More than Just a Game: The Black Origins of Basketball

by Madison Moore, Lonnie Ollivierre (Illustrator)

Today, the NBA is around 74% Black but, when basketball first started to catch on, it wasn't easy for Black people to play. They couldn't enter segregated YMCAs or attend privileged colleges. So Black Americans made their own spaces, playing in dance halls before the dancing started, and eventually forming teams called the Black Fives. More than Just a Game celebrates the history of basketball from a Black perspective, revealing how it changed Black communities and how they made the sport into what it is today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Sports, History, Childrens, Historical, African American

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2021

About the author

Madison Moore is an author, maker, and artist living in Chicago. By day, she works as an Editor of arts and crafts books. When she's not writing or illustrating, Madison can be found playing competitive ultimate frisbee or swimming in Lake Michigan. Find her online at www.thegirlandthelamb.com.

Reviews

[Victoria Whipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's apparent to any basketball fan that Black players have undeniable presence on the court. What is not apparent is the journey it took to get from the origins of the game to the current status. Madison Moore brings to light the rise of and importance of the Black Fives teams that gave Black players a place to play and excel when they were excluded from most courts because of segregation. Moore tells this story, and along with illustrations by Lonnie Ollivierre, introduces players, coaches, and teams that advanced the game in its early years. Highly recommended for all basketball fans!

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

If most people(white people) are asked about the history of Black basketball, the story that has been told and springs first to mind is of segregated leagues and the harlem Globetrotters. This accessible text firmly anchors the separation of races in the broader society, the racial bans for public play spaces like the YMCA and other public venues.
I was engaged and impressed with the details of the workarounds for players when winter weather forced outdoor games inside. The creative ways in which spaces were adapted, communities engaged with the "new" game, and "Black Five" teams honed their skills and proved their right to equal standing with the White clubs and school teams impressed, but also saddened me. This is history that bis being retrieved and preserved, but is too little known.
This simply scrapes the surface of their story, but it does a wonderful job of portraying that journey over time and obstacles and also offers back matter to lead to further information and investigation.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can remember even MANY years ago as a kid asking my dad why so many basketball players were Black as compared to other sports. He didn't know the history...many fans don't...so didn't have an answer, but here it is. This is a super interesting story that desperately needs telling.
This book is super important but is also having an identity crisis. It's long for a picture book and not always formatted as one...the type is quite small, etc. No question there's enough content for a longer nonfiction middle grade book but since there a so few resources on this topic, this one is trying to do a lot. And it more or less succeeds. Pair this one with Hoop Dreams, which leaves out A LOT of the story.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Explaining briefly the origins of basketball itself, Moore focuses on the Black origins of basketball and the obstacles that the players and teams had to overcome because of prejudice and discrimination.

Moore details where they played (the ballrooms before events) and the leagues that began for Black players who were superstars in their day. Then once Black teams played against white teams and won and the NBA was created, organizers realized there wouldn't be basketball without Black players.

The quick and dirty history is appreciated and sheds light on the origins and can be coupled with other cool stories like Attucks!: Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened a City, Dust Bowl Girls: The Inspiring Story of the Team That Barnstormed Its Way to Basketball Glory, Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nationand Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank heavens we finally have a picture book history of the early African American teams that shaped basketball!
There is solid treatment of the timeline of the games development, the background of the racial discrimination in the sport, mention of the Big 5 teams and a focus on four outstanding players. I wish that there had been more specific coverage of the Af-Am innovations that shaped the game and make it such fun to watch. Just as with baseball, many of the best loved elements of the game were developed in the Negro Leagues. I also wish the Harlem Ren's win of the first NBA championship had been more spotlighted: with some reference to the fact it was only the second sports championship open to integrated competition. (Boxing was the first - 20 years earlier). Integrating sports championships is on par with integrating the military and a close second behind voting rights for transforming the racial and cultural landscape.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit I was puzzled by the title. Once I started reading the book, this book is basically explaining how the NBA is mostly made of players who are African-American. It was not how I was thinking about it, which was "Black Origins of Basketball" meant African-Americans created the sport for I know that is not true. There was a sentence that ruffled my feathers, because I was like "Sports are for everyone no matter who are you, your background, etc."

Verdict: This book basically explained how African-Americans became involve with the sport. If you want a more encompassing view of this worldwide sport even though it is for older readers then I would suggest Gene Luen Yang's Dragon Hoops.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madison Moore has a great history here of how basketball was racially divided for a very long time. How small black teams began to appear in big cities and how change happened over time. There is just enough information to encourage students to delve deeper and learn a bit more about the game many love. Illustrations by Lonnie Olluvierre strength, power, and beauty on every page.

I will be pairing this book with Game Changer by John Coy to discuss how picture books help us learn history. I may also pair this with books about female athletes and how they broke the gender barrier in many sports.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives an overview of the Black origins of basketball, including playing right before performers in dance halls and the Black Five (including where the name of the Harlem Globetrotters comes from). I thought I was a somewhat knowledgeable basketball fan, but I'm clearly not because I didn't know about the Black Five. I wish the backmatter included information about who was in each illustration if they were based on specific people. I also would have liked more more photographs in the backmatter too. For basketball fans or anyone who has just seen the Harlem Globetrotters.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG. I have never heard of the Black Five basketball league and those dance halls were also used as basketball courts. I love learning new things but I'm angry that it took until 2022. Buying 2 copies for my elementary library

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about how Black Americans changed the sport of basketball. This is an informative and interesting book that I will be adding to our library collection.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gr 3-5

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot from this one!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

You show 'em!

[Shirley Ashe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice children's book about history of the negro basketball league.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of basketball from its Black origins. Moore takes readers through the history of Black young men learning to play the game through the Black Fives league to the forming of the modern NBA. The illustrations bring the action to life and connect to the informative text shared.
Further information provided at the end of the book.