Serrano breaks down debates that NBA fans didn’t even know they needed, from the classic (How many years during his career was Kobe Bryant actually the best player in the league?) to the fantastical (If you could assign different values to different shots throughout basketball history, what would they be and why?). With incredible art from Arturo Torres, this book is a must-have for anyone who has ever stayed up late into the night debating basketball’s greatest moments, what-ifs, stories, and legends, or for those who are discovering the mythology of basketball for the first time.

    The shot and second national title in school history were the culmination of 15 years of Coach Jay Wright painstakingly building the unheralded program, through ups and downs, heartbreak and triumph. In Long Shots: Jay Wright, Villanova, and College Basketball’s Most Unlikely Champion, ESPN senior writer Dana O’Neil uses exclusive access to Coach Wright and Nova basketball to delve into the inner-workings of a championship program. In the spirit of A Season on the Brink, O’Neil not only explores behind-the-scenes of the historic 2015-2016 NCAA championship season but also the improbable path that the Nova program took to college basketball immortality. In overcoming a disappointing NCAA Tournament track record, the breakup of the Big East conference as we knew it, and Nova’s underdog status among traditional college hoops powerhouses, Jay Wright and his team provided the blueprint for how a “have-not” can prevail over the blue bloods the right way – the Villanova Basketball Way.

    Often nicknamed "The Greek Freak", Giannis Antetokounmpo has quickly emerged as one of the most unique players in the league today. His incredible wingspan and athleticism have made him a dominant presence on both the offensive and defensive ends of the basketball court. He is easily one of the most difficult defensive assignments for opposing teams due to his ability to not only start as a forward, but also as a guard. In just six years, Giannis Antetokounmpo has gone from averaging 6.8 points per game to 27.7 points per game. He has also quickly become the face of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise and the league MVP. There is still much to be unveiled in the career of Giannis Antetokounmpo. At the time of this writing, Giannis is just twenty-four years old. In this book, we'll learn more about The Greek Freak's journey into the NBA, his impact on the game, and his growing legacy as one of the best up and coming stars to make his presence known in basketball. Here is a preview of what is inside this book: Childhood and Early Life NBA Career: Getting Drafted, Rookie Season, Working Under Jason Kidd, The Largest Point Guard in the League, and Becoming an All-Star Reaching Elite Superstar Status, The Dunking Machine, MVP Season International Career Personal Life Giannis Antetokounmpo's Player Profile and Impact on Basketball Antetokounmpo's Future An excerpt from the book: The NBA loves rags to riches stories about how a person that lived and grew up in poverty worked to get to the league, not only as an ordinary player, but as a superstar ranking among the best in the world. These are the stories that make people adore the player and what he has been through to get to the top. More importantly, these are the stories that inspire young children to work just as hard, if not harder, than their idol to reach the success that they aspire to achieve. Several of the greatest players in league history have had to endure poverty before they found success in the NBA. Allen Iverson barely had a home growing up before he starred at Georgetown. In his MVP speech back in 2014, Kevin Durant said that his mother raised him and his brother alone while the family moved from roof to roof. The same was true for LeBron James, who was raised alone by his mother when she was only 16 years old. These players not only earned millions as NBA superstars but have also become fan favorites because of how they worked their way up to get to the league. Likewise, the NBA has also found a liking for players that were seemingly genetically engineered to dominate in basketball. These are the players that, at a glance, were naturally destined to be great because of the physical tools they possess.

    It was the triumph fans had been waiting fifty-two years for, and it wasn't easy to get there--but thanks to LeBron James, an audacious plan to build a winning team, a couple of maverick GMs, and an incredible community of fans, it happened; and 2016 saw the birth of a new Cavaliers dynasty.But how did they get there? It was a roller-coaster ride from tragedy to triumph, one that Jason Lloyd, a longtime Northeast Ohio resident turned reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal, got to see firsthand. He was witness to the Blueprint, as he calls it, which the Cavs put together to win their star player back from Miami and build a team that could win the ultimate championship. It incorporated several losing seasons, some high-risk draft picks, and an entirely new understanding of how to build a championship team.The best part of the plan is that it worked, culminating in the most exciting Finals series in NBA history. And, most important, the end of the Cleveland Curse. Jason Lloyd, a true insider, tells the story of how the NBA really works, and how everyone--from the front office to the stars on the court to the new generation of coaches--worked together to create an unforgettable winning team.

    What really happened when LeBron James stunned the NBA by leaving a potential dynasty in Miami to come home to play with the Cleveland Cavaliers? How did the Cavs use secret meetings to put together the deal to add star Kevin Love? Who really made the controversial decision to fire coach David Blatt when the team was in first place? Where did the greatest comeback in NBA history truly begin-and end? Return of the King takes you onto the private planes, inside the locker-room conversations, and into the middle of the intense huddles where one of the greatest stories in basketball history took place, resulting in the Cavs winning the 2016 NBA title after trailing the Golden State Warriors three games to one. You'll hear from all the characters involved: the players, the executives, the agents, and the owners as they reveal stories never before told. Get the background on all the controversies, the rivalries, and the bad blood from two reporters who were there for every day, plot twist, and social media snafu as they take you through the fascinating ride that culminated in a heart-stopping Game Seven.

    . . Where are the great basketball novels to rival The Natural and the glorious Mark Harris baseball quartet and the great Bernard Darwin's golf stories? Where are the annual anthologies of terrific basketball essays? How can a game full of such wit and creativity and magic not spark more great books?""'Why don't you write one?' said my dad, who is great at cutting politely to the chase."And so he has. In this collection of short essays, Brian Doyle presents a compelling account of a life lived playing, watching, loving, and coaching basketball. He recounts his passion for the gyms, the playgrounds, the sounds and scents, the camaraderie, the fierce competition, the anticipation and exhaustion, and even some of the injuries.

    He tells the dramatic story of the noble, city-wide effort to establish the franchise after a 14-year hiatus from professional basketball in Indianapolis, as well as the tumultuous and electrifying early seasons when the franchise that thrives today first took root.More than merely recounting the games, he delves into the unique personalities of some of the players and the social issues that influenced their careers. He also captures the carefree, raucous nature of professional basketball in a basketball-crazed state in the Sixties. This was an era when fights in games were common, a player could pack a gun in carry-on luggage for a road trip, newspapers unabashedly promoted the team to help assure its survival, games were played in arenas so cold the players could see their breath, a player could be told he was traded while taking a post-game shower and fans would run onto the court and attack a referee after a game.The Pacers would go on to win three championships in the American Basketball Association, and their popularity would play a critical role in revitalizing downtown Indianapolis by establishing the need for a new arena. This book sets the stage for that era by exploring the difficult birth of the franchise and the fateful events that enabled it. It is illustrated with numerous photos, many never seen by the public.

    After playing his college ball at Penn State, Tyler Smith had a path in mind of where he wanted his pro basketball career to lead. Bringing his own toilet paper to away games, courts made of concrete, and fully-geared riot police at every stadium were not part of his original dream. Where were all the big contracts people talked about? Would he even have a job next season—or next week? And would he be playing for free this month because the team didn’t feel like paying him?In this highly unstable and unorthodox overseas lifestyle as a professional basketball player, Smith draws readers in quickly with his humor and ability to share his clever stories that seem outrageous, but are 100 percent true. His attitude and faith are tested relentlessly through bounced paychecks, injuries, and the seemingly endless frustrating reality of people around him speaking a language he could not understand.From Italy to Japan to Uruguay, and even the NBA, the challenges and adventures only accelerate as Tyler’s wife and kids are added to the overseas equation. His unique story is highly engaging whether or not you’re a basketball junkie. Called for Traveling is an honest and entertaining inside look at one man’s journey playing pro basketball around the world.

    Making March Madness is the story of this premiere tournament, from its early days in Kansas City, to its move to Madison Square Garden, to its surviving a point-shaving scandal in New York and taking its games to different sites across the country.Chad Carlson’s analysis places college basketball in historical context and connects it to larger issues in sport and American society, providing fresh insights on a host of topics that readers will find interesting, illuminating, and thought provoking.

    But only real fans watched all 73 wins in the 2015-16 season, know where the Warriors played when they first moved to California, or can name whom the Warriors swept in the 1975 Finals. 100 Things Warriors Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resource guide for true fans of Warriors basketball. Whether you're a die-hard fan from the Run TMC days or a new supporter of Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant, this book contains everything Warriors fans should know, see, and do in their lifetime.