Basketball Books Recommendations Awesome List

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Basketball Books Recommendations List (10+ books)

I read a lot, and I love basketball in its every possible form. This list is basically the brainchild of two passions: it’s the most comprehensive list of basketball books available on the web.

Basketball is a huge topic because of the vastness of history, characters, memorable teams and epic moments associated with the sport. Therefore it’s natural for this list of basketball books to be very long, crossing multiple eras and basketball leagues.

Must Read Basketball books

When The Game Was Ours

When the Game was Ours by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson

Author(s): Larry Bird, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jackie MacMullan
Published in: English, Italian, Spanish, French
Description: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are the defined protagonists of an NBA era. Their on-court rivalry and off-court friendship dated back to their college tenure and has helped pave the way for the successful NBA of the 90s. The book chronicles the duo through their NBA careers, documenting challenges, hurdles and victories.
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The Book of Basketball

The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons

Author(s): Bill Simmons
Published in: English
Description: Bill Simmons has been known in the NBA circle as The Sports Guy, he is famous for his superb mixing of basketball analysis and pop culture references, coupled with an extensive knowledge of NBA history. This book is literally his bible, nearly encyclopedic but written with the tone of a friend talking about basketball with an incredible passion.
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The Breaks of the Game

The Breaks Of the Game by David Halberstam

Author(s): David Halberstam
Published in: English
Description: The aforementioned Bill Simmons has called it the greatest sports book ever written, and for a good reason. The Breaks of the Game was written by David Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize winner for his reporting of the Vietnam War, in addition to countless articles about civil rights and politics. The subjects of the book are the Portland Trailblazers and their 1979-80 season, but the book paints a much larger (and rather problematic) mosaic of struggles, decisions, greed and hopes that transcends basketball. The work of a master.
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Wilt: Larger Than Life

Wilt Larger Than Life by Robert Cherry

Author(s): Robert Cherry
Published in: English
Description: Wilt Chamberlain has been described almost as a God by many people for his incredible strength, endurance, athletic capabilities and multiple unbroken basketball records. This book is not about cold statistics, rather a very intimate story about Wilt and his life, starting from childhood and culminating with his death. Furthermore, the author is an Overbrook high schooler and Philadelphia resident, making him the best candidate for a biography of Chamberlain’s life.
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The City Game: Basketball from the Garden to the Playgrounds

The City Game by Pete Axthelm

Author(s): Pete Axthelm
Published in: English
Description: New York‘s soul is inherently connected with basketball. The Big Apple has long been the home of many of the country’s finest basketball talents. Pete Axthelm draws a parallel between the championship-winner New York Knicks of the 1970 NBA Finals and the characters and cultures you could encounter on the asphalt playgrounds of Harlem and Bedford Stuyvesant. It has been called The best description of basketball played in New York City streets during the sixties and seventies.
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Second Wind: The Memoirs of an Opinionated Man

Second Wind by Bill Russell

Author(s): Bill Russell
Published in: English
Description: Bill Russell is considered the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) for his 11 NBA championship. He was part of one of the greatest team in NBA history and he is particularly known for his rivalry with Wilt Chamberlain. Russell went through a lot as a professional athlete and as a human being: this is a book about growing up and learning to be not only a successful superstar basketball player but also a man of principles who is not afraid to question his choices and tell his mistakes.
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NBA basketball books

The Franchise: Building a Winner With the World Champion Detroit Pistons, Basketballs Bad Boys

The Franchise by Cameron Stauth

Author(s): Cameron Stauth
Published in: English
Description: The Bad Boys redefined basketball in Detroit and through the NBA with their physical (or almost dirty) style of play. The likes of Joe Dumars, Isaiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer built a roadblock against Michael Jordan with the Jordan Rules. The book follows general manager Jack McCloskey as he slowly builds this team to an NBA championship.
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Wait Till Next Year: The Story of a Season When What Should’Ve Happened Didn’t and What Could’Ve Gone Wrong Did

Wait Till Next Year Lupica Goldman

Author(s): William Goldman, Mike Lupica
Published in: English
Description: Not a really a basketball book, Wait Till Next Year is a book that also includes basketball, along with baseball and football. It is a recollection of the 1987 baseball, football and basketball seasons in New York. Mets, Giants, Knicks, Nets, Jets, Yankees, a must for a New York sports fan.
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The Jordan Rules: The Inside Story of One Turbulent Season With Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls

The Jordan Rules by Sam Smith

Author(s): Sam Smith
Published in: English
Description:
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College basketball books

The Fab Five: Basketball Trash Talk the American Dream

 

The Fab Five by Mitch AlbomAuthor(s): Mitch Albom
Published in: English
Description:
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Basketball books written by coaches

Show Time: Inside the Laker’s Breakthrough Season

Showtime by Pat Riley

Author(s): Pat Riley
Published in: English
Description: After a 4-1 loss against the Houston Rockets the year before, and with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turning 40, many believed that the Showtime Lakers were coming to an end. Pat Riley wasn’t, of course. The 87′ Lakers went on to defeat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, before winning again against the Detroit Pistons on the following year. This book is a recollection by Pat Riley of the 86-87 seasons, which featured one of the most memorable collections of talents, with players like Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, James Worthy and Kareem.
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Biographies of basketball players

Biographies of basketball players written by the player themselves

Bad As I Wanna Be

Bad As I Wanna Be by Dennis Rodman

Author(s): Dennis Rodman
Published in: English, Italian, French, German
Description: Dennis Rodman has been one of the craziest NBA personalities who has ever scored (or in his case, rebound) a basket. His biography is full of incredible and wild details, as well as his opinions and impression about pretty much everything. An entertaining read.
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Earl the Pearl: My Story

Earl The Pearl My Story by Earl Monroe

Author(s): Earl Monroe, Quincy Troupe
Published in: English
Description:
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Uncategorized basketball books

 Libri in Italiano 

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