This history of basketball is presented with amazing photographs and accessible text to tell the whole story, from James Naismith's nailing a peach basket to the wall of a local gym for the first informal game to the incredible feats of basketball's super-size stars of today.

    Basketball on Paper doesn’t diagram plays or explain how players get in shape, but instead demonstrates how to interpret player and team performance. Dean Oliver highlights general strategies for teams when they’re winning or losing and what aspects should be the focus in either situation. He describes and quantifies the jobs of team leaders and role players, then discusses the interactions between players and how to achieve the best fit. Oliver conceptualizes the meaning of teamwork and how to quantify the value of different types of players working together. He examines historically successful NBA teams and identifies what made them so successful: individual talent, a system of putting players together, or good coaching. Oliver then uses these statistical tools and case studies to evaluate the best players in history, such as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Charles Barkley and how they contributed to their teams’ success. He does the same for some of the NBA’s "oddball" players-Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and Dennis Rodman and for the WNBA’s top players. Basketball on Paper is unique in its incorporation of business and analytical concepts within the context of basketball to measure the value of players in a cooperative setting. Whether you’re looking for strategies or new ideas to throw out while watching the ballgame at a sports bar, Dean Oliver’sBasketball on Paper will give you amazing new insights into teamwork, coaching, and success.

    The exciting life story of the NBA's biggest superstar!Yao Ming is the biggest basketball phenomenon since Michael Jordan -- basketball fans everywhere are clamoring for more, more, more about this awesome athlete! Now, with this easy reader, kids will learn all about Yao Ming's amazing life story. From his childhood in China, to his selection as the NBA's #1 draft pick, to his whirlwind year of awards, media attention, and superstardom, this book covers it all. Easy-to-read text and intense game photos will make this book irresistible to even the most reluctant readers.

    From Wilt Chamberlin's 100-point game to Michael Jordan's 1989 last-minute miracle shot against Cleveland, every stunning event in basketball history is included in this important book--a must for any sports fan.

    Book by Brown, Bruce Eamon