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Basketball: A Love Story
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Inspired by a major ESPN film series, this is an extraordinary oral history of basketball--its eye-opening untold history, its profound deeper meaning, its transformative influence on the world--as told through an unprecedented series of candid conversations with the game's ultimate icons.
This is the greatest love story never told. It has passion and heartbreak, triumph and betrayal. It is deeply intimate yet crosses oceans, upends lives and changes nations. This is the true story of basketball.
It is the story of a Canadian invention that took over America, and the world. Of a supposed "white man's sport" that became a way for people of color, women, and immigrants to claim a new place in society. Of a game that demands everything of those who love it, yet gives so much back in return.
To tell this story, acclaimed journalists Jackie MacMullan, Rafe Bartholomew and Dan Klores embarked on a groundbreaking mission to interview a staggering lineup of basketball trailblazers. For the first time hundreds of legends, from Kobe, Lebron and Steph Curry to Magic Johnson, Dr. J and Jerry West, spoke movingly about their greatest passion. Former NBA commissioner David Stern and iconic coaches like Phil Jackson and Coach K opened up like never before. Those who shattered glass ceilings, from Bill Russell and Yao Ming to Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie, explained what it really took to lay claim to their place in the game.
At once a definitive oral history and something far more revelatory and life affirming, Basketball: A Love Story is the defining untold oral history of how basketball came to be, and what it means to those who love it.
This is the greatest love story never told. It has passion and heartbreak, triumph and betrayal. It is deeply intimate yet crosses oceans, upends lives and changes nations. This is the true story of basketball.
It is the story of a Canadian invention that took over America, and the world. Of a supposed "white man's sport" that became a way for people of color, women, and immigrants to claim a new place in society. Of a game that demands everything of those who love it, yet gives so much back in return.
To tell this story, acclaimed journalists Jackie MacMullan, Rafe Bartholomew and Dan Klores embarked on a groundbreaking mission to interview a staggering lineup of basketball trailblazers. For the first time hundreds of legends, from Kobe, Lebron and Steph Curry to Magic Johnson, Dr. J and Jerry West, spoke movingly about their greatest passion. Former NBA commissioner David Stern and iconic coaches like Phil Jackson and Coach K opened up like never before. Those who shattered glass ceilings, from Bill Russell and Yao Ming to Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie, explained what it really took to lay claim to their place in the game.
At once a definitive oral history and something far more revelatory and life affirming, Basketball: A Love Story is the defining untold oral history of how basketball came to be, and what it means to those who love it.
448 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
July 6, 2019
A thorough and nostalgic history of basketball, told mainly by weaving individual’s quotes together. The format is a little off-putting at first, but the insight from the individuals is so great, that it eventually begins to flow. I had so much nostalgia, especially reading about Magic vs Bird and Arvydas Sabonis. I also learned a lot about the early racism in the game and gambling scandals that almost derailed it.
The quote that resonated with my love of basketball the most was from Charlie Scott: “Basketball meant family because basketball meant friendship. It was everything to me. It was the way I saw other people wanted to be with me. I spent my life as a loner, and basketball brought me a group of guys that I could be with at all times. Basketball was my survival.”
The quote that resonated with my love of basketball the most was from Charlie Scott: “Basketball meant family because basketball meant friendship. It was everything to me. It was the way I saw other people wanted to be with me. I spent my life as a loner, and basketball brought me a group of guys that I could be with at all times. Basketball was my survival.”
October 28, 2018
I have never been a fan of longform "oral histories" online. It's a format where they gather the opinions of a varied field of experts on a topic, and quote them and order it to sound like a conversation among old heads. I always knew it had its value... but it never appealed to me.
This is an oral history of the NBA.
And it's great.
I am not sure there was a single chapter I didn't love.
Additionally, I've read a number of books on basketball and basketball's history, and I still somehow learned quite a bit.
This is a must read for any basketball fan. And a great gift, especially with the holidays approaching.
9.5/10 (0.5 removed because there is WAY too much Bill Simmons in this book -- he's a tool)
This is an oral history of the NBA.
And it's great.
I am not sure there was a single chapter I didn't love.
Additionally, I've read a number of books on basketball and basketball's history, and I still somehow learned quite a bit.
This is a must read for any basketball fan. And a great gift, especially with the holidays approaching.
9.5/10 (0.5 removed because there is WAY too much Bill Simmons in this book -- he's a tool)
November 27, 2019
Just a fun, love infused, interview based book.
If you’re a junkie, there’s enough here.
If you’re a fan (like me), there’s a lot of little things you didn’t know that you’ll learn (and familiar stories told campifre style)
If you’ve never thought about basketball, you’re going to appreciate the way the narrative weaves itself through the last 90 years of American history with love and a perspective you maybe haven’t seen before.
Really enjoyable, easy to digest; the palate cleanser I needed.
If you’re a junkie, there’s enough here.
If you’re a fan (like me), there’s a lot of little things you didn’t know that you’ll learn (and familiar stories told campifre style)
If you’ve never thought about basketball, you’re going to appreciate the way the narrative weaves itself through the last 90 years of American history with love and a perspective you maybe haven’t seen before.
Really enjoyable, easy to digest; the palate cleanser I needed.
May 30, 2023
While there are many books available on the history of basketball, at various points in the very interesting history of the sport, this collaboration by three very good basketball writers takes a different approach to talk about various aspects of the game and it worked.
The most notable aspect of this book is that aside from a few paragraphs between each section of interviews, there is no anecdotal approach to basketball history. Instead, there are quotes from interviews with the appropriate people to talk about that topic. Those topics range from the early history of both the game itself and professional basketball to international players, the evolution of the women’s game and observations about some of the best to ever play.
This approach to use quotes and observations from others instead of from the authors mostly worked well. I use “mostly” because there is some repetition in a few sections, especially when talking about players. Some of the superlatives given for Michael Jordan and LeBron James, just to name two, are like that where several people are repeating what others said. There are also some parts that just seem too short to fully appreciate the topic – that was the case for me when people shared their thoughts on Cheryl Miller. Yes, she never played professionally as she was injured shortly after her college career ended and could not play in the WNBA as the league did not start until several years later.
Something that made this format work well was the transitions from one area to another within the topic. An example of this would be the chapter on international players. When Dirk Nowitzki was talking about how he developed his famous fade away jump shot, he also talked about he overcame the language barrier. From there, that was the next topic as several other international players shared that aspect of their adjustment to American professional basketball. Segways like that made the book read well and it is one that any basketball fan of any level should read.
The most notable aspect of this book is that aside from a few paragraphs between each section of interviews, there is no anecdotal approach to basketball history. Instead, there are quotes from interviews with the appropriate people to talk about that topic. Those topics range from the early history of both the game itself and professional basketball to international players, the evolution of the women’s game and observations about some of the best to ever play.
This approach to use quotes and observations from others instead of from the authors mostly worked well. I use “mostly” because there is some repetition in a few sections, especially when talking about players. Some of the superlatives given for Michael Jordan and LeBron James, just to name two, are like that where several people are repeating what others said. There are also some parts that just seem too short to fully appreciate the topic – that was the case for me when people shared their thoughts on Cheryl Miller. Yes, she never played professionally as she was injured shortly after her college career ended and could not play in the WNBA as the league did not start until several years later.
Something that made this format work well was the transitions from one area to another within the topic. An example of this would be the chapter on international players. When Dirk Nowitzki was talking about how he developed his famous fade away jump shot, he also talked about he overcame the language barrier. From there, that was the next topic as several other international players shared that aspect of their adjustment to American professional basketball. Segways like that made the book read well and it is one that any basketball fan of any level should read.
November 5, 2025
I did not think that I could love the game of basketball more than I already do but boy was I wrong. I cried multiple times reading this book. An incredible oral history of the game. These three authors compiled hundreds of interviews to comprehensively tell the story of how the game came to be, what it has meant for people, and how it has changed. Truly remarkable. Highly highly recommend whether you enjoy watching basketball or not, I think you could learn something!!!
November 19, 2018
An absolutely stunning book with interviews with basketball s greatest players coaches writers general managers . It crossed the borders on many tough subjects and did not skirt anything in the tales. I loved every page of this book.
April 29, 2024
I love basketball. This was a fun oral history of the game.
April 12, 2021
Reads easy, informative and interesting. The book had lots of great stories and first hand accounts from the greats.
August 19, 2023
BASKETBALL LOVERS BOOK TO GO
Read
January 19, 2020My expectations for this novel were truly exceeded after reading this novel. I love basketball, so being able to read about all the stroies that my parents tell me is pretty cool. My parents always talk about Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and the Celtics team that won multiple championships in a row. It was just remarkable to read these stories and really feel what it was like from the main characters perspective's. The novel is filled with multiple stories going all the way back to the beginning of the sport. It may be confusing for some readers because the stories within the book change every chapter.
One key characteristic of the book that I enjoyed was that it was set up in an interview format. For example, one of the chapters is about the Dream Team. The Dream Team was a team with all American NBA players that went to Barcelona to compete in the 1992 summer olympic games. The speakers were the members of the dream team and other important figures involved with this event. One down fall of this set up is that it isvery inconsistent and jumps around from place to place, some people might enjoy that while other might have a tough time reading it.
The novel also contains multiple uses of imagery throughout the entire book. The uses of imagery that are used help to give you an idea of what happened during a specific time or event. This is a good trait that can be used to help someone understand something that they didn't see. I wasn't alive when most of the events mentioned in this novel took place. These uses of imagery help give me an idea of what happened. One story was the Mighty Macs. The mighty macs were a womens team from Immaculta College. Cathy Rush came to coach the team and lead them to a championship. The uses of imagry that were mentioned in the book helped give me a picture of what the team looked like (not physically, but skill wise). This novel makes these stories sound so amazing, that I wish I was able to see this events when they took place.
The last characteristic of this novel is that the events are put in order of when they occured. The novel starts off with events that took place in the 1950's and then the events move throughout the book in chronological order ending with what the game is like in the present day. The first events that are listed were the celtics vs lakers in the 1950's (not the larry bird/magic johnson rivalry). After this the the book moves in order from this event through the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, and ending at the 2010's when the book was written. I personally thought that this was a characteristic that helped the book stand out because it doesn't stay on the same story throughout the entire book, but it does flow through time in order which I personally liked.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the sport of basketball, likes to read about nostalgic events, or likes reading about events from the past. I would guess that the people who like the sport of basketball would love to read about it, just because they love everything basketball. Another group of people would be an older group of people because they were able to see and view the events as they were happening. My parents would probably read it if they had time because it would bring back memories of them watching back when they were kids. The last group of people would just be people that like reading about stuff that happened in the past. They don't have to like the sport, but they could just enjoy reading it because it happened in past decades which they could find interesting.
So to conclude this review, I believe that Basketball: A Love Story is a great book to read. This is a book that has a few great characteristics that make it such a good read.
One key characteristic of the book that I enjoyed was that it was set up in an interview format. For example, one of the chapters is about the Dream Team. The Dream Team was a team with all American NBA players that went to Barcelona to compete in the 1992 summer olympic games. The speakers were the members of the dream team and other important figures involved with this event. One down fall of this set up is that it isvery inconsistent and jumps around from place to place, some people might enjoy that while other might have a tough time reading it.
The novel also contains multiple uses of imagery throughout the entire book. The uses of imagery that are used help to give you an idea of what happened during a specific time or event. This is a good trait that can be used to help someone understand something that they didn't see. I wasn't alive when most of the events mentioned in this novel took place. These uses of imagery help give me an idea of what happened. One story was the Mighty Macs. The mighty macs were a womens team from Immaculta College. Cathy Rush came to coach the team and lead them to a championship. The uses of imagry that were mentioned in the book helped give me a picture of what the team looked like (not physically, but skill wise). This novel makes these stories sound so amazing, that I wish I was able to see this events when they took place.
The last characteristic of this novel is that the events are put in order of when they occured. The novel starts off with events that took place in the 1950's and then the events move throughout the book in chronological order ending with what the game is like in the present day. The first events that are listed were the celtics vs lakers in the 1950's (not the larry bird/magic johnson rivalry). After this the the book moves in order from this event through the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, and ending at the 2010's when the book was written. I personally thought that this was a characteristic that helped the book stand out because it doesn't stay on the same story throughout the entire book, but it does flow through time in order which I personally liked.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the sport of basketball, likes to read about nostalgic events, or likes reading about events from the past. I would guess that the people who like the sport of basketball would love to read about it, just because they love everything basketball. Another group of people would be an older group of people because they were able to see and view the events as they were happening. My parents would probably read it if they had time because it would bring back memories of them watching back when they were kids. The last group of people would just be people that like reading about stuff that happened in the past. They don't have to like the sport, but they could just enjoy reading it because it happened in past decades which they could find interesting.
So to conclude this review, I believe that Basketball: A Love Story is a great book to read. This is a book that has a few great characteristics that make it such a good read.
March 9, 2024
3.5 stars. ESPN recently put together a show based on hundreds on interviews with important figures in the world of basketball who talk about why they love the sport and what it has meant to them. Participants also describe various eras including the John Wooden era at UCLA, the rise of the ABA, and the Bird-Magic, Celtics-Lakers battles of the 1980s.
I have not seen the video; my brother tells me it's great. However, I have now read most of the book that was assembled from those interviews. Like all "oral histories" it's fragmented, so you can generally pick it up and put it down at almost any point in the book. Unlike most, however, this one is extremely well organized. All that said, oral histories lack a strong narrative thread, which I was missing by the time I was far into the book.
I have not seen the video; my brother tells me it's great. However, I have now read most of the book that was assembled from those interviews. Like all "oral histories" it's fragmented, so you can generally pick it up and put it down at almost any point in the book. Unlike most, however, this one is extremely well organized. All that said, oral histories lack a strong narrative thread, which I was missing by the time I was far into the book.
November 3, 2018
An epic tome and an absolute must read for any basketball fan. As someone who only watched basketball during the 90s and now since 2014 I was endlessly fascinated by the stories from eras I didn't witness. As a modern fan it brought so much context to the current culture and playstyle of the game. The oral history style of most of the book does great justice to all the interesting personalities of the game and makes sure that the story told is an honest one.
I was also so pleasantly surprised by the book's focus on the history of race within basketball and the impact it had outward on the world. It also has excellent chapters on the women's game that convinced me I need to start investing more in that league.
For any basketball fan I can't say enough good things about this book.
I was also so pleasantly surprised by the book's focus on the history of race within basketball and the impact it had outward on the world. It also has excellent chapters on the women's game that convinced me I need to start investing more in that league.
For any basketball fan I can't say enough good things about this book.
March 9, 2019
"Basketball: A Love Story" elegantly weaves together the views and thoughts of dozens of influential players/coaches/writers/administrators into a series of wonderful episodes in basketball history, united around a mutual love of basketball. An oral history of the finest caliber, I think the long-term value of this book rests primarily in the preservation of the words and experiences of the oldest remaining NBA players. First and foremost, this is a piece of history. This is clear, as most of the coverage was pre-1980 and little was post-Jordan. This was a wise choice, as it gives the page count to the legends, the old guard, whose stories may not be as well known today and inspired each generation after them. As the NBA's early decades leave living memory, keeping that story alive is vital. That also means this book could easily be twice as long with deeper coverage on more recent topics or the connective sections that largely eschew the oral history format.
On the bad, an occasional quote feels not quite properly placed. Sometimes a relevant individual gets surprising low word counts compared to everyone else. These do seem like potential pitfalls of the oral history format. I would also note that, in response to another review I read, I think would agree there was a bit too much Bill Simmons (and I'm a longtime fan). At the very least, it felt like his quotes were just asides that if you weren't a reader/listener of his, seem like oddly chosen things to say on the topic (though a least we didn't get a Jordan gambling debts-baseball aside). On the other hand, I have never liked Stephen A. Smith and I liked everything he had to say here. Go figure.
I hate to say it, but I can't describe this book without expressing that it felt incomplete. Despite the 150+ interviews compiled within, some key people were missing. Obviously, multiple deceased individuals could not speak for themselves(I'm most disappointed by Dean Smith, Pat Summitt, and Wilt Chamberlain), but where are Jordan, Kareem and Duncan/Popovich? By the end, I found myself looking back to see if I missed them, which is a horrible feeling in a book filled with so much knowledge and love for the game of basketball. I didn't notice the lack of Karl Malone, John Stockton, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Kevin McHale, Jason Kidd, or multiple others until I closed the book, but those four are inseparable from the NBA/basketball story and are still alive. Their absence is disappointing in comparison with the comprehensive nature of the rest of the book. I can only assume some people were unavailable for one reason or another. It is just a shame.
Overall, I would read this book if you love the game of basketball, the NBA, sports histories, and especially oral histories. You may have heard the stories multiple times, especially if you are a longtime fan, but I guarantee you'll walk away having learned a new angle to something you thought you knew.
On the bad, an occasional quote feels not quite properly placed. Sometimes a relevant individual gets surprising low word counts compared to everyone else. These do seem like potential pitfalls of the oral history format. I would also note that, in response to another review I read, I think would agree there was a bit too much Bill Simmons (and I'm a longtime fan). At the very least, it felt like his quotes were just asides that if you weren't a reader/listener of his, seem like oddly chosen things to say on the topic (though a least we didn't get a Jordan gambling debts-baseball aside). On the other hand, I have never liked Stephen A. Smith and I liked everything he had to say here. Go figure.
I hate to say it, but I can't describe this book without expressing that it felt incomplete. Despite the 150+ interviews compiled within, some key people were missing. Obviously, multiple deceased individuals could not speak for themselves(I'm most disappointed by Dean Smith, Pat Summitt, and Wilt Chamberlain), but where are Jordan, Kareem and Duncan/Popovich? By the end, I found myself looking back to see if I missed them, which is a horrible feeling in a book filled with so much knowledge and love for the game of basketball. I didn't notice the lack of Karl Malone, John Stockton, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Kevin McHale, Jason Kidd, or multiple others until I closed the book, but those four are inseparable from the NBA/basketball story and are still alive. Their absence is disappointing in comparison with the comprehensive nature of the rest of the book. I can only assume some people were unavailable for one reason or another. It is just a shame.
Overall, I would read this book if you love the game of basketball, the NBA, sports histories, and especially oral histories. You may have heard the stories multiple times, especially if you are a longtime fan, but I guarantee you'll walk away having learned a new angle to something you thought you knew.
September 30, 2019
Basketball: A Love Story is a comprehensive oral history of basketball. Not just the NBA either, but also college hoops, ABA, International and Olympics history and the WNBA. It does not cover every single year, but jumps to big moments in the history of the game from the dominance of the 60s Celtics, the rise and fall of the ABA and how it revolutionized the game, to how the '92 "Dream Team" paved the way for an influx of International players that diversified the NBA to all new levels.
This is a supplementary book to the ESPN series and it compiles countless interviews from players, press, coaches and executives from nearly all generations of basketball. The list is way too long to rundown some of the key names included, but odds are if you name ten random big names in basketball history, a majority of them have interview excerpts in this book. My only nitpick is even at just over 400 pages there would have been so much more I would have loved to seen covered but the curators did a tremendous job with what they handpicked to focus on, but if anything this serves as a kick in the butt for me to subscribe to ESPN+ to watch the anthology series.
This is a supplementary book to the ESPN series and it compiles countless interviews from players, press, coaches and executives from nearly all generations of basketball. The list is way too long to rundown some of the key names included, but odds are if you name ten random big names in basketball history, a majority of them have interview excerpts in this book. My only nitpick is even at just over 400 pages there would have been so much more I would have loved to seen covered but the curators did a tremendous job with what they handpicked to focus on, but if anything this serves as a kick in the butt for me to subscribe to ESPN+ to watch the anthology series.
May 20, 2020
This was a really good book. I thought I knew a good amount about basketball and NBA history, but as I read through the earlier sections (and even through the modern NBA) I was surprised by how much I was learning. Very thorough, thoughtfully nostalgic, and dramatically insightful, this collection of history was simply a joy to read. Because it was adapted from a documentary, the style of being a bunch of oral history from one person to the next took some getting used to. But once I did, I felt that the style enhanced my enjoyment of the book. Definitely recommend for anyone who is a fan of basketball.
The final chapter, called "Ball is Life" focuses more on the beauty and feeling that basketball evokes rather than the history that the book had just finished going through. It reminds me a lot of the opening passage of Shea Serrano's Basketball (and Other Things) in that it helps to encapsulate so much of what I love about the sport and art that is basketball.
The final chapter, called "Ball is Life" focuses more on the beauty and feeling that basketball evokes rather than the history that the book had just finished going through. It reminds me a lot of the opening passage of Shea Serrano's Basketball (and Other Things) in that it helps to encapsulate so much of what I love about the sport and art that is basketball.
June 26, 2022
What a collection of stories (just finished my final year of residency, so took a long break from making much progress) - I first thought I wouldn't enjoy the format of this book but of course, once I got into it, it just flowed. From the stories of the early days, then the ABA days, which I hadn't known much about in detail and then as the stars that grew up with (Magic, MJ etc) and the good old days of the 90s, the Dream Team and then the present time - can't help but love this game. This was a fantastic journey and having read the end after the Warriors most recent title, was also extra special. Also, being in Southern California, when Kobe passed and then reading his accounts in this book, that really hit hard. Overall, a must read for any basketball/NBA/WNBA fan.
December 31, 2018
This is an interesting book, and one that I'm still figuring out, even after having read it. It is more of an anthology, an interesting tome of interviews form the great that were and are in the game of basketball, regardless of level or league. To be honest, I'd have preferred this written in a different format and not the same one as the TV special that airs on ESPN at the moment, but this was still a very thoughtful exploration on the game of basketball, it's history, and the love held for it by people all over the world for over 100 years.
January 16, 2019
Overall it was a very fun book to read with a lot of great anecdotes from the great basketball players from each era. The one issue I have with the book is it is tough to read in long stretches due to the way it is formatted. Being an oral history I found it difficult to keep switching points of view and sometimes would get lost with who said what, especially with the lesser known people. This book is great for short reads, a chapter or two at a time. My favorite chapters were about the point shaving scandal, ABA, and Gino vs Pat since i didn't know much about those areas of Basketball history it was fun to read through and see all of the things that i missed.
August 4, 2019
As a basketball fan, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Like many others, I went in skeptical with the oral history format, but in this case it worked. I especially enjoyed the early history of the professional game with its Wild Wild West vibe. No punches pulled (rightly so) when addressing the racial issues of the time & the game.
If you love the game you’ll enjoy this book.
If you love the game you’ll enjoy this book.
April 16, 2024
A solid first person account of the history and evolution of women’s and men’s college and professional basketball players, teams, coaches and leagues. Because the book was published recently, it is almost up to date.
April 12, 2019
It was great and shows more than why they just love basketball but in how they got pass their obstacles
February 26, 2024
Excellent, man I love basketball. I feared the oral history format would be annoying but it was actually really fun. Awesome.
January 17, 2019
Stop quoting Bill Simmons when it comes to modern basketball.
August 28, 2025
I’m so sorry, I loved the content of this book, but I listened to it as an audiobook and couldn’t get over the fake accents they used for the European players. It was so ridiculous it ended up being pretty funny, but dang.
July 2, 2024
3.5 stars. Interesting read but wouldn’t recommend as an audio book if you’re bad with names :’)
May 11, 2020
An oral history of basketball compiled from hundreds of interviews, detailing the professional (NBA) side of the sport through all its eras, the struggle for racial and gender equality, the rise of the college basketball powerhouses, etc., straight from the people that lived it, with minimal editorializing. Found the ABA chapter and the chapter on the first international players to make the jump to the NBA particularly compelling and more deeply appreciate the early pioneers for pushing the sport forward (Patrick Ewing ran into a KKK rally during a college visit?). A solid, unbiased read with tons of interesting anecdotes and that doesn't drive any particular narratives.
August 24, 2022
Really cool interviews with athletes, coaches, and analysts alike. Extraordinary collection from a plethora of perspectives. Gets into womens basketball too, which aside from some UCONN stuff, I was totally unfamiliar with! Great stuff
July 30, 2020
An excellent book that offers one of the most comprehensive histories of basketball I’ve read to date. The stories of the NBA in the 1960s, the ABA, the WNBA, and the evolution of the USA’s international basketball teams throughout the decades are among the highlights. Highly recommended for all fans of basketball.
March 13, 2019
oral history that drags occasionally as people rehash oft-told stories [Kobe and Shaw did not get along; the Dream Team in 1992 Olympics was awesome and inspired a lot of international players; Michael Jordan was highly competitive] or great players/rivalries I remember very well [ex. Celtics/Lakers rivalry of the 1980's], but with occasional skimming this is a fun book.
narcissistically, I enjoyed the quotes that reminded me of me -- turns out Steve Kerr remembers vividly the 1973 UCLA/Maryland game [Terps fall 1 point short of pulling the upset] just as i do, and Bill Walton's recollection of NCAA semifinals loss to David Thompson and NC State in 1974 ("My career at UCLA, the way it ended, became one of disappointment, shame, embarrassment, and complete frustration. I let my team down, I let my coach down, I let my school down, I let the sport down. It was a stain and a stigma on my soul." (p. 102) shows that he took it almost as hard as i did missing a reverse layup that would have enabled us to upset Gonzaga when i was in 9th grade.
narcissistically, I enjoyed the quotes that reminded me of me -- turns out Steve Kerr remembers vividly the 1973 UCLA/Maryland game [Terps fall 1 point short of pulling the upset] just as i do, and Bill Walton's recollection of NCAA semifinals loss to David Thompson and NC State in 1974 ("My career at UCLA, the way it ended, became one of disappointment, shame, embarrassment, and complete frustration. I let my team down, I let my coach down, I let my school down, I let the sport down. It was a stain and a stigma on my soul." (p. 102) shows that he took it almost as hard as i did missing a reverse layup that would have enabled us to upset Gonzaga when i was in 9th grade.
February 13, 2019
The stories about the early days of basketball were great to read about. Black athletes had to overcome so much in the 50's and 60's. It was inspiring to read about those who broke down barriers through basketball (I actually saw John Thompson in person just after reading about him that day!)
My main criticism is that the authors clearly had some biases towards certain topics. Was a 40 page chapter on the two-time champion Knicks from the early 70's really necessary? The Spurs won five championships across 15 seasons and only got two and a half pages!
Some chapters felt a bit choppy with a bunch of quotes strung together somewhat randomly. Other stories were repeated in multiple chapters. Overall though, it was nice to learn more about the history of the game.
My main criticism is that the authors clearly had some biases towards certain topics. Was a 40 page chapter on the two-time champion Knicks from the early 70's really necessary? The Spurs won five championships across 15 seasons and only got two and a half pages!
Some chapters felt a bit choppy with a bunch of quotes strung together somewhat randomly. Other stories were repeated in multiple chapters. Overall though, it was nice to learn more about the history of the game.
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