The Book of Basketball
By Bill Simmons & Malcolm Gladwell
- Release Date: 2009-10-27
- Genre: Basketball
Description
Foreword by Malcolm Gladwell
Newly updated with fresh takes on LeBron, Kobe, the Celtics & more*
*Including even more footnotes!
Bill Simmons, the wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining hoops addict known to millions as ESPN.com’s Sports Guy, has written the definitive book on the past, present, and future of the NBA. From the age-old question of who actually won the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the one about which team was truly the best of all time, Simmons opens—and then closes, once and for all—every major pro basketball debate. Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons’s one-of-a-kind five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball. And ultimately he takes fans to the heart of it all, as he uses a conversation with one NBA great to uncover that coveted thing: The Secret of Basketball.
Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), The Book of Basketball offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game’s finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler.
Reviews
A Must Read
5By B_dittyI’ve never been one for sports books, yet this one drew me in like bait on a fishing rod. Simmons’ references and overall humor make even the most dull moments in basketball history incredibly enticing. The quickest 750 pages I’ve ever read in my life. Reading this book made me see basketball and its history in a completely new light. A masterpiece.Amazing
5By AprshawHe talked about everything in depth every list ever best book I've ever read!Good work
5By SrFreshkoThe content of this text is very engaging and relevant. The research found in this text should also be considered for being a foundation piece of this text. The chapter-to-chapter organization of this text can be rearranged to provide the reader with clarity. Overall 9.5/10 I'll be waiting for the 2020 updated edition when that time arrives.Woah
5By I like to alley popThis book will blow you mind if you pay attention. Bill Simmons has a wonderful basketball mind and deserves to be a gm. All you teenagers with big basketball dreams should read this book and know it by heart. There's only one thing I disagree with and that's the praise of bill Walton. Yes he was a great player but if you can't even stay heathy for 2 years you shouldn't be in the hall of fame.Great!
4By Adam's Iphone 3Must read for any NBA die hard fan. Simmons goes in to deep detail and is hilarious in his writing. It feels like he is talking to you not just telling his story. Only negative could really be considered a positive as well, he goes into almost too much detail!! But fantastic read!Bill Simmons delivers...
4By Andre Free-ThousandIn a very consistent way. Funny, socially/culturally aware, and intelligent (with pride)...I already have this
5By Daniel12345678901I want a copy cuz I already have this book in real lifeAmazing!
5By Frito420Simmons at his finest! Amazing read!Not bad but not great
3By sweetspacemonkeyI like Simmons a lot but this book gets a little tiring and repetitive after a while. It is probably about 200 pages too long. Still a lot of really funny and insightful stuff there. Just wishing he had a better editor or that he listened to his editor.Great read!!!
5By 1neLuvAlthough Bill comes off as a homer for Boston, he provides compelling analysis and statistics to possibly sway your opinion.Great Read
5By BigPopppaA must read for any basketball fanatic. Intelligent, insightful, and funny at times. It's worth the money as the print version is $18.00, I definitely recommend this to any hoops lover.The book of basketball
5By SmittyhossA must read for any basketball fan. Not just stats and drivel, fun insight and great commentary. A+ footnotes.The Bible!
5By KelvinD07Insightful, hillarious, a great read, truly worth the money!Great book
5By SlimCedI couldn't put it down. Thanks Bill, look forward to 2016. Have a feeling James is going to climb the latter.Beyond Impressive
5By Lt06Never thought tons and tons of thought and numbers can be coherently compiled into proper context like this one did. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Cannot wait for the next one. PS: Stop hating on the bad boys! They're all I got nowadays!Just wow
5By King T'challa 79I try to read at least two books per week but not with this one on my plate. They Russell/Wilt chapter actually caused a 84 email chain between me and a friend and the pyramid needs to have a caveat to be read aloud with a group of friends and beer. I will recommend this to anyone who's a basketball junkie. And honestly anyone who just wants a great read.Awesome
5By seriously1234Awesome book. All 2075 pages on the iPad. I read every footnote and enjoyed it all!One star for transcription, great book
1By Pcasper2Great book, love simmon's style and the historical views are great. His passion for the game and sports is infectious. But I'm on page 130/800 and I've already found 3 mistakes, one where a whole paragraph appears twice: once where it's supposed to be and once instead of an already existing passage (and that passage is seemingly gone? Pg130ish). Terrible.Must-read for a sports connoisseur
5By jdeun3How can you pass up on super-mash of pop culture, statistics, and hilarious anecdotes? After reading for days, I write like Simmons now.
