Before he was the legendary MJ, Michael Jordan was just a kid who loved to play basketball. Follow along as he dribbles, shoots, and score his was to fame, armed with a determination that hasn't been matched! Introduce little one to the life of a true game changer in this adorable board book perfect for baby ballers!
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The NBA according to The Sports Guy—now updated with fresh takes on LeBron, the Celtics, and more! Foreword by Malcom Gladwell • “The work of a true fan . . . it might just represent the next phase of sports commentary.”—The Atlantic Bill Simmons, the wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining basketball addict known to millions as ESPN’s The Sports Guy, has written the definitive book on the past, present, and future of the NBA. From the age-old question of who actually won the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the one about which team was truly the best of all time, Simmons opens—and then closes, once and for all—every major pro basketball debate. Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons’s one-of-a-kind five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball. And ultimately he takes fans to the heart of it all, as he uses a conversation with one NBA great to uncover that coveted thing: The Secret of Basketball. Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), The Book of Basketball offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game’s finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler.
Love is all around us In everything we do. It's little acts of kindness, It's a kiss from me to you. Love can be found on every page of this cute peek-through board book.
Featuring dozens of iconic NBA superstars like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and Steph Curry, B is for Baller is the ultimate alphabet book for young hoops fans—whether they're taking their first shot at the ABCs or already perfecting their threes! James Littlejohn's words leap off the page and bring legends to life, while Matthew Shipley's colorful, stylish illustrations are sure to delight fans young and old. What started as a successful Kickstarter project from two passionate NBA fans is now the perfect read for little ballers everywhere!
"Not every flying hero has a cape." —Michael Jordan Essential facts and stories all young basketball fans should know, plus inspiring quotes and brilliant photos Michael Jordan left his mark on the game as a larger-than-life competitor who dazzled the world, pushed the boundaries of his sport, and never settled for anything less than the best. The Chicago Bulls legend is known as the greatest basketball player of all time, but he is so much more than just an athlete. The man who made fans want to "Be Like Mike" revolutionized the world of sports, is an ambassador for the game around the world, and serves as a role model to millions.? In The Legend of Michael Jordan, readers will learn about MJ's early days growing up in North Carolina, his six championships with the Chicago Bulls, the impact he had on fashion and pop culture, and his burning desire to win.? This must-own book is a great way to introduce young ballers to basketball's Greatest of All Time. Other titles in this series: The Legend of Kobe Bryant
Expressing the passion felt for basketball using all 26 letters of the alphabet accompanied by rhymes, colorful illustrations, and informative text, this tribute to the sport explores the hardwood heroes in a fresh and fun way. Readers will enjoy fun facts about NBA superstars past and present, including LeBron, Kobe, Jordan, and Magic, seemingly doing the impossible on the court.
Michael Jordan admits that he has failed a lot, but failing has, also, allowed him to succeed. In the new Mini Movers and Shakers children's book series comes a cast of characters who have failed, yet succeeded despite overwhelming obstacles. Find out what happens in this kid's book about how taking chances and working hard is needed to succeed. Sometimes, we are faced with challenges that seem insurmountable. But with grit and hard work, one can achieve great things! Mini Movers and Shakers was developed to inspire children to dream big and work hard. Fun, relatable characters in graphic style books easy enough for young readers, yet interesting for adults. The Mini Movers and Shakers book series is geared to kids 3-11+. Perfect for boys, girls, early readers, primary school students, or toddlers. Excellent resource for educators, parents, and teachers alike. Collect all the Mini Movers and Shakers books!
What was Michael Jordan like as a boy? You might be surprised that the greatest professional basketball player ever wasn't even the best player in his own family! Michael Jordan was once just an ordinary little boy growing up in a North Carolina suburb, trying to keep up with his older brother Larry. Michael was always good at sports, but it seemed like Larry was always going to be bigger, quicker, and luckier. But Michael never gave up, and his practicing began to pay off. Then one summer day during a backyard game of one-on-one, Larry Jordan's "little" brother took him--and the whole family--by surprise! Based on actual events, this story of a friendly sibling rivalry is enhanced by Floyd Cooper's stunning two-tone art. Jump! even features a gate-fold depicting Michael Jordan's trademark leap that will send young readers soaring.
From award-winning young adult author Paul Volponi comes the true story of his unforgettable summer spent proving himself as a legitimate New York City streetballer, only later discovering that he had gained a set of skills that would enhance his life off the court, as well. During the sweltering summer of seventeen-year-old Paul Volponi’s life, he had only one goal—he wanted, no, needed to become a legitimate and respected New York City street basketball player. It was a passion that consumed him night and day, and at times even isolated him from his friends and family. So he entered through the gates of the Proving Ground, the roughest streetball yard in the city. It was a place where the fouls resembled felonies, and the atmosphere mirrored that of the Roman Coliseum more than Madison Square Garden. It was where teens and adults contested pickup games with a ferocity seemingly greater than that of the NBA Finals. The Proving Ground was a difficult place to cultivate friendships and an easy environment to make enemies. This is the story of Paul’s summer-long initiation at the Proving Ground. It is truly a streetball testament of a teenager who wanted more than anything else to earn his stripes in streetball society. Only what he didn’t understand at the time was that this experience would deliver to him, as it does today for so many young adults, a set of skills that would enhance his life far beyond the boundaries of a basketball court.
In Young, Black, Rich, and Famous, Todd Boyd chronicles how basketball and hip hop have gone from being reviled by the American mainstream in the 1970s to being embraced and imitated globally today. For young black men, he argues, they represent a new version of the American dream, one embodying the hopes and desires of those excluded from the original version. Shedding light on both perception and reality, Boyd shows that the NBA has been at the forefront of recognizing and incorporating cultural shifts?from the initial image of 1970s basketball players as overpaid black drug addicts, to Michael Jordan?s spectacular rise as a universally admired icon, to the 1990s, when the hip hop aesthetic (for example, Allen Iverson?s cornrows, multiple tattoos, and defiant, in-your-face attitude) appeared on the basketball court. Hip hop lyrics, with their emphasis on ?keepin? it real? and marked by a colossal indifference to mainstream taste, became an equally powerful influence on young black men. These two influences have created a brand-new, brand-name generation that refuses to assimilate but is nonetheless an important part of mainstream American culture. This Bison Books edition includes a new introduction by the author.