Sports Basketball

An all-access pass to the practice courts of the NBA, Net Work combines McClanaghan’s hard-earned wisdom - both on and off the court - with rare glimpses into the dues-paying life of professional athletes determined to stay at the top. McClanaghan shares stories of working one-on-one with some of basketball’s greatest names, explaining how each athlete works to shore up his offensive and defensive weaknesses; perfect his nutrition; treat injuries; build mental toughness; and find occasional refuge from the glare of the spotlight.

Texas girl Babe Didrikson never tried a sport too tough and never met a hurdle too high. Despite attempts to keep women from competing, Babe achieved All-American status in basketball and won gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics. Then, Babe attempted to conquer golf. One of the founders of the LPGA, Babe won more consecutive tournaments than any golfer in history. But at the height of her fame, she was diagnosed with cancer. Babe would then take her most daring step of all....

Ever wondered how high Stephen Curry can leap towards stardom? Want to know what it takes to craft a legacy like Kobe's? Or how a high school prodigy like LeBron James becomes an NBA icon? Each story is a blend of fun facts and motivational moments that highlight the values of hard work, perseverance, and teamwork. Inspiring Basketball Stories For Kids is perfect for young fans of the game, aspiring players, or any child who loves a great story of triumph and dedication.

In Brothers on Three, we follow Phil and Will, along with their teammates, coaches, and families, as they balance the pressures of adolescence, shoulder the dreams of their community, and chart their own individual courses for the future. Brothers on Three is not simply a story about high school basketball, about state championships and a winning team. It is a book about community, and it is about boys on the cusp of adulthood, finding their way through the intersecting worlds they inhabit and forging their own paths to personhood.

In January of 1989, Cameron Stauth became a fly on the office wall of Pistons General Manager Jack McCloskey. He watched day by day, crisis by crisis, as McCloskey, Coach Chuck Daly, and a handful of immensely talented and ambitious basketball players—the Bad Boys of Detroit—won the NBA championship.

Steph Curry is a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, record-breaker, and Finals champion who electrifies fans with his incredible on-court feats. He's also a dedicated husband, father, and philanthropist who inspires people on and off the court. Learn more about this remarkable athlete in this biography.

In Wilt Chamberlain: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Players, you'll learn the incredible story of one of basketball's greatest centers, Wilt Chamberlain. Throughout the 1960s, Chamberlain dominated the league. He averaged more than 30 points in multiple seasons, and even had breakout seasons where he would average 44.8 and 50.4 points respectively. He truly was one of the most prolific scorers of his generation.

March 28, 1992. The final of the NCAA East Regional, Duke vs. Kentucky. Millions could say they witnessed the greatest game and the greatest shot in the history of college basketball. But it wasn't just the final play - an 80-foot inbounds pass with 2.1 seconds left in overtime - that made Duke's 104-103 victory so memorable. Each player and coach arrived at that point with a unique story to tell. In The Last Great Game, ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski turns the game we think we remember into a drama filled with suspense, humor, revelations, and reverberations.

Bill Russell has been hailed as the greatest team player of the 20th century. As a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, he is one of the most important basketball players ever, and with 11 championships as player and coach of the Boston Celtics, he is one of basketball's greatest winners. Russell Rules offers inspiring lessons on commitment, personal integrity, team ego, and craftsmanship that are as relevant to the entrepreneur or parent as they are to the athlete.

The seven-foot Dirk Nowitzki is one of the great players in basketball history. With a devastating fadeaway and unexpected agility, the Dallas Mavericks superstar helped to pioneer the modern three-shooting game and became a global ambassador for the sport. Award-winning novelist and sportswriter Thomas Pletzinger traveled with Nowitzki for more than seven years, seeking the secret of his success and longevity. In novelistic detail, Pletzinger tells the dramatic story of how a lanky kid from the German suburbs became a top-five all-time scorer and NBA champion.

During the 1980s, Black athletes and other athletes of color broadened the popularity and profitability of major college televised sports by infusing games with a "Black style" of play. At a moment ripe for a revolution in men's college basketball and football, clashes between "good guy" white protagonists and bombastic "bad boy" Black antagonists attracted new fans and spectators. And no two teams in the 1980s welcomed the enemy's role more than Georgetown Hoya basketball and Miami Hurricane football. The Hoyas and the 'Canes made the bad-boy image look good. Pop culture took notice.

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.

Steve Nash has had a storied career playing in the National Basketball Association. In this short audiobook, we will learn about how Steve became the storied point guard that he is today. Starting first with his childhood and early life, we'll learn about Steve prior to entering the NBA, his time in the NBA, along with his impact on the communities of the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Be Quick - But Don't Hurry! tells the story of the friendship between UCLA basketball coach John Wooden and former player-turned-successful television executive Andrew Hill, while sharing the lessons and secrets that hold the key to managing creativity in the idea-driven economy of the 21st century.

In Kobe Bryant: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Shooting Guards, you'll read about the inspirational story of basketball's star, Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant has been the face of the Lakers dynasty for the past two decades and for good reason. Few players have commanded a basketball court as much as Kobe in historical performances such as his notable 81-point performance in just under 42 minutes of playing time in 2006 against the Toronto Raptors.

Most know Carlos Boozer as the beloved power forward whose dazzling basketball career spanned two decades. But few know the dramatic, poignant and powerful story behind his meteoric rise. Now, for the first time he's ready to open up about a traumatic incident from his childhood that forever altered the trajectory of his life and shaped him into the man he is today.

Er will einfach nur vergessen. Ihr Job ist es, all seine Geheimnisse zu lüften. Austin Fields ist der neue Spitzenspieler der Hopeville Dragons. Er hat keine Zeit für Ablenkungen, erst recht nicht für die ebenso hartnäckige wie hübsche Sportjournalistin Joyce, die einfach nicht aufhören kann, Fragen zu stellen. Wenn es nach seiner Mitbewohnerin (aka Großmutter) geht, sollte er sich dem blonden Wirbelwind mit dem frechen Mundwerk einfach öffnen. Das kommt gar nicht in Frage, denn er will mit seiner Zeit in Chicago nur noch abschließen und nach vorne sehen.

In the wartime fall of 1943, at the little-known North Carolina College for Negroes, Coach John McLendon was on the verge of changing the game forever. Within six months his Eagles would become the highest-scoring college basketball team in America, a fast-breaking, hard-pressing juggernaut that would shatter its opponents by as many as 60 points per game. The last student of James Naismith, basketball's inventor, McLendon had opened the door to its future.

Throughout the NCAA Tournament’s history, underdogs, Cinderella stories, and upsets have captured the attention and imagination of fans. Making March Madness is the story of this premiere tournament, from its early days in Kansas City, to its move to Madison Square Garden, to its surviving a point-shaving scandal in New York and taking its games to different sites across the country.

On the night of March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, right up the street from the chocolate factory, Wilt Chamberlain, a young and striking athlete celebrated as the Big Dipper, scored 100 points in a game against the New York Knickerbockers.