Sports Basketball

In 1994, Joseph N. Gagliano calmly sat back, put his hands behind his head and smiled as the NCAA clocked ticked down the remaining last seconds of the game. It was the third game in a row Joe had bet on where the point spread had to land on a specific number. With millions at stake, was he nervous? Not at all. As the buzzer sounded on the 3rd game, his duffle bags were filled with millions in cash. How? Joe had fixed the outcome of the games. No Grey Areas tells the incredible, true story of the man who orchestrated the largest sports point shaving betting scam in sport's history.

Today's National Basketball Association commands millions of spectators worldwide, and its many franchises are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But the league wasn't always so successful or glamorous: in the 1940s and 1950s, the NBA and its predecessor, the Basketball Association of America, were scrambling to attract fans. Teams frequently played in dingy gymnasiums, players traveled as best they could, and their paychecks could bounce higher than a basketball.

Learn the Inspiring Story of the New Orleans Pelican's Sharp Shooter, JJ Redick! In JJ Redick: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Shooters, you will learn the incredible story of one of basketball's greatest shooters, JJ Redick. Redick's place in basketball history started early on as he seized the attention of college basketball fans across the country as the leader of the Duke Blue Devils. Since being drafted by the Orlando Magic in 2006, Redick has solidified himself as one of the league's premier sixth man.

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.

After winning 3 MVP awards and leading the Chicago Bulls to 3 consecutive National Basketball Association championships, Jordan suffered the overwhelming tragedy of his father's death. Leaving the NBA to pursue a baseball career in 1993, Jordan made an inspiring return to the Bulls at the end of the 1994-95 season, proving to the world that he hadn't lost a step. Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene's touching, detailed biography shows us the man behind the legend.

This book has 106 questions of interesting trivia and fun facts on baseball, basketball, American football, and Olympic questions to keep you entertained.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar brings keen insight to the fore in Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White, his most incisive and important work of nonfiction in years. He uses his unique blend of erudition, street smarts, and authentic experience in essays on the country's seemingly irreconcilable partisan divide, both racial and political; parenthood; and his own experiences as an athlete, an African American, and a Muslim.

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.

Jon and Jake share a passion for basketball, but their experiences on the school team could not be more different. Superstar, Jon, is allowed to make mistakes and play all game. Benchwarmer, Jake, barely sees the court. Jake's resentment for Jon and his coach continues to grow until Jake can't stand the unfairness of it all and decides he's going to do something about it. To make matters worse, Jon and Jake's parents are friends.

Kobe is one of the most well-loved and also most hated players in the game. Everything you need to know about basketball's greatest is in this book! Honor the memory of Kobe Bryant by learning about his amazing life! The tragic death of Kobe Bryant shocked the entire world. He was a household name, known and admired even by people who don't care much about basketball. Now is the perfect time to look back at his life and career. This book aims to provide a complete overview of Kobe Bryant's impressive career and the challenges that he had to overcome.

Porter Moser, one of the most inspiring and driven Division I basketball coaches today, offers a practical, motivating guide to help build character, transform failure into success, find purpose, and live an authentic life through energy and positivity. Porter Moser knows what it’s like to live and work with determination, passion, and grit. He also knows what it’s like to keep front and center the core values of faith, family, honesty, and integrity.

Elijah Thomas knows one thing better than anyone around him: basketball. But when a sinister street gang, Blood Street Nation, wants him and his team members to wear the Nation’s colors in the next big tournament, Elijah’s love of the game is soon thrown into jeopardy. The boys gather their courage and take a stand against the gang, but at a terrible cost. Now Elijah must struggle to balance hope and fear, revenge and forgiveness, to save his neighborhood. For help, he turns to the most unlikely of friends: Banks, a gruff ex–military man, and his beautiful and ambitious daughter.

As the revenues generated by big-time college sports continue to skyrocket, virtually all of the debate involves whether (and how much) student-athletes should be paid for play. Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams Jr., argue that "student" has to come first: the focus should be on prioritizing a meaningful education. They draw on new research to reveal that it has become increasingly difficult for college athletes to balance school and sports, much less a social life, leading to serious economic, professional, and emotional consequences for young people.

Cassidy Sanderson is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers - the only female scout in the major leagues. Hard-living and hard-drinking, a gifted athlete herself, she takes pride in successfully competing in a male world. But recently she has been losing prospects on the sign, and her job security is teetering on the edge. When she gets a tip from a close friend and fellow scout about Alberto Cruz, a young phenom in the Dominican Republic, she impulsively catches a flight to Santo Domingo - even though it is out of her territory....

Twenty years before women’s soccer became an Olympic sport and two decades before the formation of the WNBA, the ’76 US women’s basketball team laid the foundation for the incredible rise of women’s sports in America at the youth, collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels.

In Jason Kidd: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Point Guards, you will learn the inspirational story of one of basketball's premier point guards. Jason Kidd was easily one of the best point guards to play the game of basketball throughout the 2000s. With an extraordinary ability to pass the ball at precisely the right time, Kidd was like Steve Nash in that he made the teammates around him fundamentally better.

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.

Spanning the course of 39 frantic days, Josh Swade embarked on a fanatical journey that would take him across the country. His nearly religious obsession brought him face-to-face with NBA players Paul Pierce and Steve Nash, NBA greats Jerry West and Larry Brown, and many others who knew the importance of this relic. With multiple hurdles ahead of him, will Josh be able to find the money and support to purchase the rules before it's too late?

One of basketball's grittiest point guards, Jeremy Lin had an incredible journey to get to where he is today as a highly-capable starting point guard. Despite his successes, Jeremy Lin remains incredibly humble and a role model for aspiring basketball players around the world. He has become a global icon, and you'll hear the inspirational story of what makes Jeremy so great and why it should be no surprise why he is so successful today.