from two reporters who were there for every day, plot twist, and social media snafu as they take you through the fascinating ride that culminated in a heart-stopping Game Seven.

27

Personal Foul - Tim Donaghy Cover Art

Personal Foul

Personal Foul A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA by Tim Donaghy

Uncover the true story behind the Netflix documentary  Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul . “The book the NBA doesn’t want you to read.” —Deadspin.com Tim Donaghy loved basketball. In many ways, his zest for the game came from his father, who officiated high school and college games for over 30 years. After graduating from Villanova, Donaghy was unsatisfied with his career until he followed his heart and became a basketball referee, first in the CBA and then the NBA, where he officiated for 13 seasons: 772 regular-season games and 20 playoff games. He loved his job, his family, his life. He felt like he had everything. And then, suddenly, he had nothing. He succumbed to a gambling addiction and to intimidation from well-connected criminals—and began using inside information to win bets for them. Following an FBI investigation, Donaghy pled guilty to two federal charges, and on August 15, 2007, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He was released on November 4, 2009, after serving his sentence. This is his story, which provides a stunningly candid admission of his mistakes, as well as his insider’s account of the world of professional basketball. With a foreword by Phil Scala, the FBI special agent who worked the Gambino case, Personal Foul reveals how the fast life of professional sports can tempt and trap the unwary and unwise. Donaghy has written an unforgettable page-turner, one of the most controversial sports books ever published. It will confirm your suspicions about the influence of the front offices of major league sports, while examining the corrosive power of money and fame. From the Introduction: I’m guilty. For 13 years I was a referee in the National Basketball Association, living a glamorous life on and off the court, rubbing elbows with superstar players and celebrity A-listers. I suppose many would say that I had it all—a great job, money, a wonderful family—but it was all an illusion. You see, during my last four years in the NBA, I led a secret life that would ultimately cost me everything: my integrity, my reputation, my career, my livelihood, my marriage, my family, and my freedom.

28

Play Their Hearts Out - George Dohrmann Cover Art

Play Their Hearts Out

Play Their Hearts Out A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine by George Dohrmann

“A tour de force of reporting” ( The Washington Post ) from a Pulitzer–prize winning journalist that examines the often-corrupt machine producing America’s basketball stars “Indispensable.”— The Wall Street Journal “Often heart-breaking, always riveting.”— The New York Times Book Review “Tremendous.”— The Plain Dealer Winner of the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sportswriting • Winner of the Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Youth Sports Using eight years of unfettered access and a keen sense of a story’s deepest truths, journalist George Dohrmann reveals a cutthroat world where boys as young as eight or nine are subjected to a dizzying torrent of scrutiny and exploitation. At the book’s heart are the personal stories of two compelling figures: Joe Keller, an ambitious coach with a master plan to find and promote “the next LeBron,” and Demetrius Walker, a fatherless latchkey kid who falls under Keller’s sway and struggles to live up to unrealistic expectations.    Complete with a new “where-are-they-now” epilogue by the author, Play Their Hearts Out is a thoroughly compelling narrative exposing the gritty reality that lies beneath so many dreams of fame and glory.   One of GQ ’S 50 Best Books of Literary Journalism of the 21st Century • One of the Best Books of the Year: Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Kirkus Reviews This edition includes an exclusive conversation between George Dohrmann and bestselling author Seth Davis.

29

Season on the Brink - John Feinstein Cover Art

Season on the Brink

Season on the Brink by John Feinstein

Decades after it spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, A Season on the Brink remains the most celebrated basketball book ever written—an unforgettable chronicle of his year spent following the Indiana Hoosiers and their fiery coach Bob Knight. Granted unprecedented access to legendary coach Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers during the 1985–86 season, John Feinstein saw and heard it all—practices, team meetings, strategy sessions, and midgame huddles—as the team worked to return to championship form. The result is an unforgettable chronicle that not only captures the drama and pressure of big-time college basketball but also paints a vivid portrait of a complex, brilliant coach as he walks the fine line between genius and madness. This anniversary edition features an updated Introduction by Feinstein.

30

Breaking Cardinal Rules - Katina Powell & Dick Cady Cover Art

Breaking Cardinal Rules

Breaking Cardinal Rules Basketball and the Escort Queen by Katina Powell & Dick Cady

An expose of sexual recruiting tactics from the journal pages of an escort queen. Breaking Cardinal Rules is an exposé by escort Katina Powell based on her experiences providing sexual services for the basketball program at the University of Louisville. It is written with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Dick Cady. Powell has filled five journals with details of her escort escapades, sexual encounters and her activities at the University of Louisville. Most of the U of L services she provided took place in the men's dormitory where most of the basket players reside. Her main contact and the man with the money–the school's former director of basketball operations and former graduate assistant, Andre McGee–kept Powell and her girls busy from 2010 to 2014. Powell does not present a sympathetic character. Her life is full of contradictions. She has no remorse over the choices she has made. Her story is true in all its graphic detail. "If you think you've heard seamy tales about recruiting before, wait till you get a load of this. The Louisville high command has vowed to take the matter very seriously. It should." -Mike Lopresti, retired USA Today sports columnist ABOUT DICK CADY Dick Cady worked for the Dearborn (Michigan) Guide, Ypsilanti Daily Press, Detroit News, Indianapolis Star and Newsday and also wrote for The Nation, NUVO Newsweekly, Indianapolis Monthly Magazine, the Johnson County Journal and Bloomington Herald-Times. He won 51 local, state and national journalism awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for special local reporting, the Associated Press Freedom of Information Award, the Drew Pearson Award, George Polk Memorial Award, Sigma Delta Chi national journalism society Gold Medal, an American Bar Association special certificate of merit, and two National Headliners awards. In 1976-77 he was assistant director of "The Arizona Project" sponsored by Investigative Reporters and Editors, which examined organized crime, political corruption and land fraud after the assassination of Phoenix reporter Don Bolles. The project won a special gold medal from Sigma Delta Chi as "the outstanding investigative reporting effort of the year." Cady is the author of six books. Keywords: University Of Louisville, Cardinals, Recruitment, Basketball, College, Sports, Recruitment Violations, Sex, Striptease Andre Mcgee, Escorting Services

31

Blood in the Garden - Chris Herring Cover Art

Blood in the Garden

Blood in the Garden The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks by Chris Herring

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A SELECTION ON BARACK OBAMA’S SUMMER READING LIST The definitive history of the 1990s New York Knicks, illustrating how Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason resurrected the iconic franchise through oppressive physicality and unmatched grit. For nearly an entire generation, the New York Knicks have been a laughingstock franchise. Since 2001, they’ve spent more money, lost more games, and won fewer playoff series than any other NBA team. But during the preceding era, the Big Apple had a club it was madly in love with—one that earned respect not only by winning, but through brute force. The Knicks were always looking for fights, often at the encouragement of Pat Riley. They fought opposing players. They fought each other. Hell, they even occasionally fought their own coaches. The NBA didn’t take kindly to their fighting spirit. Within two years, league officials moved to alter several rules to stop New York from turning its basketball games into bloody mudwrestling matches. Nevertheless, as the 1990s progressed, the Knicks endeared themselves to millions of fans; not for how much they won, but for their colorful cast of characters and their hardworking mentality. Now, through his original reporting and interviews with more than two hundred people, author Chris Herring delves into the origin, evolution, and eventual demise of the iconic club. He takes us inside the locker room, executive boardrooms, and onto the court for the key moments that lifted the club to new heights, and the ones that threatened to send everything crashing down in spectacular fashion. Blood in the Garden is a portrait filled with eye-opening details that have never been shared before, revealing the full story of the franchise in the midst of the NBA’s golden era. And rest assured, no punches will be pulled. Which is just how those rough-and-tumble Knicks would like it.

32

Got to Give the People What They Want - Jalen Rose Cover Art

Got to Give the People What They Want

Got to Give the People What They Want True Stories and Flagrant Opinions from Center Court by Jalen Rose

“I want to start conversations, and even better, arguments.” – From the Introduction   One of the most outspoken and original voices in sports sounds off while revealing his incredible life story.   Jalen Rose has never been quiet.  Not as a kid growing up in Detroit in the 70’s and 80’s.  Not as the brash, trash-talking leader of the legendary “Fab Five” at the University of Michigan.  Not as the player under the stewardship of Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas and others throughout his 13-year NBA career.  And certainly not as a commentator and analyst on ABC/ESPN and Grantland.     In Got to Give the People What They Want , no topic is off limits.   Honest, unfiltered, unbiased.  Raw, refreshing, real.  This colorful collection of stories and opinions about basketball and life gives people the kind of insight and understanding they don’t get anywhere else in the sports world. 

33

Kevin Durant - Belmont & Belcourt Biographies Cover Art

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant An Unauthorized Biography by Belmont & Belcourt Biographies

Kevin Durant is a star on the rise. A six-foot, nine-inch small forward, Durant has worked his way into an elite class of NBA all-stars. The 2008 Rookie of the Year led the league in scoring in the 2009-10 season and was the youngest player ever to win the NBA scoring title. This biography explores Durant’s upbringing, his high school and college basketball careers, and details his breakthrough into the NBA, all the way through the conclusion of the 2014-2015 season. From family to basketball to the future, all you need to know about Kevin Durant is right here, right now, in the most up to date coverage of Kevin Durant’s life. This book also includes all of Kevin Durant’s college and professional statistics.

34

Loose Balls - Terry Pluto Cover Art

Loose Balls

Loose Balls by Terry Pluto

What do Julius Erving, Larry Brown, Moses Malone, Bob Costas, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Slam Dunk Contest have in common? They all got their professional starts in the American Basketball Association. What do Julius Erving, Larry Brown, Moses Malone, Bob Costas, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Slam Dunk Contest have in common? They all got their professional starts in the American Basketball Association. The NBA may have won the financial battle, but the ABA won the artistic war. With its stress on wide-open individual play, the adoption of the 3-point shot and pressing defense, and the encouragement of flashy moves and flying dunks, today's NBA is still—decades later —just the ABA without the red, white and blue ball. Loose Balls is, after all these years, the definitive and most widely respected history of the ABA. It's a wild ride through some of the wackiest, funniest, strangest times ever to hit pro sports—told entirely through the (often incredible) words of those who played, wrote and connived their way through the league's nine seasons.

35

Boys Among Men - Jonathan Abrams Cover Art

Boys Among Men

Boys Among Men How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution by Jonathan Abrams

The definitive, never-before-told story of the prep-to-pro generation, those basketball prodigies who from 1995 to 2005 made the jump directly from high school to the NBA .   When Kevin Garnett shocked the world by announcing that he would not be attending college—as young basketball prodigies were expected to do—but instead enter the 1995 NBA draft directly from high school, he blazed a trail for a generation of teenage basketball players to head straight for the pros. That trend would continue until the NBA instituted an age limit in 2005, requiring all players to attend college or another developmental program for at least one year.   Over that decade-plus period, the list of players who made that difficult leap includes some of the most celebrated players of the modern era—Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady, and numerous other stars. It also includes notable “busts” who either physically or mentally proved unable to handle the transition. But for better or for worse, the face of the NBA was forever changed by the prep-to-pro generation. In compelling, masterfully crafted prose,  Boys Among Men  goes behind the scenes and draws on hundreds of firsthand interviews to paint insightful and engaging portraits of the most pivotal figures and events during this time. Award-winning basketball writer Jonathan Abrams has obtained remarkable access to the key players, coaches, and other movers and shakers from that time, and the result is a book packed with rare insights and never-before-published details about this chapter in NBA history.  Boys Among Men  is a thrilling, informative, must-read for any basketball fan.

36

Basketball (and Other Things) - Shea Serrano, Arturo Torres & Reggie Miller Cover Art

Basketball (and Other Things)

Basketball (and Other Things) A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated by Shea Serrano, Arturo Torres & Reggie Miller

#1 New York Times  bestseller Who is the greatest dunker of all time? Which version of the Michael Jordan was the best Michael Jordan? What is allowed and absolutely not allowed in a game of pickup basketball? Basketball (and Other Things) presents readers with a whole new set of pivotal and ridiculous fan disputes from basketball history, providing arguments and answers, explained with the wit and wisdom that is unique to Shea Serrano. Serrano breaks down debates that NBA fans didn’t even know they needed, from the classic (How many years during his career was Kobe Bryant actually the best player in the league?) to the fantastical (If you could assign different values to different shots throughout basketball history, what would they be and why?). With incredible art from Arturo Torres, this book is a must-have for anyone who has ever stayed up late into the night debating basketball’s greatest moments, what-ifs, stories, and legends, or for those who are discovering the mythology of basketball for the first time.

37

The Miracle of St. Anthony - Adrian Wojnarowski Cover Art

The Miracle of St. Anthony

The Miracle of St. Anthony A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty by Adrian Wojnarowski

In a city mired in endless decay, where the youth suffer through all the horrors of urban blight, hope comes in a most unassuming form: a tiny brick schoolhouse run by two Felician nuns where a singular basketball genius takes teenagers from the mean streets of Jersey City and turns them into champions on the hardcourt. Coach Bob Hurley had been working miracles at St. Anthony High School for over thirty years, winning state and national championships and offering his players rescue from their surroundings through college scholarships, when he met his most dysfunctional team yet. In The Miracle of St. Anthony Adrian Wojnarowski follows Hurley through a gripping and heartrending season as he struggles to lead a troubled team to glory through his unparalleled understanding of the game and his ceaseless determination to see no more children lost to these streets. In The Miracle of St. Anthony , acclaimed sports journalist Adrian Wojnarowski follows Hurley through a gripping and heartrending season, as he struggles to lead a troubled team to glory through his unparalleled understanding of the game and his ceaseless determination to see no more children lost to the city streets.

38

LeBron James - Belmont & Belcourt Biographies Cover Art

LeBron James

LeBron James An Unauthorized Biography by Belmont & Belcourt Biographies

LeBron James, The Chosen One, is one of the greatest and most controversial basketball players in the history of the NBA. He is an eight-time NBA All-Star, a three-time league MVP, and now - a champion. Most fans are aware of his amazing accomplishments on the court and of his controversial "Decision" to leave Cleveland for South Beach, but in order to truly understand LeBron James, you must first understand where he came from. LeBron James: An Unauthorized Biography explores James' upbringing, his high school career, and details his breakthrough into the NBA, all the way through the end of the 2014-2015 regular season.   James' exceptional talents and off-court antics have fans and critics alike wondering where his career will take him next. Inside, you will discover where it all started and learn why fans both love and hate James so much. From family to basketball to the future, all you need to know about LeBron James is right here, right now, in the most up to date coverage of LeBron James's life.  This book also includes all of LeBron James' NBA statistics. 

39

Unguarded - Scottie Pippen Cover Art

Unguarded

Unguarded by Scottie Pippen

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER This unflinching “master class” ( The New York Times ) of a memoir from two-time Olympic gold medalist and NBA Hall of Famer reveals how Scottie Pippen, the youngest of twelve, overcame two family tragedies and universal disregard by college scouts to become an essential component of the greatest basketball dynasty of the last fifty years. Scottie Pippen has been called one of the greatest NBA players for good reason. Simply put, without Pippen, there are no championship banners—let alone six—hanging from the United Center rafters. There’s no Last Dance documentary. There’s no “Michael Jordan” as we know him. The 1990s Chicago Bulls teams would not exist as we know them. So how did the youngest of twelve go from growing up poor in the small town of Hamburg, Arkansas, enduring two family tragedies along the way, to become a revered NBA legend? How did the scrawny teen, overlooked by every major collegiate basketball program, go on to become the fifth overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft? And, perhaps most compelling, how did Pippen set aside his ego (and his own limitless professional ceiling) in order for the Bulls to become the most dominant basketball dynasty of the last half century? In Unguarded , the six-time champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist finally opens up to offer pointed and transparent takes on Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, and Dennis Rodman, among others. Pippen details how he cringed at being labeled Jordan’s sidekick, and discusses how he could have (and should have) received more respect from the Bulls’ management and the media. Pippen reveals never-before-told stories about some of the most famous games in league history, including the 1994 playoff game against the New York Knicks when he took himself out with 1.8 seconds to go. He discusses what it was like dealing with Jordan on a day-to-day basis, while serving as the facilitator for the offense and the anchor for the defense. Pippen is finally giving millions of adoring basketball fans what they crave; an unvarnished, “closely observed, and uncommonly modest” ( Kirkus Reviews ) look into his life and role within one of the greatest, most popular teams of all time.

40

The Victory Machine - Ethan Sherwood Strauss Cover Art

The Victory Machine

The Victory Machine The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty by Ethan Sherwood Strauss

How money, guts, and greed built the Warriors dynasty -- and then took it apart The Golden State Warriors dominated the NBA for the better part of a decade. Since the arrival of owner Joe Lacob, they won more championships and sold more merchandise than any other franchise in the sport. And in 2019, they opened the doors on a lavish new stadium. Yet all this success contained some of the seeds of decline. Ethan Sherwood Strauss's clear-eyed exposé reveals the team's culture, its financial ambitions and struggles, and the price that its players and managers have paid for all their winning. From Lacob's unlikely acquisition of the team to Kevin Durant's controversial departure, Strauss shows how the smallest moments can define success or failure for years. And, looking ahead, Strauss ponders whether this organization can rebuild after its abrupt fall from the top, and how a relentless business wears down its players and executives. The Victory Machine is a defining book on the modern NBA: it not only rewrites the story of the Warriors, but shows how the Darwinian business of pro basketball really works.

41

The Kobe Code: Eight Principles For Success -- An Insider's Look into Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant's Warrior Life & the Code He Lives By - Pat Mixon Cover Art

The Kobe Code: Eight Principles For Success -- An Insider's Look into Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant's Warrior Life & the Code He Lives By

The Kobe Code: Eight Principles For Success -- An Insider's Look into Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant's Warrior Life & the Code He Lives By Eight Principles For Success -- An Insider's Look into Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant's Warrior Life & the Code He Lives By by Pat Mixon

Strength & Honor. A code that Kobe Bryant seems to live by. This inspiring & practical guide takes a unique spin on the traditional unauthorized biography by providing insight into how Kobe approaches his life, on & off the court. Also, by highlighting Eight Principles For Success pulled from various stages in his life, this book allows you to potentially apply these practices to your own life.

42

Jeremy Lin - Belmont & Belcourt Biographies Cover Art

Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin An Unauthorized Biography by Belmont & Belcourt Biographies

Where did Jeremy Lin come from? Kobe Bryant said it best: “Players playing that well don't usually come out of nowhere. It seems like they come out of nowhere, but if you can go back and take a look, his skill level was probably there from the beginning. It probably just went unnoticed." After being passed over by top colleges, then spending a year warming benches and getting passed back and forth between teams and only seeing game time in the D-League, Jeremy Lin gave the world of professional basketball an unforgettable breakout performance, rocking Madison Square Garden and leaving everybody asking, “Just where did this guy come from?” The answer is simple – He’s been hiding in plain sight. The 23 year old Harvard graduate has been an outstanding ball-player from an early age. Jeremy Lin’s story is both astounding and uplifting and something that shouldn’t be missed. From obscurity to “Linsanity” – this is the story of Jeremy Lin. This book also includes all of Lin's collegiate, D-League, and NBA statistics.

43

The Hoops Whisperer - Idan Ravin Cover Art

The Hoops Whisperer

The Hoops Whisperer On the Court and Inside the Heads of Basketball's Best Players by Idan Ravin

Basketball’s most unlikely—and most sought-after—training guru offers an inside look at his career, his methods, and the all-star players whose games he’s helped transform.   Where do the best basketball players in the world turn when they want to improve their game? Whom does a future NBA Hall of Famer thank at his press conference when he’s named Rookie of the Year? Who is it that Sports Illustrated , The Wall Street Journal , and Men’s Journal all call the "Hoops Whisperer" because of his ability to engage, inspire, and challenge the players he trains? The answer to all of these questions is Idan Ravin. Ravin never played or coached in college or the pros, yet a virtual NBA All-Star team relies on him to better their game and reach their full potential. A soft-spoken former lawyer, Ravin has become professional basketball’s hottest trainer. In The Hoops Whisperer , Ravin shares the fascinating story of how he transformed a passion for the game into working with iconic basketball stars such as Chris Paul, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Dwight Howard, and many more.  He offers a rare unguarded glimpse inside the lives of these great athletes, drawn from his intimate connection with them that is the basis of his success.  Showcasing his unorthodox drills and improvisational techniques in action, Ravin reveals how faith, effort, dedication, and passion can make a player into a superstar—and anyone into a success. Combined with his own inspiring journey, Ravin’s insights make  The Hoops Whisperer a must-read for anyone who loves the game.  

44

LeBron, Inc. - Brian Windhorst Cover Art

LeBron, Inc.

LeBron, Inc. The Making of a Billion-Dollar Athlete by Brian Windhorst

From the New York Times bestselling author of Return of the King comes the story of LeBron James's incredible transformation from basketball star to sports and business mogul. With eight straight trips to the NBA Finals, LeBron James has proven himself one of the greatest basketball players of all time. And like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan before him, LeBron has also become a global brand and businessman who has altered the way professional athletes think about their value, maximize their leverage, and use their voice. LEBRON, INC tells the story of James's journey down the path to becoming a billionaire sports icon -- his successes, his failures, and the lessons both have taught him along the way. With plenty of newsmaking tidbits about his rollercoaster last season in Cleveland and high-profile move to the Lakers, LEBRON, INC. shows how James has changed the way most elite athletes manage their careers, and how he launched a movement among his peers that may last decades beyond his playing days.

45

More Than a Game - Phil Jackson & Charley Rosen Cover Art

More Than a Game

More Than a Game by Phil Jackson & Charley Rosen

More than a Game  covers the years  that follow  the one featured in the ESPN documentary series "The Last Dance." After leaving the Bulls at the end of the 1997-1998 season—the year featured in the new ESPN documentary series "The Last Dance"—Phil Jackson had one year off and started to write this book—together with his old friend, fellow player and coach, the basketball novelist Charley Rosen. Then Phil took the LA Lakers coaching job, Rosen followed him there, and by the time they finished writing this book it was 2000 and Phil had won yet another NBA championship, the first of five he would win with his new team.       In  More than a Game , Jackson and Rosen look backward to their origins as players and coaches, forward to the future of the game of basketball, and linger in the moving target of the present—lavishing page after page on the Triangle Offense and all the ways it reveals the essence of the game of basketball they both love so much. This is Jackson in his prime, transitioning from the Bulls to the Lakers, a master of the art of winning, who would go on to claim more NBA championships, eleven, than any other coach in NBA history. As he writes in  More than a Game  of his newest championship team: "We won because our fundamentals were sound, because Shaq was so dominant and Kobe was so creative, but we also won because we developed a certain confidence in our ability to win."

46

Let Me Tell You a Story - Red Auerbach & John Feinstein Cover Art

Let Me Tell You a Story

Let Me Tell You a Story A Lifetime in the Game by Red Auerbach & John Feinstein

"Did I ever tell you about Wilt Chamberlain?" "Did I ever tell you about Bob Cousy?" "Did I ever tell you about Joe DiMaggio?" Whenever Arnold "Red" Auerbach starts a sentence with those six words -- "Did I ever tell you about . . ." -- anyone within earshot should prepare to hear a marvelous story. As a living legend among sports fans, Red Auerbach -- the fiery coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships, eight of them consecutive -- has long been renowned for his formidable personality: brash, opinionated, and unfailingly accurate. As a coach, he had a great eye for talent, drafting such Hall of Famers as Bill Russell and Larry Bird, and managed to build a powerful franchise with an abiding legacy. Red never stood still along the sidelines and was never seen without his trademark cigar. Now in retirement, at age eighty-seven, he remains a lively part of the game, still consulted by coaches, players, and general managers. And his admirers continue to be legion. Not long ago a former president postponed a meeting with Bill Gates so as not to pass up the chance to talk with Red. For the past several years, John Feinstein has met regularly with Red Auerbach and his friends in a series of raucous, unforgettable sessions. Out of those smoke-and-laughter-filled rooms have emerged the stories of Red's life, from his childhood on the playgrounds of Brooklyn to his triumphs at the famed Boston Garden, where he coached for sixteen years. Just listen as Red colorfully recalls all the players and coaches he has worked with and played against: Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Wilt Chamberlain, Sam Jones, and Michael Jordan -- you name them, the basketball greats are all here. Red holds nothing back. In Let Me Tell You a Story , Red Auerbach's unique experiences in sports and John Feinstein's unparalleled skills as a storyteller combine to produce one of the most richly entertaining books ever written about the game of basketball.

47

The Back Roads to March - John Feinstein Cover Art

The Back Roads to March

The Back Roads to March The Unsung, Unheralded, and Unknown Heroes of a College Basketball Season by John Feinstein

#1 New York Times bestselling author John Feinstein returns to his first love--college basketball--with a fascinating and compelling journey through a landscape of unsung, unpublicized and often unknown heroes of Division-1 college hoops. "Uplifting...[A] heartfelt missive to college basketball." — The Wall Street Journal John Feinstein pulls back the curtain on college basketball's lesser-known Cinderella stories--the smaller programs who no one expects to win, who have no chance of attracting the most coveted high school recruits. To tell this story, Feinstein follows a handful of players, coaches, and schools who dream, not of winning the NCAA tournament, but of making it past their first or second round games. Every once in a while, one of these coaches or players is plucked from obscurity to lead a major team or to play professionally, cementing their status in these fiercely passionate fan bases as a legend. These are the gifted players who aren't handled with kid gloves--they're hardworking, gritty teammates who practice and party with everyone else. With his trademark humor and invaluable connections, John Feinstein reveals the big time programs you've never heard of, the bracket busters you didn't expect to cheer for, and the coaches who inspire them to take their teams to the next level.

48

I'll Show You - Derrick Rose & Sam Smith Cover Art

I'll Show You

I'll Show You by Derrick Rose & Sam Smith

In 2012, Derrick Rose was on top of the world. After growing up in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, Rose achieved an improbable childhood dream: being selected first overall in the NBA draft by his hometown Chicago Bulls. The point guard known to his family as "Pooh" was a phenom, winning the Rookie of the Year award and electrifying fans around the world. In 2011, he became the youngest MVP in league history. He and the Bulls believed the city's first berth in the NBA Finals since the Jordan era was on the horizon. Rarely had a bond between a player and fans been so strong, as the city wrapped its arms around the homegrown hero. Six years and four knee surgeries later, he was waived by the Utah Jazz, a once surefire Hall of Fame career seemingly on the brink of collapse. Many speculated his days in the NBA were over. But Derrick Rose never doubted himself, never believed his struggles on and off the court were anything other than temporary setbacks. Rather than telling the world he had more to give, he decided to show them. I'll Show You is an honest, intimate conversation with one of the world's most popular athletes, a star whose on-court brilliance is matched only by his aversion to the spotlight. Written with New York Times bestselling author Sam Smith, Rose opens himself up to fans in a way they've never seen before, creating a document that is as unflinching—and at times as uncomfortable—as a personal diary. Detailing his childhood spent in one of his city's most dangerous neighborhoods; his relationships with both opponents and teammates; the pain and controversies surrounding his career-altering injuries; his complicated relationship to fame and fortune; and his rise, fall, and reemergence as the player LeBron James says is "still a superhero," I'll Show You is one of the most candid and surprising autobiographies of a modern-day superstar ever written.

49

The Rhythm Boys of Omaha Central - Steve Marantz Cover Art

The Rhythm Boys of Omaha Central

The Rhythm Boys of Omaha Central High School Basketball At the '68 Racial Divide by Steve Marantz

In the spring of 1968, the Omaha Central High School basketball team made history with its first all-black starting lineup. Their nickname, the Rhythm Boys, captured who they were and what they did on the court. Led by star center Dwaine Dillard, the Rhythm Boys were a shoo-in to win the state championship. But something happened on their way to glory.

50

KG: A to Z - Kevin Garnett Cover Art

KG: A to Z

KG: A to Z An Uncensored Encyclopedia of Life, Basketball, and Everything in Between by Kevin Garnett

NATIONAL BESTSELLER​ A unique, unfiltered memoir from the NBA champion and fifteen-time all-star ahead of his induction into the Hall of Fame. Kevin Garnett was one of the most dominant players the game of basketball has ever seen. He was also one of its most outspoken. Over the course of his illustrious twenty-one-year NBA career, he elevated trash talk to an art form and never shied away from sharing his thoughts on controversial subjects. In KG A to Z , published ahead of Garnett’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he looks back on his life and career with the same raw candor. Garnett describes the adversity he faced growing up in South Carolina before ultimately relocating to Chicago, where he became one of the top prospects in the nation. He details his headline-making decision to skip college and become the first player in two decades to enter the draft directly from high school, starting a trend that would be followed by future superstars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. He shares stories of playing with and against Bryant, James, Michael Jordan, and other NBA greats, and he chronicles his professional ups and downs, including winning a championship with the Boston Celtics. He also speaks his mind on a range of topics beyond basketball, such as fame, family, racism, spirituality, and music. Garnett’s draft decision wasn’t the only way he’d forever change the game. His ability to play on the perimeter as a big man foreshadowed the winning strategy now universally adopted by the league. He applies this same innovative spirit here, organizing the contents alphabetically as an encyclopedia. If you thought Kevin Garnett was exciting, inspiring, and unfiltered on the court, just wait until you read what he has to say in these pages.

Books

Book Charts

Apple Books Best Sellers

Fiction Ebook Best Sellers

Nonfiction Ebook Best Sellers

iTunes Audiobook Charts

Audiobook Best Sellers

iTunes Music Charts

Most Popular Music Charts

Movie Charts

Top Movies

iTunes TV Charts

Top Television Shows

iTunes iOS App Charts

Top iPhone Apps

Top iPad & iPad Mini Apps

International iTunes Charts

Apple Books Best Selling Ebook Charts