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The Book of Basketball
Foreword by Malcolm Gladwell
Newly updated with fresh takes on LeBron, Kobe, the Celtics & more*
*Including even more footnotes!
Bill Simmons, the wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining hoops addict known to millions as ESPN.com’s Sports Guy, has written the definitive book on the past, present, and future of the NBA. From the age-old question of who actually won the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the one about which team was truly the best of all time, Simmons opens—and then closes, once and for all—every major pro basketball debate. Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons’s one-of-a-kind five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball. And ultimately he takes fans to the heart of it all, as he uses a conversation with one NBA great to uncover that coveted thing: The Secret of Basketball.
Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), The Book of Basketball offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game’s finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler.
More Books from Bill Simmons & Malcolm Gladwell
Reviews
The most succinct review I can give; this book makes me want to watch a sport I haven’t regularly followed in 15 years. Bonus points for Fredo, Cobra Kai, and other great references that I thought only my friends and I joked about.
By Jody Al Berry
I’ve never been one for sports books, yet this one drew me in like bait on a fishing rod. Simmons’ references and overall humor make even the most dull moments in basketball history incredibly enticing. The quickest 750 pages I’ve ever read in my life. Reading this book made me see basketball and its history in a completely new light. A masterpiece.
By B_ditty
He talked about everything in depth every list ever best book I've ever read!
By Aprshaw
The content of this text is very engaging and relevant. The research found in this text should also be considered for being a foundation piece of this text. The chapter-to-chapter organization of this text can be rearranged to provide the reader with clarity. Overall 9.5/10 I'll be waiting for the 2020 updated edition when that time arrives.
By SrFreshko
This book will blow you mind if you pay attention. Bill Simmons has a wonderful basketball mind and deserves to be a gm. All you teenagers with big basketball dreams should read this book and know it by heart. There's only one thing I disagree with and that's the praise of bill Walton. Yes he was a great player but if you can't even stay heathy for 2 years you shouldn't be in the hall of fame.
By I like to alley pop