Hoops fans are happy because they are not short of good reading about the sport. At one point or another, most of these stories focus on strategies and pure passion on the court. But at their best, the most fascinating books about basketball reveal more than that, giving us a deeper window into society itself.
Giannis: The Incredible Rise of the NBA MVP by Marvin Fader
A revealing, masterful portrait of perhaps the most incredible superstar the NBA has ever had: Milwaukee Bucks forward Jannis Adetokumbo. This story is touching in some ways, but otherwise lighthearted and joyful. Fader threads the needle perfectly, capturing the dualities Adetokumpo faced in terms of his Greek citizenship, as well as the transition from poverty to immense wealth in such a short period of time.
“Jordan’s Rules: The Inside Story of One Tumultuous Season” with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, by Sam Smith
The first insightful work written about perhaps the greatest player of all time. If someone were to read this now, for the first time, they would be surprised to learn that many of the things Jordan defended at the time, including his harsh, sometimes mean attitude toward his teammates, would later become hallmarks of one of the fiercest competitors to ever lace them up.
Rick Telander “Heaven is a Playground”
A project that started as a Sports Illustrated magazine turned into one of the most beloved books of all time. We are talking about a completely different time, the 1970s, when urban basketball in New York was very important and widespread. The book, which covers the entire emotional gamut in terms of its ups and downs, is as much a sociological study as it is about basketball.
Summary: 1098 wins, a couple of irrelevant losses, and life in perspective by Pat Summitt with Sally Jenkins
This memoir by the legendary University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach shows Summitt at her fiercest and, when she became a mother, as a slightly softer figure. It was released in 2013, two years after she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, forcing her to retire. (Summitt died in 2016.) But reading it makes for a wonderful journey through her mind as she recounts the experiences that strengthened her resolve, even as a little girl.
I Came as a Shadow: The Autobiography of John Thompson with Jesse Washington
Anyone would benefit from reading this. In addition to Georgetown coach Thompson’s countless relationships with some of the biggest names in sports, the book lays out a number of important principles by which he lived his life. Anyone who thinks he was just a basketball coach is sorely mistaken. He was larger than life, and he had life lessons for each of us – based on race, education, and the broader concept of justice.
Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association by Terry Pluto
Consider me a huge fan of books about old, now extinct sports leagues. (Football for a Buck, on the old USFL, is one fantastic example.) They all have endless anecdotes that sound like they’re from another universe altogether because of the way things functioned in an earlier era, with far fewer resources and less sophistication. Loose Balls, a hilarious oral history of the ABA’s old days, breaks down dunk contests and Dime Beer Nights. And if there is a book about basketball that is the equivalent of Jim Bouton’s The Fourth Ball, it’s this one.
The season is on the brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers by John Feinstein
The book responsible for launching many others like it, with built-in seasonal access to the team and its legendary coach in the spotlight. There is no work of literature that better describes the out-of-this-world personality of Hall of Fame coach Bobby Knight, as well as his traditional adherence to NCAA rules while at Indiana. Such behind-the-scenes accounts-which briefly became much more common in the years following Feinstein’s 1986 bestseller-are incredibly rare today. In today’s social media era, few subjects would be so comfortable to explore so closely.
Breaks in the game by David Halberstam
It doesn’t get much better than David Halberstam when it comes to writing, whether his analysis covers foreign affairs, social change, or the world of sports. But whenever the late author delved into basketball, it was a joy, especially when he wrote Game Breaks about a Blazers team that had experienced greatness and won a championship, but at the time of Halberstam’s analysis was in turmoil following the thorny career of injury-prone superstar Bill Walton. The book, a masterclass in profile writing, weaves together many threads, from the shifting power dynamics of the NBA and labor rights to race relations, both across the country and within the league itself.
