Sports Basketball

Paul Westhead was teaching high school in his native Philadelphia when he was named La Salle University’s men’s basketball coach in 1970. By 1980 he was a Los Angeles Lakers assistant, soon to be hired as head coach, winning an NBA title with Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and rookie guard Magic Johnson.

Links the history of race relations to the history of basketball by reviewing the era of the first Black teams, the first integration of teams, and the innovations that Black players have brought to the game.

It seems unlikely that James Naismith, who grew up playing "Duck on the Rock" in the rural community of Almonte, Canada, would invent one of America's most popular sports. But Rob Rains and Hellen Carpenter's fascinating, in-depth biography James Naismith: The Man Who Invented Basketball shows how this young man - who wanted to be a medical doctor, or if not that, a minister (in fact, he was both) - came to create a game that has endured for over a century.

Hoop Dreams Fulfilled is a detailed, first-person account of an athlete's failures and struggles on his way to playing professional basketball. Through in-depth experiences, Tyson Hartnett describes his journey playing basketball starting in fourth grade, through high school, college, and eventually professionally overseas. He profiles his mistakes and failures and his eventual redemption.

Discover the David vs. Goliath rise of Catholic college basketball, from Villanova to Georgetown to Gonzaga, where small schools perennially shoot past the big power conference programs.

Autobiography of Hall of Fame basketball star Clyde Drexler, one of basketball history's most dynamic players. Through his fifteen-year career as an NBA player, Clyde Drexler played with elegance and flair, leadership and poise, integrity and an ability to come through in the clutch. He led the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals twice and helped the Houston Rockets win the NBA championship in 1995. A ten-time All-Star, a member of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, and now a member of basketball’s Hall of Fame, Drexler reached the top of his profession without revealing many of his inner thoughts on himself or the game.

Narrated by the long-time L.A. Lakers announcer, John Ireland, this audiobook profiles the 60-year friendship between two basketball icons–Bill Sharman and Dennis Murphy, who collectively changed the game of pro basketball as we now know it.

This audiobook is designed to help basketball players of all levels improve their skills and develop the mental and emotional strength required to succeed. Featuring a collection of powerful affirmations specifically designed for basketball players, it will help you stay motivated, focused, and confident on and off the court.

You’ve been working on your game. You know what you’re capable of; you’ve done it over and over again in practice, scrimmages, and games against your friends. Then game time comes, and...nothing. You're invisible on the court. Knowing the skills you have, this is really frustrating. Is it mental? Is it physical? Is it something else? It’s a little bit of all those and more. This workbook, Playing as Well as You Practice, will move you past it.

In Dirk Nowitzki: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Best European Stars, you will learn the inspirational story of one of basketball's premier power forward, Dirk Nowitzki. Since entering the league in the the late 90s, Dirk Nowitzki has established and remained one of the most dominant power forwards to ever play the game. With a dynamic ability to take ridiculously difficult fadeaway jumpers to popping out to the top of the key for a rainbow three-pointer, Nowitzki has wowed audiences all around the world.

Dive into "Jake: A Young Boy's Basketball Journey," an inspiring tale perfect for any young athlete or avid audiobook listener. This audiobook is an excellent gift for boys and girls alike, ideal for birthdays, holidays, or any special occasion. It's not just a story about basketball; it's a life lesson in resilience, dedication, respect, tolerance, and discipline, essential for every young mind.

Listen in the car or at home to hundreds of questions and answers about basketball. Learn about players and teams, rules and history, terms and nicknames, college and pros, and more.

Following the 1956-57 NBA season, the Fort Wayne Pistons relocated to Detroit, and the Rochester Royals were moved to Cincinnati. The relocations of the Fort Wayne and Rochester franchises left Syracuse as the last small market team in the NBA.

Building Good Teammates is the story of how a “Mary Poppins-ish” nun inspires Lance Loya to discover an alternative approach to coaching and to explore how his coaching methods were influenced by his unusual childhood and his personal Mount Rushmore - the four men who had the biggest impact on his life. Loya grew up in the iconic Ship Hotel and his adventures in the historic building and the aftermath of the business’s failure caused him to become very calloused and scoped his early coaching style.

Exclusive interviews with the top athletes in sports today. Trust the Grind: How World-Class Athletes Got to the Top reveals how these men and women reached the heights of their profession so that you can too. Each chapter tells a different story, as each superstar shares the habit that helped them accomplish their goals and reach the pinnacle of their profession.

Using Which Position Should I Play?, you will know how to best utilize your skills to help a team, play your ideal position, describe your game to an interested coach or scout, and contribute consistently to a team.

I will share with you 30 pieces of information, suggestions, and calls to action that will have you ready for your next basketball tryout. The information in this workbook applies to all levels of tryouts, from middle school to professional teams.

Diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, a form of autism, as a toddler, Anthony Ianni wasn't expected to succeed in school or participate in sports, but he had other ideas. As a child, Ianni told anybody who would listen, including head coach Tom Izzo, that he would one day play for the Michigan State Spartans.

When Lily and Alex entered a packed gymnasium in Queens, New York, in 1972, they barely recognized their son. The boy who escaped to America with them, who was bullied as he struggled to learn English and cope with family tragedy, was now a young man who had discovered and secretly honed his basketball talent on the outdoor courts of New York City. That young man was Ernie Grunfeld, who would go on to win an Olympic gold medal and reach previously unimaginable heights as an NBA player and executive.

One. Two. Three. That’s as long as it took to sear the souls of a dozen young American men, thanks to the craziest, most controversial finish in the history of the Olympics - the 1972 gold-medal basketball contest between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the world’s two superpowers at the time. The U.S. team believed it had won the gold medal that September in Munich - not once, but twice. The American players became the only Olympic athletes in the history of the games to refuse their medals.