Sports Basketball

Paul Westhead was teaching high school in his native Philadelphia when he was named La Salle University’s men’s basketball coach in 1970. By 1980 he was a Los Angeles Lakers assistant, soon to be hired as head coach, winning an NBA title with Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and rookie guard Magic Johnson.

Links the history of race relations to the history of basketball by reviewing the era of the first Black teams, the first integration of teams, and the innovations that Black players have brought to the game.

People think of Elgin Baylor as one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game - and one of the NBA's first Black superstars - but the full extent of his legacy stretches beyond his game-changing jump shots and dunks. Baylor recounts his story: flying back and forth between the US Army and the Lakers, how he helped break down color barriers in the sport, his 1964 All-Star game boycott, and 22 years as general manager for the notorious LA Clippers and Donald Sterling, spent fighting to draft and sign young, Black phenoms - only to be hamstrung by his boss.

Hoop Dreams Fulfilled is a detailed, first-person account of an athlete's failures and struggles on his way to playing professional basketball. Through in-depth experiences, Tyson Hartnett describes his journey playing basketball starting in fourth grade, through high school, college, and eventually professionally overseas. He profiles his mistakes and failures and his eventual redemption.

March 28, 1992. The final of the NCAA East Regional, Duke vs. Kentucky. Millions could say they witnessed the greatest game and the greatest shot in the history of college basketball. But it wasn't just the final play - an 80-foot inbounds pass with 2.1 seconds left in overtime - that made Duke's 104-103 victory so memorable. Each player and coach arrived at that point with a unique story to tell. In The Last Great Game, ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski turns the game we think we remember into a drama filled with suspense, humor, revelations, and reverberations.

Autobiography of Hall of Fame basketball star Clyde Drexler, one of basketball history's most dynamic players. Through his fifteen-year career as an NBA player, Clyde Drexler played with elegance and flair, leadership and poise, integrity and an ability to come through in the clutch. He led the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals twice and helped the Houston Rockets win the NBA championship in 1995. A ten-time All-Star, a member of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, and now a member of basketball’s Hall of Fame, Drexler reached the top of his profession without revealing many of his inner thoughts on himself or the game.

The #1 sports series for kids takes readers on the court and behind the scenes with beloved NBA icon Kobe Bryant in this inspiring biography. As the son of Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, a former NBA player and star of various European teams, Kobe spent his childhood watching professional basketball...

Using Which Position Should I Play?, you will know how to best utilize your skills to help a team, play your ideal position, describe your game to an interested coach or scout, and contribute consistently to a team.

You’ve been working on your game. You know what you’re capable of; you’ve done it over and over again in practice, scrimmages, and games against your friends. Then game time comes, and...nothing. You're invisible on the court. Knowing the skills you have, this is really frustrating. Is it mental? Is it physical? Is it something else? It’s a little bit of all those and more. This workbook, Playing as Well as You Practice, will move you past it.

I will share with you 30 pieces of information, suggestions, and calls to action that will have you ready for your next basketball tryout. The information in this workbook applies to all levels of tryouts, from middle school to professional teams.

Have you ever seen a basketball player who possessed a solid skill set for the game - ball handling, scoring, a good feel for how to play - but mentally had nothing at all? This is the player who could dominate… if he had the mind to. He could be the top scorer and be the main difference between winning and losing for his team. But... that’s the problem: something in his mental game is just… missing. As you advance in levels of basketball - and especially if you ascend to the professional level - know this: The game becomes less about skill and more about mentality.

Carefully leveled text engages young listeners in learning about the basics of the sport of basketball. Age-appropriate critical thinking questions help build nonfiction learning skills.

Three decades of Illinois basketball viewed from the cheap seats at State Farm Center . . .The 200 Level: An Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball Fan’s Journey offers an in-depth look at the program’s history from the 1990s to present. Mike Carpenter reflects on his personal experience as a fan through all the eras, from Henson to Kruger, Self to Weber, Groce to Underwood, and everything in between. A lifelong townie, radio and podcast personality, and diehard fan, Carpenter charts the highs and lows of Illini basketball over the last 30+ years.

Collectively, Rick Pitino, Jim Calhoun, and Gary Williams have won more than 2,300 games and six national championships and reached thirteen Final Fours. Before Pitino became the face of the Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville programs, before Calhoun turned UConn into a national power, and before Williams brought Maryland to its first national championship, these coaches cut their teeth in front of modest-sized crowds in college gymnasiums of Boston during the '70s and '80s. Boston Ball charts how this trio of coaches, seemingly out of nowhere, started a basketball revolution

The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams is the “revelatory” (New York Times), “deeply empathetic” (New Yorker) true story of four teenagers attempting to escape the cycles of poverty, crime, and despair in 1990s Brooklyn by getting recruited to play college basketball. With poignant intimacy, Darcy Frey chronicles the aspirations of these young men, including the future superstar Stephon Marbury, who are among the most promising players in Coney Island.

Life in the G League is far from glamorous. Players make enormous sacrifices and work unimaginable hours in the hope that someone in the NBA will give them a chance. To this day, very few fans—even the most passionate followers of the NBA—know much about the G League. In the fall of 2021, the Birmingham Squadron granted author Alex Squadron complete access to the team to capture the experience of playing in the league.

This book has 106 questions of interesting trivia and fun facts on baseball, basketball, American football, and Olympic questions to keep you entertained.

For generations, basketball has united people through the players' unwavering determination and the thrilling moments that define this sport. However, there exists a realm of untold stories and experiences beyond the scores displayed on the scoreboard and the excitement of winning or losing that have greatly influenced the sport and the individuals who participate in it. These tales are the pieces to the whole puzzle of what makes basketball one of the greatest sports there are today.

In Dirk Nowitzki: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Best European Stars, you will learn the inspirational story of one of basketball's premier power forward, Dirk Nowitzki. Since entering the league in the the late 90s, Dirk Nowitzki has established and remained one of the most dominant power forwards to ever play the game. With a dynamic ability to take ridiculously difficult fadeaway jumpers to popping out to the top of the key for a rainbow three-pointer, Nowitzki has wowed audiences all around the world.

Following the 1956-57 NBA season, the Fort Wayne Pistons relocated to Detroit, and the Rochester Royals were moved to Cincinnati. The relocations of the Fort Wayne and Rochester franchises left Syracuse as the last small market team in the NBA.