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Hey peeps. I am currently listening to 11 rings by Phil Jackson. Great book so far.

What are some.of the best basketball books have you read (or listened to). Biographies, coaching, technical.....whatever.

Share your faves!

I stand by Bill Simmons’ Book of Basketball as a fun read with a lot of good historical information. Won’t be for everyone though.

Would love an update, but that’s never happening.

The Breaks of the Game
7 seconds or less

Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association by Terry Pluto
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/227205.Loose_Balls?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_11
- Great look into the whole ABA and the history/mythos behind that league. Very fun and breezy read

The Jordan Rules by Sam Smith
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246468.The_Jordan_Rules?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_161
- A must-read for any hoops fan. Delves into the early 90s Bulls and how they/Jordan functioned as a team and their experiences trying to overcome the Pistons.

Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18453086-michael-jordan?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_23
- The definitive Jordan biography. A great and comprehensive read into his entire early life to his high school/UNC days and then playing career.

Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty by Jeff Pearlman
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48932357-three-ring-circus?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_17
- Pretty much the raw truthful look into how that Lakers dynasty functioned from beginning to end with Shaq/Kobe having such a disordered relationship and Kobe being a huge jackass (and probable rapist) but an insanely talented basketball player.

Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever By Jack McCallum
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13152668-dream-team?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_10
- Another breezy read. Everything about how the 92 Dream Team came to be. Fun stories and talks with the players and people involved and their experiences being a part of that craziness.

Sacred hoops - Phil Jackson

I liked Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson. It's more about life than basketball. He's a great writer. High rizz.

3 ring circus and showtime by Jeff Pearlman are pretty insightful books on the Shaw/kobe duo and the Kareem/magic/worthy lakers. I’ve always wanted to read Jordan Rules and Loose Balls so I’ll go check them out soon.

Silly Rabbit, Basketball fans can't read lol.

"Dwayne Casey Biography" by Adonis Jerome is a classic of sports literature. Jerome's prose truly brings Casey's story to life, illuminating it with a poetic sensibility seldom seen in the genre. You'll see why so many refer to him as the James Joyce of the hardwood.

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=digital-text&rh=p_27%3AAdonis%2BJerome&s=relevancerank&page=2&xpid=GLYCdNFea18Nj&qid=1747683005&text=Adonis+Jerome&ref=sr_pg_1



"Bronny James Biography" by Richard K Chavez is a truly fascinating read as well. A tragic and uplifting tale for our times that reminds us what it means to be a human.

https://www.amazon.com/Bronny-James-Biography-Talent-NBA-ebook/dp/B0F1W2ZWG2/ref=sr_1_4?crid=209402IAPGQPJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kRizI32_6mmiVQmKpLzwForAK2eOceHW-zZ45F_kUv2UjpiJm17Vo93ZDzRHHl8CwD5MghOPn8FzsnhJFmshV85Hz_wdSbADVIEo7bTIbfYtaHAqmX9lyyfF0AZYPX4cfeIRl5pW3XwPreV46bk7djoq-YmFmKkDS22TzGOgyMs_-Thy-WfMwOFjoMOaCoiq.YZqoLH1zWs07eyBKa04DTUIHh8Pah9DURql2OSUkBME&dib_tag=se&keywords=nba+biography+bronny&qid=1747682676&sprefix=nba+biography+bronny%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-4

Tor_Raps wrote:Silly Rabbit, Basketball fans can't read lol.

That's why I listen!

biebstothelotto wrote:"Dwayne Casey Biography" by Adonis Jerome is a classic of sports literature. Jerome's prose truly brings Casey's story to life, illuminating it with a poetic sensibility seldom seen in the genre. You'll see why so many refer to him as the James Joyce of the hardwood.

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=digital-text&rh=p_27%3AAdonis%2BJerome&s=relevancerank&page=2&xpid=GLYCdNFea18Nj&qid=1747683005&text=Adonis+Jerome&ref=sr_pg_1



"Bronny James Biography" by Richard K Chavez is a truly fascinating read as well. A tragic and uplifting tale for our times that reminds us what it means to be a human.

https://www.amazon.com/Bronny-James-Biography-Talent-NBA-ebook/dp/B0F1W2ZWG2/ref=sr_1_4?crid=209402IAPGQPJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kRizI32_6mmiVQmKpLzwForAK2eOceHW-zZ45F_kUv2UjpiJm17Vo93ZDzRHHl8CwD5MghOPn8FzsnhJFmshV85Hz_wdSbADVIEo7bTIbfYtaHAqmX9lyyfF0AZYPX4cfeIRl5pW3XwPreV46bk7djoq-YmFmKkDS22TzGOgyMs_-Thy-WfMwOFjoMOaCoiq.YZqoLH1zWs07eyBKa04DTUIHh8Pah9DURql2OSUkBME&dib_tag=se&keywords=nba+biography+bronny&qid=1747682676&sprefix=nba+biography+bronny%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-4

I actually think that a Bronny story could be interesting if he talks in depth about how he felt about his heart problems. I can't imagine how scary that must have been. I am of the belief that him playing in the NBA at all (when you put the whole nepotism off to the side and pretend he has the rizz of a borderline NBA player lol) is pretty awesome and inspirational.

Freshman Drive

Deke dreams of a better life and that means money. Money and influence like the type earned by those who play at the peak of the sport he loves. The elites of the NBA.

A small-town kid from a trailer park in Canada, Deke already had all the odds stacked against him. Yet, even with his slim chances he got recruited as a scholarship athlete. He joined the University of San Pandero in California and took his first step on his road to the top. He was flying high, until he landed–landed wrong. The doctor’s planned recovery time ruined his season. That changed Halloween night when Deke tried to save a teammate. His hobbled flight from the goons beating up Ronnie would change his life forever.

The harrowing escape ends when Deke finds an unknown needle sticking out of his leg. Uncovering the syringe he discovers its contents already injected and a video game-like message scrolls by with a deadly ultimatum.

Deke makes the only choice he can, and downs the vial of glowing blue liquid in a single gulp…

How Vince Carter Conequered the NBA

I mean this book is ancient stuff but its the only basketball book I have read.

I also have playing for keeps: michael jordan and the world he made but to this day I haven't read it.

The Last Season - Phil Jackson

Furious George - George Karl

These are both really good books. Would highly recommend.

I got into basketball relatively late, when basketball blogs were just becoming popular. It never occurred to me to read books about it.

Of the movies/documentaries, Hoop Dreams was a revealing classic. Hoosiers, obviously. And the MJ/Bull series of course was excellent (as was Air). Always open to other suggestions.

biebstothelotto wrote:"Dwayne Casey Biography" by Adonis Jerome is a classic of sports literature. Jerome's prose truly brings Casey's story to life, illuminating it with a poetic sensibility seldom seen in the genre. You'll see why so many refer to him as the James Joyce of the hardwood.

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=digital-text&rh=p_27%3AAdonis%2BJerome&s=relevancerank&page=2&xpid=GLYCdNFea18Nj&qid=1747683005&text=Adonis+Jerome&ref=sr_pg_1



"Bronny James Biography" by Richard K Chavez is a truly fascinating read as well. A tragic and uplifting tale for our times that reminds us what it means to be a human.

https://www.amazon.com/Bronny-James-Biography-Talent-NBA-ebook/dp/B0F1W2ZWG2/ref=sr_1_4?crid=209402IAPGQPJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kRizI32_6mmiVQmKpLzwForAK2eOceHW-zZ45F_kUv2UjpiJm17Vo93ZDzRHHl8CwD5MghOPn8FzsnhJFmshV85Hz_wdSbADVIEo7bTIbfYtaHAqmX9lyyfF0AZYPX4cfeIRl5pW3XwPreV46bk7djoq-YmFmKkDS22TzGOgyMs_-Thy-WfMwOFjoMOaCoiq.YZqoLH1zWs07eyBKa04DTUIHh8Pah9DURql2OSUkBME&dib_tag=se&keywords=nba+biography+bronny&qid=1747682676&sprefix=nba+biography+bronny%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-4

Everything about this seems AI-generated. The post, the books, the covers, the author's names. Everything.

Thinking Basketball - Ben Taylor

Thanks for all of the replies. I will have to check some of these out.

Another good one that I really enjoyed was "Coach Wooden and me" by Kareem. Basically a biography. Very interesting person. Well written.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32197594-coach-wooden-and-me

If you are interested in leadership/ coaching, "Leading with the heart" is another good one by Coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke, Team USA). I enjoyed that one as well.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/226226.Leading_with_the_Heart

I'd second these:

Book of Basketball
Furious George
The Dream Team
The Jordan Rules

and add:

Can I keep my Jersey by Paul Shirley
When the Game was Ours by Jackie MacMullan with Bird and Magic