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

by Howard Bryant

From Magic Johnson to Michael Jordan to LeBron James to Steph Curry, ESPN's Howard Bryant presents the best from the hardwood--a collection of NBA champions and superstars for young sports fans! 

Fast-paced, adrenaline-filled, and brimming with out-of-this-world athleticism, basketball has won the hearts of fans all across America—yet it is particularly popular among kids and teens. Giants of the game like Steph Curry, LeBron, and Michael Jordan have transcended the sport to become cultural icons and role models to young fans. From the cornfields of Indiana and the hills of North Carolina, to the urban sprawl of New York City, Chicago and L.A., love of the game stretches from coast to coast.

Featuring Top Ten Lists to chew on and debate, and a Top 40-style Timeline of Key Moments in Basektball History, this comprehensive collection includes the greatest dynasties, from the Bill Russell-era Celtics, to the Magic Jonson-led Lakers, to the Jordan-led Bulls, right up to the Tim Duncan-led Spurs. All the greats take flight toward the hoop in this perfect book for young fans who dream about stepping on an NBA court.

"A trove of awesome athletic feats, game-changing stars of the past and present, and rich fodder for heated arguments."-- Booklist

"Hoops fans will find a goldmine of information guaranteed to deepen their basketball knowledge and their understanding of the game."-- VOYA  

"An easy hook for serious sports fans."-- School Library Journal

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction

368 pages, Hardcover

Published December 20, 2016

Reviews

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was probably one of the best books I ever read.

[Tyler Vennard · Rating 4 out of 5]

the theme is that everyone in this book succeeded because the worked there hardest and you can do whatever you want

[Caleb Crowder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one I tore through in no time. It turned out to be an absorbing dive into the evolution of pro basketball teams. It’s not about the business deals or behind-the-scenes drama, but rather the players, the shifts in gameplay, and how each era’s championships unfolded. The book kicks off in the 1960s, so it doesn’t go into earlier trailblazing teams like the Harlem Globetrotters or the lesser-known squads that broke racial barriers in the '50s. Leaving some blank space there on that subject.

Still, it packs in profiles of the game’s legends, different by decade due to it being impossible to compare players who played in different eras. This book highlights the key moments that defined the finals through the years. Such as Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary 100-point game in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This is insane and the record still has not been broken today in the NBA. However, some deem it to be fake due to barely any recording of the game. All and all it was a quick read and an enjoyable one!

[Braydon.k]

One surprising part in the story was when they said that Vince Carter's nickname was "half-man, half -amazing" because of his dunks. For example, he had a great highlight on YouTube about his dunks and he was fun to watch since he was like a human highlight with his dunks. According to the text " Good as a nicknamer as he was a basketball player!), in awe of Carter's dunks, said Carter was "half-man, half-amazing". Seriously you need to check out the highlights on YouTube!"(311). This proves that Vince Carter was a fun player to watch since he would put on a show for the fans in his games that he played wherever he went either if it was at home or away.

[Dominik Barron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction book about the history of basketball. It talks about the origins of the sport and the different eras of the NBA. Finally, the book lists some of the best players, rivalries, and match ups of each era.

I really liked this book because it taught me new things about the history of the NBA I didn't already know before. I didn't like the parts the narrator rambled off about other sports. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes basketball. This book is part of the series "Legends". I think the reading level is 7th grade and up.

[Jeff Alexy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book geared towards kids. Very low reading level. My 7yo son enjoyed it so I read it, too. The book covers the history of the NBA at a 20,000-foot view. Good introduction into the history of the game and the best players along the way for someone who doesn't know anything about the NBA. It's fairly repetitive and not always well organized, but overall, it's decent.

[Sierra R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's about the history of the players from then and until now. They tell you about how they feel and what emonicans are going through them. They also tell about the players percentage of what they averaged per game. It is a good book, I would recommend this book to people who like the history of the NBA.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite player is Dominique Wilkins because he had so much style in the way he dunks
i was surprised to know the fact that the Celtics have won the most games in NBA history
i would change the fact that Dominique Wilkins was on the Atlanta Hawks

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book for youth who might be interested in the history of the game.
A nice decade by decade approach from the 1960s to the present with focuses on star players, great teams, historical NBA Finals, miscellaneous info, and the author's own various top 10 lists.

[Noah Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book helped me learn a little more bout basketball, and showed a different look from the players point of view.

[Zayd · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really fun and interesting

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a really good book, it gave the history of the NBA from 1960's through the 2010's. I recommend this book for people that like basketball and it's history.

[Mason McGloin]

Great book!

[Gunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

pretty good book learned a lot of new things

[Ryan Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very imformative

[Alan Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertains compendium

Enjoyable run through of the great games and players of the NBA, over the decades. Watching The Last Dance fuelled my interest.

[Kenneth BLANCK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have learned SO MUCH about the basketball world! This helped me with my Basketball Information SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

[Kael Arends · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book j

[Grey Tearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legends by Howard Bryant is very good for the youth and this book explains the Magic, Jordan, Lebron, and curry era. Also this book shows how the game of basketball evolved from the 1940s to now in 2022. Another things is that it is one of the most common sports channels in the world and tons of kids dream about the feeling of being the NBA. Highly recommend this book for the youth.

[Zack09 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book if you would like to learn more about basketballs history and cool moments read this!

[Dylan Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good base of NBA history. Replaced Heat and Cavs a couple times though which was confusing. Hire a new editor.

[J]

BHW

[Auden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book, I learned a lot about basketball

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn't make me care about basketball

[Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a very good book on basketball.

[Cesar Ledesma · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a good book talked about basketball in the 70s 80s 90s 10s it has many good facts.

[Aiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is really good. if you like basketball. it talks about all of the really good players that were legends befor we were born. ot tells you a bunch of fun facts about those players.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't really reviewed too many non-fiction books that have high-interest content for MG audiences, have I?

Time to correct that. This is a book my son found at the library and devoured. I have mentioned he's a "baller," right? I read it, as well, and it's a fascinating look at the history of modern basketball teams. Not the business side of the sport, but the players, the style of play, and the way the finals played out in each decade.

It starts in the 60s, so there's no mention of the Black travel team pioneers, the Globetrotters, or other teams that challenged and played predominantly white teams in the 50s.

However, all the great players are in there, with a unifying theme for each decade. There are brief bios of the big players of each decade, and recaps of how the finals played out. There is mention of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in Hershey, PA, which my father saw and described to my son, who thought grandpa was just pulling his leg (Pop Pop does a LOT of leg pulling!), until he read about it!

My son, of course, focused on the chapter with recent basketball history, and the way Golden State and Steph Curry revolutionized the game.

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[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reviewed the history of basketball for young adult readers over the last fifty years. It featured top ten lists on a wide range of topics and profiles of the greatest players in the game. The greatest strength of this book was the detailed profiles of the players, from the 1960s up to today's stars. There was particular emphasis on finals in each decade and a solid historical sports background was provided to provide young readers with a balanced perspective. My only criticism of the book is that, as a reader, I would have expected the top ten lists to be consistent in their rankings and format- for example, the top ten players in each decade. Instead, they were, for example, the top 10 nicknames in in the NBA in one and the top 10 games in the career of Michael Jordan in another. Other top ten lists encompassed several decades despite being under a specific decade's heading- some readers may find this inconsistency confusing. However, I think that young basketball fans will find that this book will teach them a lot about the history of the game.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked the book because basketball is my favorite sport