Whether you're looking for a new book to read or a gift for a basketball lover in your life, this list of basketball books is a great place to start. It's vital to look at icons like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to properly grasp how much of an impact today's biggest players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry have on the game and the overall culture. They sparked a massive increase in the league's popularity, and, more significantly, the prominence of players as the core of fans rather than the clubs themselves. Without players from previous eras paving the way, the game would not be what it is now, and the current crop of NBA stars would not have these tremendous possibilities.
The following is a selection of our favorite basketball books, as well as our suggestions for you. It will include basketball biographies and autobiographies on this list. Here are five of the best books for basketball fans to read in order to gain a deeper grasp of the game and its most famous players.
1. The Mamba Mentality – by Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant's unique perspective on his life and career on the basketball court, as well as his outstanding, perceptive style of play, is captured in The Mamba Mentality: How I Play. Kobe "The Black Mamba" Bryant has offered his extensive knowledge and comprehension of the game in order to take readers on an unprecedented trip to the core of the famed "Mamba mentality" following his retirement from professional basketball. Invoking a responsibility and an opportunity to teach young players, diehard fans, and passionate students of the game how to play. The Mamba Mentality takes us inside the head of one of basketball's most intellectual, analytical, and innovative players of all time.
2. Michael Jordan: The Life – by Roland Lazenby
Roland Lazenby, a basketball journalist, spent nearly three decades documenting Michael Jordan's collegiate and professional careers. He saw Jordan's transformation from a scrawny rookie to a globally renowned basketball ambassador whose commercial skills and success have millions of kids yearning to be like him. Lazenby, on the other hand, saw a Michael Jordan, whose drive and desire are more terrifying and hungry than any of his followers could imagine. Michael Jordan: The Life delves into all aspects of his personality in order to provide the most complete and engaging account about the guy who is Michael Jordan.
3. Becoming Kareem – by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a civil rights activist and an ardent advocate besides being one of the best players to ever step foot in a gym. He's also an excellent writer. This 2017 memoir, written in a language intended for young readers, is a quick read for anyone of any age who wants to learn about his incredible life and how he became such an exceptional guy and athlete. Becoming Kareem is a book written specifically for young readers on how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the star and legend he is today, both on and off the court.
4. Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success – by Hugh Delehanty and Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson won more titles than any other coach in the history of professional sports throughout his illustrious tenure as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson frankly discusses how, while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s, he learned the keys of mindfulness and team cohesion. Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player in history, was managed by him, and he convinced him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title.
5. When the Game was Ours – by Larry Bird, Earvin Magic Johnson, and Jackie MacMullan
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson engaged in a violent physical and psychological war from the time they stepped into the court on opposite sides. Their unusually fierce relationship became known as the NBA's most fascinating rivalry. These were the 1980s' basketball sagas. When the Game Was Ours transports readers to this electrifying age of basketball, revealing for the first time the inner workings of two athletes hell-bent on outdoing each other.
