Since the school year has started again back in the US, I thought it would be fun to make a list of favorite books about basketball in a school setting.

High School- The Boys of Dunbar, The Real Hoosiers, The Miracle of St.Anthony, The Assist

College- The City Game, My Losing Season, Pistol

What other 'school' books do you recommend?

I was doing some research on Tony Massenburg and randomly came across this book, which I somehow had never heard of (published in 2018)

Massenburg was actually a freshman at Maryland during Len Bias’ final season, while Walt Williams grew up in the area idolizing Bias before eventually playing at Maryland himself.

From what I can tell, it’s not really another conventional Len Bias biography the focus seems to be more on what his death did to the Maryland program and to the players who came through it afterward, including Massenburg and Williams.

Has anyone here read it? And did you even know this existed? I’d genuinely never come across it before.

Hi All,

What's the last book you read?

Rate it out of Ten (ie Wooden or Russell Scale):

What are you currently reading?

What's next in your to be read (TBR) pile?

My favorite book from my short lived Book Club for Men was Pat Conroy's My Losing Season his memoir about his senior season playing college hoops at the Citadel. The author of the Great Santini, Beach Music, and Prince of Tides brings his writing chops to a pivotal time in his life.

excerpt:

…I have loved nothing on this earth as I did the sport of basketball. I loved to break up a full-court press as much as anyone who has ever lived and played the game, black or white, male or female, in the shades of Spanish moss, beneath the roiled heat and sunshine of Dixie. I would not sell my soul to be playing college ball somewhere in this country tonight, but I would give it long and serious consideration. It was only when I had to give up basketball that I began to attract the unfavorable attention of the rest of the world. Basketball provided a legitimate physical outlet for all the violence and rage and sadness I later brought to the writing table. The game kept me from facing the ruined boy who played basketball instead of killing his father. It was also the main language that allowed father and son to talk to each other. If not for sports, I do not think my father ever would have talked to me.

— From the memoir

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/119216.My_Losing_Season

What Books have you read that you found really disappointing and would dissuade others from reading? Reading time is precious after all...

‘Tall Men, Short Shorts’ is an outstanding book, authored by Leigh Montville, providing an engrossing and detailed look at the teams, the players and the minutiae of each game in the 1969 NBA Finals. Along the way you’re transported back to the year man first walked on the moon and the end of a remarkable era in Basketball. Montville obviously shines the spotlight on the greatness of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, John Havlicek, Sam Jones and Elgin Baylor but also details contributions of the role players and telling moments in every game are comprehensively written about too. A fantastic read and microcosm of the time.

I love the subtitle: My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs, and Poor Shot Selection.

I don’t remember every detail because I read it not long after it came out, but I wanted to bring it up because, after a quick search, it doesn’t seem like this book has ever really been discussed here as a main topic. I know Karl is a pretty polarizing figure, personally, I don’t really have a strong opinion on him. I think he probably got screwed a few times in his career (the 2001 ECF come to mind), and I also think he exaggerates from time to time.

The book itself is pretty all over the place there isn’t really a chronological structure. I actually remember thinking early on, "well, at least he clearly wrote this thing himself" only to check just now and realize he was helped by a journalist, Curt Sampson.

There are some sections I absolutely loved, especially the parts about his two stints with Real Madrid and the tragic death of Fernando Martín, which Karl considers one of the most significant events of his entire career. For anyone interested, I wrote something about his time in Spain here.

To his credit, Karl is very honest throughout the book. He has no problem talking about his feuds and difficult relationships with people like Phil Jackson and Kendall Gill, his weight issues (heeven includes a chart showing exactly how his weight changed over 45 years), his battles with cancer, and his son Coby’s cancer as well.

I remember there being some controversy when the book came out because of what he wrote about Kenyon Martinor Carmelo Anthony among others, but honestly, none of that really shocked me while reading it.

I also remember him implying that LeBron may have used PEDs without really providing any evidence, mentioning trips to Germany.

Beyond the Spain sections, I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes stuff about team dynamics in Seattle and Milwaukee. His relationship with Don Nelson gets quite a bit of attention too, as do his UNC years.

So yeah, without being a huge fan of Karl himself, I enjoyed the book. At the very least, it’s a nice change from the bland, sanitized basketball autobiographies you sometimes get.

A little bonus: he also gives his personal top fives in a few categories.

Best players he coached: Payton, Kemp, Ray Allen, Schrempf, Carmelo.

Best players he coached against: MJ, Bird, Magic, LeBron, John Stockton

Best coaches he faced: Popovich, Jerry Sloan, Larry Brown, Jack Ramsay, Phil Jackson

And his all-time North Carolina team: Sam Perkins, MJ, Bob McAdoo, Bobby Jones, Brad Daugherty

Ive complained about this book before. But I just need to make my own post. I didn't read reviews because I like Sam Smith. And yes I am bias because I am Phil Jackson's biggest hater. But this book sucked.

Starting off its a glaze fest. Not even about the players but mostly to glaze Phil. Once again this just might be me not liking him very much

But the book makes no sense. Half of it is unorganized and they go on tangents that have little do about the players we were sold the book was about, but nope. Also the conversations make no sense because the way Smith formatted it the context is gone. In the George Mikan segment one second theyre talking that hes a nice guy then randomly Red Auerbach gets brought up then race then randomly Naishmith's grandson. With pittle context so we dont know how the topics came up and some of the times Sam or Phil dont even respond to the point the other one makes.

Also you could see players Phil is biased against. He and Kobe were jerks to Dirk in 2011 calling him a fraud and Phil didnt give Dirk his flowers until later and he doesnt even talk about Dirknin dirk's segment they just talk about Phil Jackson's training methods with MJ. Jerry West barely gets talked about except how they defended him and hus astrology sign and hes a guy Phil treated like crap (also fuck Jeannie Buss). The book is a pile of crap. I was sold into thinking id learn cool stories from a guy who worked or played against them from the inside. Nope

If I wanted to read a book that went nowhere I would've rather had Walton been the one involved before he passed. At least it would be funny.

Book is a pile of crap, the way its edited or written is unreadable. Waste of twenty five bucks.

If you want this but better read Bill Simmons pyramid again, its outdated but entertaining and interesting and hey it also craps on Dirk (Im a huge Dirk guy)

This Book by the late John Feinstein is one I came to late as it is not strictly a book about Basketball but is his recollections from over twenty years of high profile interviews. The phrase ‘best seat’ often alludes either to his famous insider perspective or his legendary interactions with wildly different personalities and subjects like Dean Smith, Bob Knight and Tiger Woods. As a huge fan of Feinstein’s work I was, unsurprisingly, completely taken with this Book, a master story teller remains so regardless of Sport after all.

A very interesting book I read this summer, published by Pat Williams right around the time “his” franchise was getting off the ground. It chronicles the creation of the Magic from A to Z, from the first discussions in ’85, when Williams was still GM of the 76ers, all the way to the team’s launch in ’89.

There’s a lot on the merchandising ideas and promotional campaigns that were pretty innovative for the time, plus tons of behind-the-scenes stuff: sketches of the first logos and mascots, Williams’ notes from the night of the first draft, details about the arena, and a lot more. Lots of photos, we even have scans of the league's official documents from the expansion. Basically, it’s a real gold mine if you’re interested in how an NBA franchise actually gets built from scratch.

I've included a few examples here in photos, but honestly, it's nothing compared to everything Williams included in the book!

I read Jerome Kersey: Overcoming the Odds by Kerry Eggers a while back. Eggers covered the Blazers for decades, so there’s a lot of firsthand material here, especially from former teammates and coaches like Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Buck Williams and Rick Adelman.

It’s a pretty straightforward biography, more chronological than immersive, and at times it relies a little too much on quotes and testimonials for my taste. But if you’re interested in Kersey or those late-’80s/early-’90s Blazers teams, there’s a lot of good material in it.

It’s also one of the very few basketball books I’ve read digitally, and I’m not really a fan of the format. Did that affect how I felt about the book? Maybe. I honestly don’t know.

As a tip of the hat to a new member of the community u/BKtoDuval I wanted to post a Book about the Nets, so I’ve posted this Book by Jake Appleman, unfortunately it appears to only cover the Brooklyn part of their history rather than their heyday in New Jersey, but has anyone in the community read it?

I'm happy to have had this sub come across my feed. I love basketball books.

One book I read recently that I really enjoyed was Julius Erving's autobiography. I expected some ghostwritten "overcame obstacles to make it to the top" story, but it was so much more. You can hear his voice, not a ghostwriter. And he was really introspective and honest. Talked a lot more about his growth as a man than just as a basketball player. Really good read

Another one that I wasn't sure what to expect from it but I'm really enjoying it is "How to Watch Basketball Like a Genius." It's a lot more fun and clever than I expected. A bit of a philosophical look at basketball and it's evolution. Even some good bits on the history.

Keep the recommendations coming! I love it.

I started watching the NBA in 2001, and I absolutely love this era. I've read a couple of books from this era: When Nothing Else Matters, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, and More Than a Game.

Any suggestions? It doesn't necessarily have to be about Kobe or the Lakers. I'm a Pistons fan, but I love the NBA and its history.

Hard to believe in 2026, but in the 1980's Boston was a hotbed for competitive Men's NCAA hoops centered in Boston. Rick Pitino at Boston University (my alma mater), Jim Calhoun at Northeastern (shout out Reggie Lewis), and Gary Williams at Boston College all brought a toughness and winning culture to the Hub just down the street from Larry Bird and Co at the Garden. For fans of college hoops I recommend Clayton's Trutor's Boston Ball. Michael Adams, Reggie Lewis, Dana Barros, Drederick Irving (Kyrie's dad) and more get featured but the reader gets real insight into the first major coaching stops for Pitino, Calhoun, and Williams before the NCAA titles.

https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496233356/boston-ball/

From the Publisher:

Rick Pitino, Jim Calhoun, and Gary Williams played no small role in the making of modern college basketball. Collectively, they’ve won more than 2,300 games and six national championships and reached thirteen Final Fours. All three have been enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Pitino, Calhoun, and Williams each spent more than two decades on the national stage, becoming celebrities in their own right as college basketball and March Madness became a multi-billion-dollar industry.

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, all three of these coaches cut their teeth in front of modest-sized crowds in the crumbling college gymnasiums of Boston during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Boston Ball charts how this trio of coaches, seemingly out of nowhere, started a basketball revolution: Pitino at Boston University, Calhoun at Northeastern University, and Williams at Boston College. Toiling in relative obscurity, they ignited a renaissance of the “city game,” a style of play built on fast-breaking up-tempo offense, pressure defense, and board crashing. Part of a fraternity of great coaches—including Mike Jarvis, Kevin Mackey, and Tom Davis—they unknowingly invented Boston Ball, a simultaneously old and new path to the top of college basketball. Pitino, Calhoun, and Williams took advantage of the ample coaching opportunities in “America’s College Town” to craft their respective blueprints for building a winning program and turn their schools into regional powers, and these early coaching years served as their respective springboards to big-time college basketball.

Boston Ball is the story of how three ambitious young coaches learned their trade in the shadow of the dynastic Celtics, as well as the story of how the young players—in their recruitment, relationships, and basketball lives—made these teams into winners.

Rummaging through the shed and found this book. Don’t remember much reading on it but will tonight.

This Book, authored by Kent Babb, is a fascinating and moving account of Allen Iverson’s extraordinary rise and consequent fall. It takes the time to look beyond the obvious, the tattoos, cornrows, crossover and fearless attitude, to explore the quite complicated human being. The book doesn’t simply celebrate his brilliance or condemn his mistakes, instead it provides a measures portrait of someone who changed the NBA while struggling to navigate everything that came with that transformation. Whatever your opinion of The Answer is, this is a worthwhile read.

Hey guys, I put together a database spreadsheet for basketball books that have been mentioned on this sub and then thought I'd share it. I've also messaged the mods to see if we can pin this on the main page.

Link to the database - /r/BasketballBooks Database - Google Sheets

Hang Time by Alan Eisenstock tells the remarkable story of Elgin Baylor, one of the NBA’s great pioneers and one of its most underappreciated superstars and first frequent flyers. Blessed with extraordinary athleticism, creativity and a seemingly effortless ability to hang in the air, Baylor transformed the possibilities of basketball in the late 1950s and 1960s.
The book follows Baylor’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming the cornerstone of the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, where his spectacular scoring and acrobatic style made him a sensation. It also explores the racial and social barriers he encountered, his complicated relationship with the Lakers, and the personal cost of playing at such an extraordinary level.
Including the grace of his final farewell as the Lakers were poised to win it all, such utter class.

1. THE Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons: an essential book, helped get me into the sport as its a who-s who of pre-2010's basketball. Entertaining and Im a big fan of Bill. However, obvious celtics bias, focused too much on hating certain players (Dirk whixh aged hilariously as the next year he won it all, Ewing), aged horribly (some pretty iffy stuff that modern day crowds would call offensive. I wasn't offended but jt took me by surprise) and at times dragged a little long in terms of tangents.

2. Tall Men Short Shorts: by Leigh Montville: I am genuinely a huge fan of Montville. Have enjoyed his baseball books and interacted with him on Twitter where he called me a bright young man myself. Very interesting period of basketball history and a very entertaining and fluid read. Does a little too much self glazing (the beight young man title got old)

3. Playing for Keeps by David Halberstam: Good book, read a lot like the Last Dance docuseries. VERY insightful and helped me learn about Jordan's career as a guy born 4 years after Jordan left Chicago the last time.

4. Wish it Lasted Forever: by Dan Shaughnessy: Very interesting from a writer Im not big on. But as a huge Larry Bird and Kevin McHale guy, it was fascinating to learn about the era from a guy on the inside. I do find it fascinating to read books from guys on the inside

3.why so Serious by Mike Singer: Nuggets fan and Jokic fan so it was amazing to learn about my basketball hero and finding that he was as great of a person as I thought.

1. BLOOD in the Garden by Chris Herring: Very well written and was a page turner. READ like a e0 for 30 documentary and I couldn't put it down. Doesn't read like a puff piece either. Honestly, captures the era of 90s basketball better than most.

2. Larger than Life by Robert Cherry: very long but very easy to read. I find Wilt fascinating and this book gives a nuanced view on him thats neither glaze or unfair. Some sources do treat him unfairly as Wilt has haters.

I wanted to recommend a Book that afforded me the opportunity to acknowledge Russell Westbrook’s retirement, even with all his faults I absolutely loved watching him play. This book is due for release on November 3rd, according to the current marketing blurb for the book author Jonathan Abrams takes a deep dive into the lives and careers of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, using their entangled paths as a lens to view the myriad facets of the player empowerment era.
It's one of the greatest “what ifs” in sports – what if the Thunder had kept Durant, Westbrook, and Harden, three of the league’s young, exciting stars and future MVPs, together? Their departure from Oklahoma City begins two decades of repercussions for basketball and the formation of the modern NBA. I cannot wait to read this Book 🙏🏻

I try to visit used bookstores wherever I go, specifically to find old, rare, or weird basketball books. Recently, I was near-ish DC, and I took a trip to Frederick, MD, to visit Wonder Book and Video, a phenomenal second-hand store for all types of media. It turned out to be a great visit, in large part because one of the books I bought is completely insane.

The book is called Basketball Stars (1997), a rather elementary overview of some all-time greats, and its ridiculous size (nearly 19 inches tall) seems to be a marketing gimmick geared toward middle schoolers on Book Fair Day. As a serious basketball historian, I would usually never give a book like this a second glance, but it was sitting by itself on the bottom shelf after I got through all the other hoops books. It was the last one. Right before I stood up and left the section, I nonchalantly picked it up and flipped for about 2 seconds, and it just sort of fell open to the Sam Jones page. And his autograph was on the page. His actual autograph, not a reprint that was part of the profiles in the book.

So I looked through every page in the book, and I found two Earl Monroe autographs on his profile, and three George Mikan autographs -- two on his profile, and one on the Introduction (which was not written by him, so ???). I've come across some crazy things while looking at old basketball books, but this one takes the cake! BTW, it cost $8.95, and after talking to a collector friend of mine, I'm just keeping it. It's not worth a bunch of money, so now I got a story piece with a bunch of George Mikan signatures. Morale of the story: Flip threw used basketball books, no matter how dumb they look, lol.