#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The wildly opinionated, thoroughly entertaining, and arguably definitive book on the past, present, and future of the NBA—from the founder of The Ringer and host of The Bill Simmons Podcast “Enough provocative arguments to fuel barstool arguments far into the future.”—The Wall Street Journal In The Book of Basketball, Bill Simmons opens—and then closes, once and for all—every major NBA debate, 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. 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.

The word legend is thrown around all too easily these days, but there can be no doubt that the NBA players featured in this book are the very best to have ever graced a basketball court. They are true legends of the game. Spanning the decades and covering all the league's most iconic eras, this book uncovers the fascinating stories and incredible accomplishments of the greatest basketball players. From the game's first superstars, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Jerry West, to the modern-day greats of the late Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Garnett. There are also in-depth features on Lakers legends Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal, as well as Celtics great Larry Bird, while it also explores 23 reasons why Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time. It's not just about great players, though. Without great coaches there would be no great players, legendary teams, or memorable matchups. That's why this book also runs down the 10 most successful and influential coaches from NBA history, looks back at the 10 greatest championship-winning teams, and relives 10 of the best ever games. It also includes a review of the 50 most iconic NBA players of all time.

Are top scorers really the most valuable players? Are games decided in the final few minutes? Does the team with the best player usually win?Thinking Basketball challenges a number of common beliefs about the game by taking a deep dive into the patterns and history of the NBA. Explore how certain myths arose while using our own cognition as a window into the game's popular narratives. New basketball concepts are introduced, such as power plays, portability and why the best player shouldn't always shoot. Discover how the box score can be misleading, why "closers" are overrated and how the outcome of a game fundamentally alters our memory. Behavioral economics, traffic paradoxes and other metaphors highlight this thought-provoking insight into the NBA and our own thinking. A must-read for any basketball fan -- you'll never view the sport, and maybe the world, the same again.

ABC and ESPNUs "Mr. Stats" ranks the NBAUs greatest players of all time in this provocative and comprehensive book.

One of professional basketball's most iconic franchises, the Boston Celtics—along with the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots, both of whom have been the subject of "50 Greatest" treatments by sports historian Robert W. Cohen—represent a multistate region rather than just a city or state. Many of the sport's very best have played for the Celtics, including Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Paul Pierce. But who is the greatest of them all? In The 50 Greatest Players in Boston Celtics History, Cohen attempts to determine just that. Using as measuring sticks the degree to which these players impacted the fortunes of the team, the extent to which they added to the Celtics legacy, and the levels of statistical compilation and overall dominance they attained while wearing a Celtics uniform, this book ranks, from 1 to 50, the top 50 players in team history. Quotes from opposing players and former teammates are provided along the way, as are summaries of each player’s greatest season, most memorable performances, and most notable achievements.

From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Dwight Howard to Dwyane Wade, this book features the 75 greatest players in NBA history. Not much has changed since the NBA made its debut in 1946 the rim is the same height and great players still dominate and the NBA's virtuosos can be found in these pages. Some are obvious, such as Michael Jordan, whose exploits transcended the game and made him a global icon. Others are not so well known, such as Paul Arizin, one of the first jump shooters. Many were superstars during their time, and others were not fully appreciated until much later. The 75 players featured in this book are a diverse lot, incorporating many different styles and contributing to their teams in ways not always reflected in box scores. But all have left an imprint or are making an imprint on the sport. These are the NBA's royalty, a line that can be traced from George Mikan all the way to today's king, LeBron James. With a foreword by Willis Reed and an afterword by James Worthy, it is a must buy for any fan of the NBA.

Acclaimed sports journalist Marcus Thompson explores the 10 teams that transformed basketball in this illustrated history of the sport. What turns a winning team into a dynasty? According to many, legitimate dynasties are teams that not only won two or more titles but combine personality, superstar talent, and consistent winning seasons. They are teams that you either love or love to hate. While basketball dynasties have been talked about in sports media circles-especially over the last few months-there isn't been a book that explores these top teams in basketball history. Dynasties features 10 winning teams that redefined the sport in their own way. Organized by dynasty beginning with the Minnesota Lakers (1948-1954) and ending with the Warriors (2015-the present), the book tells the story of each team with player and coach profiles (including some of the sports all-time greats: Johnson, Bird, Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal, Curry), key games, playing styles and tactics, controversies, and more. Also featured are teams and players that were frequent rivals to dynasty teams (such as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers), teams that could have been dynasties, and possible future dynasties.