Sports Basketball

The concept of basketball "analytics" has been lauded, derided, and misunderstood. The incorporation of more data into NBA decision-making has been credited—or blamed—for everything from the death of the traditional center to the proliferation of three-point shooting to the alleged abandonment of the area of the court known as the midrange. In The Midrange Theory, Seth Partnow explains how numbers have affected the modern NBA game, and how those numbers urge us toward thinking about it in new ways.

Part life story, part philosophy text, and part spiritual guide, Sister Jean's wit, wisdom, and common sense has broad appeal and application that transcends religious creed, belief, and even feelings on Loyola's basketball team.

When it comes to Stephen Curry - point guard for the Golden State Warriors and reigning MVP of the NBA - journalists, fans, and sports analysts are running out of ways to say "wow". Deemed too small and too short at 6'3" and 180 pounds by NBA coaches around the league, Curry has taken the game back from the bigger men who usually dominate the court.

Against a backdrop of ongoing resistance to racial desegregation and strident calls for Black Power, the NBA in the 1970s embodied the nation’s imagined descent into disorder. A new generation of Black players entered the league then, among them Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Spencer Haywood, and the press and public were quick to blame this cohort for the supposed decline of pro basketball, citing drugs, violence, and greed.

Bill Russell was not the first African American to play professional basketball, but he was its first Black superstar. From the moment he stepped onto the court of the Boston Garden in 1956, Russell began to transform the sport in a fundamental way, making him, more than any of his contemporaries, the Jackie Robinson of basketball. In King of the Court, Aram Goudsouzian provides a vivid and engrossing chronicle of the life and career of this brilliant champion and courageous racial pioneer. Russell's leaping, wide-ranging defense altered the game's texture.

Even if you thought you knew everything about basketball legend Larry Bird, this audiobook is full of surprises. Bird speaks with amazing candor, offering a personal and honest look at his career with the Celtics, his experience with the ’92 Olympics Dream Team, and his transition from superstar player to respected coach. Bird offers striking revelations about his health problems and how they shaped the man and his game. He shows how the things he learned as a player formed his thinking as a coach.

Experience Jeremy Lin’s rise to basketball superstar, free for a limited time! Who would have thought that an Asian-American, who stood just 5' 3" tall as a freshman in high school, and eventually went to Harvard to major in economics, would become the NBA's most talked about star in decades? But that's exactly what happened to Jeremy Lin. Undrafted out of college and subsequently waived in short order by both the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, Lin was signed by the underachieving New York Knicks. The rest is history.

In This Book Has Balls, Rapaport uses his signature smack-talk style and in-your-face humor to discuss everything from why LeBron will never be like Mike to how Tiger needs the ladies to get his golf game back and how he once thought Mary Lou Retton was his true love. And, of course, why next year will be the year the New York Knicks win the championship. This book is a series of rants - some controversial, some affectionate, but all incredibly hilarious.

Ernie Johnson, Jr., has been in the game a long time. With one of the most recognized voices in sports broadcasting, he is a tireless perfectionist when it comes to preparing and delivering his commentary. Yet he knows that some of sports' greatest triumphs - and life's greatest rewards - come from those unscripted moments you never anticipated.

Jalen Rose has never been quiet. Not as a kid growing up in Detroit in the '70s and '80s. Not as the brash, trash-talking leader of the legendary "Fab Five" at the University of Michigan. Not as the player under the stewardship of Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, and others throughout his 13-year NBA career. And certainly not as a commentator and analyst on ABC/ESPN and Grantland.

A speedy defender steps in front of a pass and takes off down the court. As the home fans roar, her opponents race to catch up. The Women's National Basketball Association's championship is on the line. Hoops fans will find plenty of thrills as they discover the amazing stories of the WNBA Finals and the legendary stars who have made their names in the championship series.

The clock ticks down. The point guard sets up the play at the top of the key while his center jockeys for position at the hoop. A quick toss into the lane, and the center sinks the shot. The home fans roar. The National Basketball Association's ultimate prize is on the line. The NBA Finals are full of amazing shots, legendary games, and star players. Listeners will discover it all in this book.

In Five Banners, Feinstein tells the inside history of Coach K’s forty-two-year career at Duke and its five NCAA championships, from the first, against Kansas in 1991, to the most recent, in 2015 against Wisconsin. With unparalleled access to Coach K, the team, and its staff, Feinstein takes listeners on a mesmerizing ride into the locker room and onto the court. Full of intimate details, personal memories, and previously untold on- and off-court stories, it is a book that only Feinstein could write.

Athletes perform spectacular feats of strength and speed, but sometimes, a player or team rises above the rest to become a legend. From Michael Phelps’ gold medals to Tim Howard’s saves in the 2014 World Cup, this series presents the most exciting records in sports history. This volume includes Baseball Records and Basketball Records.

What stands between you and your dream? Listed by Advertising Age as one of YouTube’s hottest brands, Dude Perfect has used its crazy basketball shots to reach and inspire hundreds of millions with a contagious Go Big philosophy. By leveraging the connected world, the Dude Perfect guys’ dream became a reality, and now, they want the same for you.

Basketball statistics come to life. Listeners won't look at math the same way again!

Cincinnati, Ohio, lives and dies by college basketball, with two elite Division I rivals separated by a mere three miles. Rory’s dad just secured a new coaching gig at the University of Cincinnati, so it means yet another school and move for her, only this time to her dad’s hometown. Rory’s life revolves around basketball; she’s never had a close friend outside of it. Could this be a chance for a fresh start?

Loose Balls is, after all these years, the definitive and most widely respected history of the ABA. It's a wild ride through some of the wackiest, funniest, strangest times ever to hit pro sports -- told entirely through the (often incredible) words of those who played, wrote and connived their way through the league's nine seasons.

Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court, but don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny's father knows Danny isn't the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured.

How to Be Better At Basketball in 21 Days: The Ultimate Guide to Drastically Improving Your Basketball Shooting, Passing and Dribbling Skills, teaches you using precision drills and specific exercises to stack skill after skill. Using Wilson’s special core philosophy, this thorough system will improve your form, develop new skills, and help you challenge even the most advanced players.