Basketball for Dummies by 
Basketball: Its Origin and Development by 
Breaking Barriers : a history of integration in professional basketball by
This book charts the progress of integration in basketball, from the first black professional basketball player in 1902 to the modern game played by the likes of Stephen Curry and LeBron James. These crucial steps in the history of basketball are placed within the larger context of American history, making this book an essential addition to the literature on sports and race in America.
Breaking Through: John B. McLendon, Basketball Legend and Civil Rights Pioneer by
John B. McLendon was the last living protégé of basketball’s inventor, Dr. James Naismith, and one of the “top ten basketball coaches of the century” in Billy Packer’s opinion. McLendon’s amazing records in college and pro basketball earned him a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame (the first black coach to be inducted), and his coaching philosophy has had a huge influence on basketball coaches. Breaking Through is also a powerful and inspirational story about segregation and a champion’s struggle for equality in 1940s and 50s America. Black Magic, ESPN’s Peabody Award–winning documentary about players and coaches who attended historically black colleges and universities, covers many of the events in McLendon’s life that Katz writes about in his book. John McLendon was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Complete Idiot's Guide to Basketball by 
Fast Break to Line Break: Poets on the Art of Basketball by
If baseball is the sport of nostalgic prose, basketball's movement, myths, and culture are truly at home in verse. In this extraordinary collection of essays, poets meditate on what basketball means to them: how it has changed their perspective on the craft of poetry; how it informs their sense of language, the body, and human connectedness; how their love of the sport made a difference in the creation of their poems and in the lives they live beyond the margins. Walt Whitman saw the origins of poetry as communal, oral myth making. The same could be said of basketball, which is the beating heart of so many neighborhoods and communities in this country and around the world. On the court and on the page, this "poetry in motion" can be a force of change and inspiration, leaving devoted fans wonderstruck.
For the Love of Basketball: From A-Z by
Expressing the passion felt for basketball using all 26 letters of the alphabet accompanied by rhymes, colorful illustrations, and informative text, this tribute to the sport explores the hardwood heroes in a fresh and fun way. Readers will enjoy fun facts about NBA superstars past and present, including LeBron, Kobe, Jordan, and Magic, seemingly doing the impossible on the court.
Living Through the Hoop: High School Basketball, Race, and the American Dream by
When high school basketball player LeBron James was selected as the top pick in the National Basketball Association draft of 2003, the hopes of a half-million high school basketball players soared. If LeBron could go straight from high school to the NBA, why couldn't they? Such is the allure of basketball for so many young African American men. Unfortunately, the reality is that their chances of ever playing basketball at the professional, or even college, level are infinitesimal. In Living Through the Hoop, Reuben A. Buford May tells the absorbing story of the hopes and struggles of one high school basketball team. With a clear passion for the game, May grabs readers with both hands and pulls them onto the hardwood, going under the hoop and inside the locker room. May spent seven seasons as an assistant coach of the Northeast High School Knights in Northeast, Georgia. We meet players like Larique and Pooty Cat, hard-working and energetic young men, willing to play and practice basketball seven days a week and banking on the unlimited promise of the game. And we meet Coach Benson, their unorthodox, out-spoken, and fierce leader, who regularly coached them to winning seasons, twice going to the state tournaments Elite Eight championships. Beyond the wins and losses, May provides a portrait of the players' hopes and aspirations, their home lives, and the difficulties they face in living in a poor and urban area -- namely, the temptations of drugs and alcohol, violence in their communities, run-ins with the police, and unstable family lives. We learn what it means to become a man when you live in places that define manhood by how tough you can be, how many women you can have, and how much money you can hustle. May shows the powerful role that the basketball team can play in keeping these kids straight, away from street-life, focused on completing high school, and possibly even attending college. Their stories, and the double-edged sword of hoop dreams, is at the heart of this compelling story about young African American men's struggle to find their way in an often grim world.
Play Their Hearts Out: a coach, his star recruit, and the youth basketball machine by
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George Dohrmann's remarkable debut offers an up-close and unforgettable narrative that reveals the gritty reality hiding behind the romanticized hoop dreams of America's basketball prodigies.
The Rise of the National Basketball Association by
Today's National Basketball Association commands millions of spectators worldwide, and its many franchises are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But the league wasn't always so successful or glamorous: in the 1940s and 1950s, the NBA and its predecessor, the Basketball Association of America, were scrambling to attract fans. Teams frequently played in dingy gymnasiums, players traveled as best they could, and their paychecks could bounce higher than a basketball. How did the NBA evolve from an obscure organization facing financial losses to a successful fledgling sports enterprise by 1960? Drawing on information from numerous archives, newspaper and periodical articles, and Congressional hearings, The Rise of the National Basketball Association chronicles the league's growing pains from 1946 to 1961. David George Surdam describes how a handful of ambitious ice hockey arena owners created the league as a way to increase the use of their facilities, growing the organization by fits and starts. Rigorously analyzing financial data and league records, Surdam points to the innovations that helped the NBA thrive: regular experiments with rules changes to make the game more attractive to fans, and the emergence of televised sports coverage as a way of capturing a larger audience. Notably, the NBA integrated in 1950, opening the game to players who would dominate the game by the end of the 1950sdecade: Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, and Oscar Robertson. Long a game that players loved to play, basketball became a professional sport well supported by community leaders, business vendors, and an ever-growing number of fans.
Basketball Training: The Pro's Guide to Becoming Bigger, Faster, Stronger by 
Butch Beards Basic Basketball: the complete player by 
Shoot Like the Pros: The Road to a Successful Shooting Technique by
Shooting is the most important fundamental skill in basketball, but despite being the skill players are the most willing to practice, shooting technique is perhaps the least-taught fundamental of the game. In addition, there are very few instructional basketball books dedicated exclusively to shooting. Shoot Like the Pros is perhaps the most detailed analysis of shooting mechanics, covering every aspect of shooting, ever published. Divided into seven sections, it covers shooting mechanics, the mental aspects of shooting, free throws, game situations, strength and conditioning, teaching methods, and finally workout drills for advanced levels. Including tips from some of the NBA's biggest stars, this is a book that will give both players and coaches at all levels proper direction on how to improve shooting technique.
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Basketball by 
Jerry West: the life and legend of a basketball icon by
When in 1969 the NBA sought an emblem for the league, one man was chosen above all as the icon of his sport: Jerry West. Silhouetted in white against a red-and-blue backdrop, West's signature gait and left-handed dribble are still the NBA logo, seen on merchandise around the world. In this book--the first biography of the basketball legend--sports journalist Roland Lazenby traces Jerry West's brilliant career from the coalfields near Cabin Creek, West Virginia, to the bare-knuckled pre-expansion era of the NBA, from the Lakers' Riley-Magic-Kareem Showtime era to Jackson-Kobe-Shaq teams of the early twenty-first century, and beyond.
Kareem by 
King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution by
Bill Russell was not the first African American to play professional basketball, but he was its first black superstar. From the moment he stepped onto the court of the Boston Garden in 1956, Russell began to transform the sport in a fundamental way, making him, more than any of his contemporaries, the Jackie Robinson of basketball. In King of the Court, Aram Goudsouzian provides a vivid and engrossing chronicle of the life and career of this brilliant champion and courageous racial pioneer. Russell's leaping, wide-ranging defense altered the game's texture. His teams provided models of racial integration in the 1950s and 1960s, and, in 1966, he became the first black coach of any major professional team sport. Yet, like no athlete before him, Russell challenged the politics of sport. Instead of displaying appreciative deference, he decried racist institutions, embraced his African roots, and challenged the nonviolent tenets of the civil rights movement. This beautifully written book--sophisticated, nuanced, and insightful--reveals a singular individual who expressed the dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. while echoing the warnings of Malcolm X.
Kobe and the New Lakers Dynasty by
This chronicle of the Lakers professional basketball franchise traces their history from the early days in Minneapolis to their pinnacle of success in Los Angeles. It includes their achievements in the 1980s when the Showtime Lakers turned their tradition around to the tumultuous days of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Nothing but Net: just give me the ball and get out of the way by
The NBA center-turned-television commentator assesses both the sports and entertainment industries and offers uninhibited commentary on an incredible sports career.
The Sons of Westwood: John Wooden, UCLA, and the Dynasty That Changed College Basketball by
For more than a decade, the UCLA dynasty defined college basketball. In twelve seasons from 1964 to 1975, John Wooden's teams won ten national titles, including seven consecutive championships. The Bruins made history by breaking numerous records, but they also rose to prominence during a turbulent age of political unrest and youthful liberation. When Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton--the most famous college basketball players of their generation--spoke out against racism, poverty, and the Vietnam War, they carved out a new role for athletes, casting their actions on and off the court in a political light. The Sons of Westwood tells the story of the most significant college basketball program at a pivotal period in American cultural history. It weaves together a story of sports and politics in an era of social and cultural upheaval, a time when college students and college athletes joined the civil rights movement, demonstrated against the Vietnam War, and rejected the dominant Cold War culture. This is the story of America's culture wars played out on the basketball court by some of college basketball's most famous players and its most memorable coach.
Wilt: Larger Than Life by
The author, a native of Philadelphia and an alumnusas was Wilt Chamberlainof Overbrook High School, spent four years researching and interviewing the most important people in Wilt's life. The result is a capturing of Wilt's personality and thoughts that relatively few people other than family and close friends ever knew.
Dust Bowl Girls : The Inspiring Story of the Team That Barnstormed Its Way to Basketball Glory by
“Thrilling, cinematic... I loved every minute I spent with the bold, daring women of the Cardinals basketball team... The stuff of American legend” (Karen Abbott, New York Times–bestselling author).The Boys in the Boat meets A League of Their Own in this true story of a Depression-era championship women's team.During the drought and financial crisis of the 1930s, Oklahoma basketball coach Sam Babb traveled from farm to farm recruiting talented, hardworking young women and offering them a chance at a better life: a free college education in exchange for playing on his basketball team, the Cardinals. And as Babb coached the Cardinals, something extraordinary happened. These remarkable athletes found a passion for the game and a heartfelt loyalty to one another and their coach—and they began to win.Combining exhilarating sports writing and exceptional storytelling, Dust Bowl Girls takes readers on the Cardinals'intense, improbable journey all the way to an epic showdown with the prevailing national champions, helmed by the legendary Babe Didrikson. Lydia Reeder captures a moment in history when female athletes faced intense scrutiny from influential figures in politics, education, and medicine who denounced women's sports as unhealthy and unladylike. At a time when a struggling nation was hungry for inspiration, this unlikely group of trailblazers achieved much more than a championship season.“A compelling, heartwarming story of a group of college students determined to accomplish the impossible. This is a book you can't put down.” —The Denver Post“[A] great sports story about an underdog whose triumphs inspired a community that badly needed a lift in the midst of hard economic times. I can't wait for the movie.” —The Oklahoman
The Rebounders : A Division I Basketball Journey by
Unlike the stories of most visible Division I college athletes, Amanda Ottaway's story has more in common with those of the 80 percent of college athletes who are never seen on TV. The Rebounders follows the college career of an average NCAA Division I women's basketball player in the twenty-first century, beginning with the recruiting process when Ottaway is an eager, naive teenager and ending when she's a more contemplative twentysomething alumna. Ottaway's story, along with the journeys of her dynamic Wildcat teammates at Davidson College in North Carolina, covers in engaging detail the life of a mid-major athlete: recruitment, the preseason, body image and eating disorders, schoolwork, family relationships, practice, love life, team travel, game day, injuries, drug and alcohol use, coaching changes, and what comes after the very last game. In addition to the everyday issues of being a student athlete, The Rebounders also covers the objectification of female athletes, race, sexuality, and self-expression. Most college athletes, famous or not, play hard, get hurt, fail, and triumph together in a profound love of their sport and one another, and then their careers end and they figure out how to move on. From concussions and minor injuries to classrooms, parties, and relationships, Ottaway understands the experience of a Division I women's basketball player firsthand. The Rebounders is, at its core, a feminist coming-of-age story, an exploration of what it means to be a young woman who loves a sport and is on a course of self-discovery through that medium.
Unrivaled: UConn, Tennessee, and the Twelve Years that Transcended Women's Basketball by
For twelve years the women’s basketball rivalry between UConn and Tennessee was the most iconic matchup in women’s sports. Even now, twenty years since the annual series started, the competition between these two storied programs still provokes heated argument and bitter resentment. Led by Hall of Fame coaches Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt, UConn and Tennessee combined for nine national championships, with the UConn Huskies winning five—including four against the Tennessee Lady Vols. In all, UConn won thirteen of twenty-two matchups during the rivalry, and along the way the two coaches—with distinctive and brash personalities and a shared determination to rule their sport—clashed privately and publicly, generating enough heat to make women’s basketball relevant in the national sports landscape as never before. On the court, the two teams produced a series of memorable games, from overtime thrillers to timeless classics that defined the sport. Off the court, the coaches’ encounters were often marked by their seemingly genuine dislike for each other, until the conflict reached a breaking point in 2007 and Summitt stunned the basketball world by canceling the series for reasons neither side has ever revealed. Now, eight years after the last game, Unrivaled uncovers the on-court and behind-the-scenes story of this intensely personal rivalry between coaches, players, and the two most passionate fan bases women’s sports has ever known.
When Women Rule the Court : Gender, Race, and Japanese American Basketball by
For nearly one hundred years, basketball has been an important part of Japanese American life. Women's basketball holds a special place in the contemporary scene of highly organized and expansive Japanese American leagues in California, in part because these leagues have produced numerous talented female players. Using data from interviews and observations, Nicole Willms explores the interplay of social forces and community dynamics that have shaped this unique context of female athletic empowerment. As Japanese American women have excelled in mainstream basketball, they have emerged as local stars who have passed on the torch by becoming role models and building networks for others.
Worst to First, or a Shocking Tale of Women's Basketball in Motown by
It was a truly "Shock"ing turnaround! From the worst record in the league to WNBA champions in basketball … this was the history making achievement of the 2003 Detroit Shock. Led by great players like Swin Cash, Ruth Riley, Deanna Nolan and Cheryl Ford, and coached by Detroit Piston legend Bill Laimbeer, the Shock knocked off the defending champions from Los Angeles in a thrilling three game championship final. This book tells the entire history of the Shock through their 2003 season, and also includes general background information on women's basketball. About the Author: Vince Prygoski grew up in Wyandotte, Michigan, then attended Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan. He is currently a librarian at the University of Michigan-Flint
Coach Carter by
Inspired by a true story, this inspirational account of a high school basketball coach who received high praise, and staunch criticism, for benching his entire undefeated team due to their poor academic performances.
Finding Forrester by
Jamal Wallace is a talented young basketball player in New York City whose secret passion is writing. After an accidental meeting, Forrester, a reclusive novelist, becomes Jamal's unlikely mentor. Soon, both men learn lessons from each other about life and the importance of friendship.
Glory Road by
Don Haskins, a future Hall of Fame coach of tiny Texas Western University, bucks convention by simply starting the best players he can find: history's first all-African American lineup.
