Basketball

Starred review from August 1, 2018
An expansive oral history of basketball.Veteran hoops chronicler MacMullan (co-author, with Shaquille O'Neal: Shaq Uncut, 2011, etc.), who has covered basketball for more than three decades at ESPN and the Boston Globe, and sportswriter Bartholomew (Two and Two: McSorley's, My Dad, and Me, 2017, etc.) have done a major service for basketball fans in a book inspired by an ESPN Film series. With unprecedented access to an unbelievably robust lineup of players, coaches, executives, journalists and others associated with the game, the authors bring readers into the action both on and off the court, rendering the entire history of the game in easy-to-read bites interspersed with helpful contextual stories and background information. Roughly chronological, the narrative arc flows smoothly from James Naismith all the way to the present: from Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell to Jerry West and on through Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry--not to mention the women stars, including Rebecca Lobo, Kara Lawson, and Cheryl Miller. And don't forget the boldfaced names in coaching and journalism: Phil Jackson, Mike Krzyzewski, Dick Vitale, Pat Riley, Bill Simmons, Bob Ryan, Ahmad Rashad, and Jim Boeheim. Some readers may find the text overly packed with information, but this is a book for true basketball fans, who will devour every page. In addition to the addictive anecdotes from nearly every great, still-living player and coach the NBA has ever seen, the authors provide chapters on non-NBA topics that are particularly insightful, including "Basketball's Battle for Racial Equality," "Breaking Barriers: Title IX and the Growth of the Women's Game," "Relief or Joy?: NCAA Championship Coaches on the Feeling of Winning a Title," and "Coach K: From Bob Knight's Protégé to the One-and-Done Era."Non-basketball fans need not apply, but this is must-read catnip for hoop heads. Pair with Bill Simmons' The Book of Basketball (2009) for a full-spectrum roundball education.

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September 1, 2018

MacMullan (coauthor, When the Game Was Ours) and Bartholomew (Pacific Rims) present a concise oral history of basketball from the 1950s to the present. They interview over 100 prominent players, coaches, and journalists, including Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, and LeBron James, who provide insight into the evolution of the game throughout the United States and the world. Each chapter revolves around an era, team, rivalry, or topic, such as a brief history of the American Basketball Association, the impact of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, and the influence of New York City basketball. Although primarily covering professional basketball, several chapters highlight influential college coaches, such as the University of North Carolina's Dean Smith and Tennessee's Pat Summitt. Beyond basketball, interviewees describe the individuals and teams who broke down racial and gender barriers. Texas Western wins the 1966 NCAA championship with the first all-black starting five, while the implementation of Title IX contributed to the rise of women's college basketball programs and ultimately the WNBA. VERDICT Highly recommended for all public libraries; this work will appeal to both casual and die-hard basketball fans.--Chris Wilkes, Tazewell Cty. P.L., VA

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2018
Baseball was once the chosen sport for the very best sports journalists (think Roger Kahn and Roger Angell), and it still produces its share of fine sports literature, but basketball, particularly the NBA game, is developing its own reputation for outstanding writing?as this sterling "love story" about the game from MacMullan and Bartholomew attests. For their wide-ranging exploration of the appeal of basketball, the pair interviewed hundreds of players, coaches, and beat reporters. Fittingly, they begin with the way in which their subjects fell in love with game as kids. Five-time NBA All-Star Spencer Haywood's mom made him a ball out of cloth and nailed a barrel rim to a telephone pole. Along the way, there's also a wonderful account of the misadventures of the upstart American Basketball Association, which spanned the late sixties and early seventies, and a particularly perceptive, in-depth exploration of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. But it isn't all NBA. There's a chapter on North Carolina's decade-spanning dynasty in men's college and another on the Tennessee-Connecticut rivalry that has helped heighten interest in the women's college game. The appeal of the game, the authors find, extends well beyond organized professional and college leagues, as their look at New York City's legendary playground basketball shows. And, of course, nearly everyone weighs in on the greatest players of all time. This will be a favorite now and for years to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)