Expressing the passion felt for basketball using all 26 letters of the alphabet accompanied by rhymes, colorful illustrations, and informative text, this tribute to the sport explores the hardwood heroes in a fresh and fun way. Readers will enjoy fun facts about NBA superstars past and present, including LeBron, Kobe, Jordan, and Magic, seemingly doing the impossible on the court.

She was determined to keep him out. Nyesha had a simple rule that always kept her heart protectedbasketball over boys, especially the player types. Making basketball her life had been the easy part, but when Dustin Watts, the biggest player of them all, suddenly wants more than just friendship, Nyesha has to try to keep him away before he sneaks his way into her heart. He was determined to keep her close. Dustin had absolutely no interest in getting to know the boring Nyesha Jenkins, whom he had grown up with, but when the opportunity to get her to finally let loose came up, he just had to take it. From crazy exes to houses burning down and dont forget basketball, join these two as they make their last year of high school something to remember. But one question remains. Can Nyesha really have love and basketball?

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.

From the NBA and WNBA to street hoops, basketball is one of the most popular sports to watch and play. With engaging text and colorful photos, this book covers everything from the invention of the sport to March Madness to the incredible players from yesterday and today.

From its beginnings at the turn of the 20th century to its pervasive presence in 21st-century America, basketball has grown into an undeniably important sport. The 575 entries in this biographical dictionary present concise narratives on the lives and careers on the most important names in basketball history. Entries include both classic players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Cousy as well as more recently established and up-and-coming stars such as Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James. Entries for coaches such as the Boston Celtics' Red Auerbach and Mike Krzyzewski from Duke University present the figures who have shaped the game from courtside, while the inclusion of female players and coaches such as Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, and Pat Summitt show that basketball is not just a sport for men. From its beginnings at the turn of the 20th century to its pervasive presence in 21st-century America, basketball has grown into an undeniably important sport. The 575 entries in this biographical dictionary present concise narratives on the lives and careers on the most important names in basketball history. Entries include both classic players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Cousy as well as more recently established and up-and-coming stars such as Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James. Entries for coaches such as the Boston Celtics' Red Auerbach and Mike Krzyzewski from Duke University present the figures who have shaped the game from courtside, while the inclusion of female players and coaches such as Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, and Pat Summitt show that basketball is not just a sport for men. This volume is an ideal reference for students seeking easily accessed information on the greats of the game.

Harvard graduate Jeremy Lin recently became a New York Knicks phenomenon and he's the NBA's first American-born player of Taiwanese descent. The book will chronicle Lin's high school, college and early career in the NBA with particular emphasis on the media explosion surrounding his success as starting point guard with the Knicks. It will explore how Jeremy's Christian faith, family, education and cultural inheritance have contributed to his success. The book will also include interviews with basketball experts on Jeremy's future in the NBA, Asian-American thought leaders on the role of race in Jeremy's rise to stardom, and renowned Christian athletes and pastors on the potent combination of faith and sports.