What's the best basketball related book you've read? I'll start.

[Faptastrophe]

'Loose Balls' by then All-Star PF Jayson Williams (unfortunately now in jail). Williams tells some funny stories and gives insight into NBA life in the late 80s and early 90s. He addresses groupies, fights, trash talk, and binge drinking with Charles Barkley. Really fun read.

[knightfall88]

'Loose Balls" from a guy in jail

[Dengness9]

'Loose Balls' by then All-Star PF Jayson Williams (unfortunately now in jail). Williams tells some funny stories and gives insight into NBA life in the late 80s and early 90s. He addresses groupies, fights, trash talk, and binge drinking with Charles Barkley. Really fun read.

DUDE!!!! Can't believe you started with this book. I was gonna post it too! Except its #3 on my list.

I became a big fan of Jayson as a person when i read this the year it came out. I was so shocked when that shit went down with his limo driver. It was actually really sad. Jayson adopted both his sister's kids, because they both died from HIV/AIDS i think if i remember correctly???

#1 Book for me is Playing for Keeps by David Halberstam. Such an amazing Book about the Bulls franchise, players, coaches, all before the Bulls dynasty, during, and a little after.

There is a great chapter about Phil Jackson's life before the Bulls that i enjoyed so damn much. And the chapters covering MJ and Pip's life as kids through HS and into College is f'ing unreal. MUST READ FOLKS!

#2 Book for me is Jordan Rules by Sam Smith

[JMT]

FOUL: The Connie Hawkins Story by David Wolf. Wolf wrote the magazine article in 1969 that finally cleared the Hawk of the point shaving charges that got him thrown out of Iowa (where he never played a single second of varsity ball but got set up to take the fall) and relegated him to the ABL , Globetrotters and ABA before the NBA paid him 1.3 million cash settlement and reinstated him to the league. Traces every step of the story, from his childhood in Bed Stuy to his best years in the NBA. An incredibly well written book about a humble, class man.

The Wizard of Westwood: Coach John Wooden and His UCLA Bruins (1973) by Dwight Chapin and Jeff Prugh. A detailed biography written when he was at the peak of his career. Wooden wasn't crazy about some parts of it, saying it revealed more about thim than he cared to, long before he achieved the (well deserved) legendary status that most people are familiar with.

Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond (2007) by Paul Shirley Bill Simmons says it's like "if one of our friends was in the NBA...sort of". For every Michael Jordan there are 100 Paul Shirley's; guys living for 10 day contracts, playing in empty gyms in countries they can't spell, wondering if the owner is going to be able to afford to fly them to the next game. Funny, an easy read. Hard to put down. A VERY smart guy in a sport filled with lots of dummies.

Or you could read stories from a soulless douchebag like Jayson Williams, who didn't even write the best book called "Loose Balls".

That would be Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association by Terry Pluto.

[9512]

Free Darko books.

It's a panel of bloggers who had their work published. It has interesting art, statistics, kooky writing style, and overly candid if not bluntly harsh stories on players.

[schism206]

I liked Rodman's book, but honestly it's the only BBall book I've ever read so I don't really have anything to compare it to. Though I didn't really care for him griping about being underpaid in the book, but in fairness he said he was underpaid "comparatively" to the other NBA players. He just talked about it a little too much.

[KBryant24]

[Mr. Incredible]

Jordan Rules hands down. Couldn't put it down once I started.

[chips93]

Free Darko books.

It's a panel of bloggers who had their work published. It has interesting art, statistics, kooky writing style, and overly candid if not bluntly harsh stories on players.

this

ive probably read them like 5 times each. they are so original

i gotta read jordan rules, playing for keeps, and that ABA book - loose balls

[Crown&Coke]

as much as I don't like Bill Simmons, his book "Book of Basketball" was pretty legit. He put guys in his book from the 60's, that gave some insight to me.

"Breaks of the Game" about the late 70's Blazers was a great read. Gives you an inside look on how pro ball was before the mega contracts, when real men played ball.

Pistol, was about Pistol Pete Maravich, would read again any day. Pistol Pete was a G

[KelticForce1349]

"Can I Keep My Jersey?" by Paul Shirley

[Rake2204]

'Loose Balls' by then All-Star PF Jayson Williams (unfortunately now in jail). Williams tells some funny stories and gives insight into NBA life in the late 80s and early 90s. He addresses groupies, fights, trash talk, and binge drinking with Charles Barkley. Really fun read.

I read this at least ten years ago. I used to be a moderate Jayson Williams fan too. I thought he was pretty funny at times (other times a little forced). I remember one time he told a late night host the Nets saved on travel expenses by faxing Kerry Kittles from city to city.

On the other side of things, I seem to remember at least two anecdotes in Williams' book touching on gun play. I totally can't remember the details though. I thought one involved Jayson coming scary close to shooting then New York Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet in the face and the other may have involved Jayson's dad shooting someone in the lower torso. Totally can't remember though. I just remember thinking it was a haunting foreshadowing experience.

Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond (2007) by Paul Shirley Bill Simmons says it's like "if one of our friends was in the NBA...sort of". For every Michael Jordan there are 100 Paul Shirley's; guys living for 10 day contracts, playing in empty gyms in countries they can't spell, wondering if the owner is going to be able to afford to fly them to the next game. Funny, an easy read. Hard to put down. A VERY smart guy in a sport filled with lots of dummies.

Just went ahead and bought this on a whim. I forgot it existed. I meant to read it three or four years ago.

[KevinNYC]

When the Game Was Ours was really good. I really enjoyed the bit about when Magic and Bird were on the same team in college. It was an All-Star team that was assembled to play against European teams doing a tour of the states.

Bird and Magic were both on the bench. The coach was Joe B. Hall from Kentucky and started all the Kentucky guys over them. So Rick Robey was on the starting five, but Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were not. They said they used to kill them in practice and every time they did get into the game, they usually had a burst of points and then were taken out of the game.

Someone on here quoted that Jayson Williams book about the first time he played Larry Bird. He has a funny story about how Bird was torching Barkley, so they put Armon Gilliam on him and Bird torched him and Williams begged the coach to put him, that he could cover him and Bird scored 14 points in six minutes on him and he went back to the bench not wanting to play basketball again. The only thing he wanted to do was kill Larry Bird. And the next time the coach needed someone to cover Bird, Williams wouldn't even look at the coach.

The Art of a Beautiful Game is a really good basketball book. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the game, usually focusing on one player. It really shows what separates the elite players from the rest.

[jlip]

King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution

[1987_Lakers]

'Loose Balls' by then All-Star PF Jayson Williams (unfortunately now in jail). Williams tells some funny stories and gives insight into NBA life in the late 80s and early 90s. He addresses groupies, fights, trash talk, and binge drinking with Charles Barkley. Really fun read.

Amazon review...

By
keith van horn

Coming from someone who knows Jayson very well, this book is all he said it was going to be! I've heard these stories a thousand times....and each time they get better! I didn't think I would react the same way to the stories beacuse his delivery is so unique, but I was wrong. I laughed just as hard as I did when I heard them the first time. I did worry a bit because I knew I was going to be in the book, but I even had to laugh at myself. This book is a must-read for sports fans of all kinds!

http://www.amazon.com/Loose-Balls-Mo...5827941&sr=1-1