Sports Basketball

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.

Learn the Inspiring Story of the Denver Nuggets' Star Center Nikola Jokic! In Nikola Jokic: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Rising Stars, you will learn the incredible story of one of basketball's most exciting young centers, Nikola Jokic. Once just a second round pick in the 2014 Draft, Jokic has quickly become the future of the Denver Nuggets franchise, most recently securing his first All-Star selection. He is one of the best recent international players to transition their game successfully into the NBA.

Far beyond simply being a sports league, the NBA has become an entertainment and pop culture juggernaut. From all kinds of team logo merchandise to officially branded video games and players crossing over into reality television, film, fashion lines, and more, there is an inseparable line between sports and entertainment. But only four decades ago, this would have been unthinkable.

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.

If your one of the many people who struggle to reach the rim and dunk over their opponents, don’t get disheartened – because what many don’t realize is that dunking a basketball requires more than on court skill alone. And it is certainly not determined by either your height or your age. In fact, our ability to dunk is dictated by our muscle strength, muscle power, and our vertical jump performance. Which in itself is an extremely positive thing, because these factors are not necessarily inherited, nor are they determined at birth. Rather, each of these factors can be trained independently in the gym and on the court, allowing us to improve our vertical jump height, ensuring we can dunk with ease – irrespective of either our age or our height!

An inspirational journey from a shattered dream to the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Hall-of-famer Elgin Baylor was one of basketball’s all-time-greatest players - an innovative athlete, team player, and quiet force for change. One of the first professional African-American players, he inspired others on and off the court. But when traveling for away games, many hotels and restaurants turned Elgin away because he was Black. One night, Elgin had enough and staged a one-man protest that captured the attention of the press, the public, and the NBA.

Do you wish you could shoot a basketball like a future Hall of Fame superstar? Discover the insider secrets, training techniques, and daily workouts of one of the NBA's sharpest shooters. In Stephen Curry: A Sharpshooter's Journey to the NBA & Beyond, you’ll discover the exact methods used by NBA superstar Stephen Curry that will show you how to shoot with deadly accuracy. James’ insightful basketball biography dives deep into Curry’s workouts and drills, setting out a blueprint for you to follow and get incredible results.

Lucy and friends are out on the playground when they spot Ava playing basketball with her cousin Jermaine, a professional player. Jermaine calls the kids over for a lesson on the fundamentals of the game and how to play three-on-three. When the kids finish, Jermaine invites them to watch him play in a pro game. Lucy, Ava and friends cheer on Jermaine and his teammates, keeping an eye out on the real court for the skills they learned at the playground.

Eagle Blue follows the Fort Yukon Eagles, winners of six regional championships in a row, through the course of an entire 28-game season, from their first day of practice in late November to the Alaska State Championship Tournament in March. With insight, frankness, and compassion, Michael D’Orso climbs into the lives of these 14 boys, their families, and their coach, shadowing them through an Arctic winter of 50-below-zero temperatures and near-round-the-clock darkness as the Eagles crisscross Alaska in pursuit of their - and their village’s - dream.

Pat Williams has drawn on his basketball industry connections to compile great stories from on and off the court. Fans will be inspired, surprised, and even amused, by inside stories from well-known coaches and players, fascinating looks behind the scenes, and anecdotes from the people who make it all possible - the fans. Includes first person stories from 21 basketball celebrities, plus Pat Williams.

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.

In Julius Erving: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Forwards, you'll learn the inspirational story of one of basketball's legends, Julius Erving. Erving, also known as Dr. J, is widely considered one of the great superstars of professional basketball. Erving began his professional career with the American Basketball Association's Virginia Squires in 1971 before making a name for himself with the New York Nets.

When professional basketball player Michael Parker laid eyes on dancer Jordan Brooke, it was love at first sight. He wanted to date her, but the only problem was the team's organization prohibits players dating dancers. Meeting in secret, the two hook up and discover their love for each other. This interracial wwbm erotic romance is less than 4,000 words and is for mature readers only.

John B. McLendon was the last living protégé of basketball’s inventor Dr. James Naismith and one of the “top ten basketball coaches of the century” in Billy Packer’s opinion. McLendon’s amazing records in college and pro basketball earned him a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame (the first Black coach to be inducted), and his coaching philosophy has had a huge influence on basketball coaches.

Elena Delle Donne made her WNBA debut in 2013 and earned the Rookie of the Year award. It was just a glimpse of what was to come. Delle Donne has been an All-Star six times, and she led the Washington Mystics to a championship win in 2019. Get the highlights of Delle Donne’s amazing career and learn about her community involvement off the court.

In Charles Barkley: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Power Forwards, you'll learn the inspirational story of basketball's legendary power forward Charles Barkley. Barkley was one of the most popular big men throughout 1980's and 1990's basketball due to his dominance on both sides of the court. He remains one of the greatest examples of how to overcome obstacles to become a great, as he went through his entire career as "undersized" compared to traditional power forwards.

Breanna Stewart is a basketball superstar! She dominated in high school. Stewart then went on to play college ball for the UConn Huskies. From there she was tapped to play for Team USA in the Olympics—where she scored the last shot! Find out how Breanna overcame a difficult childhood to go on to achieve her dreams.

Harvard graduate Jeremy Lin recently became a New York Knicks phenomenon and he's the NBA's first American-born player of Taiwanese descent. The book will chronicle Lin's high school, college and early career in the NBA with particular emphasis on the media explosion surrounding his success as starting point guard with the Knicks. It will explore how Jeremy's Christian faith, family, education and cultural inheritance have contributed to his success.

At a time when heroes are too rare, C. Vivian Stringer sets a shining example. She has time and again shown character, fortitude, and heart, both on and off the hardwood, and in the face of unbearable loss. In Standing Tall, she shares her remarkable life story, inspiring us to find this fortitude within ourselves.