Sports Biographies Basketball

In Bill Russell: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Legendary Centers, you will learn the incredible story of one of basketball's greatest players of all time, Bill Russell. In his 13-year career, Bill Russell accomplished what many NBA players today would dream of. He was an 11-time champion, 12-time All-Star, and five-time Most Valuable Player. He won the MVP award so many times that the league renamed the trophy after him in 2009! Listen to find out more.

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.

Learn the incredible story of Devin Booker, one of basketball's most exciting young shooting guards. As the 13th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Devin Booker become a prominent piece of the Suns franchise, as they continue rebuilding post-the-Steve-Nash-and-Mike-D'antoni era.

In Jimmy Butler: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Best All-Around Shooting Guards, you will learn the inspirational story of one of basketball's premier shooting guards, Jimmy Butler. Since quickly emerging as one of the key leaders of the Chicago Bulls franchise, Jimmy Butler has established himself as one of the best two-way players to play in today's game.

Candace Parker is a standout basketball star. Learn about her childhood and her rise to becoming a WNBA superstar.

Best-selling author and NBA all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar takes listeners on a tour through the segregated days of early basketball. Along the way, hoops icons like Charles Barkley, Julius Erving, and John Wooden share their thoughts, while broadcast legend Bob Costas narrates.

Learn the inspiring story of the Philadelphia 76ers' star center Joel Embiid! As the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Joel Embiid has emerged as one of the top centers to play in the modern league due to his ability to do close to everything. Whether it's rebounding, blocking shots, or making three pointers, Joel Embiid is close to the total package when it comes to finding a franchise player.

Learn the inspirational story of basketball's rising superstar point guard: Russell Westbrook. Russell Westbrook's ascent into the top ten point guards in the NBA amongst the likes of Chris Paul, Steve Nash, and Rajan Rondo has definitely been a surprise. From once struggling to make his high school varsity team to spending his freshman year at UCLA as a benchwarmer, few would have predicted that Russell Westbrook would be selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Kobe Bryant’s incredible, record-shattering basketball career reads like a road map for the pursuit of greatness. Though he came onto the NBA scene brimming with talent, it was his relentless work ethic, his tireless pursuit of knowledge, his unflappable confidence, and his turbo-charged ambition that drove him to become an icon with a lasting legacy. Kobe: Life Lessons from a Legend offers courtside seats to the breathtaking highs and game-changing lows of Kobe Bryant’s life and reveals valuable insights for anyone who wants to make their own lofty dreams come true.

Out of the greatest dynasty in American professional sports history, an intimate story of race, mortality, and regret. About to turn 90, Bob Cousy, the Hall of Fame Boston Celtics captain who led the team to its first six championships on an unparalleled run, has much to look back on in contentment. But he has one last piece of unfinished business. The last pass he hopes to throw is to close the circle with his great partner on those Celtic teams, fellow Hall of Famer Bill Russell, now 84.

In this New York Times best-seller, get the inside scoop into LeBron James's return - and ultimate triumph - in Cleveland. What really happened when LeBron James stunned the NBA by leaving a potential dynasty in Miami to come home to play with the Cleveland Cavaliers? How did the Cavs use secret meetings to put together the deal to add star Kevin Love? Who really made the controversial decision to fire coach David Blatt when the team was in first place? Where did the greatest comeback in NBA history truly begin-and end?

A man of deep passion and intensity, George Karl earned his bad boy reputation while playing at the University of North Carolina, a rap that continued through the five years he spent with the San Antonio Spurs - and long after he stopped playing. Karl's beery nights, fistfights, and barking followed him into a 35-year coaching career. In a game defined by big stakes and bigger egos, rabid fans and an unforgiving media, Karl was hired and fired a dozen times.

In Max Scherzer: The Inspiring Story of One of Baseball's All-Star Pitchers, you will learn the story of one of baseball's best pitchers, Max Scherzer. Max Scherzer has been one of the best pitchers since entering the pros in 2006. At the time of this writing, Scherzer has been selected as an All-Star eight times, won three Cy Young Awards, pitched two no-hitters, and notably won the World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. Scherzer has carved out quite the legacy for himself, and will go down as one of the best pitchers in modern history of the game.

Around three years old, Sabrina Ionescu picked up a basketball. While she had natural talent, Ionescu worked hard. In middle school there weren’t enough players for a girls’ basketball team. Ionescu wasn’t allowed on the boys’ team, but she didn’t give up. Instead, she recruited enough girls to make a team.

From the New York Times best-selling author of Return of the King comes the story of LeBron James' incredible transformation from basketball star to sports and business mogul.

At the height of the Great Depression, Sam Babb, the charismatic basketball coach of tiny Oklahoma Presbyterian College, began dreaming. Like so many others, he wanted a reason to have hope. Traveling from farm to farm, he recruited talented, hardworking young women and offered them a chance at a better life: a free college education if they would come play for his basketball team, the Cardinals. Despite their fears of leaving home and the sacrifices faced by their families, the women followed Babb and his dream.

From playground to pro court—this is where legends begin. Packed with inspiring stories of 25 basketball superstars, this book helps kids see what it really takes to succeed: hustle, heart, and never giving up. Each legend—from historic icons to today’s game-changers—has a story that motivates and teaches life lessons. Chapters include a life lesson, top 5 highlights, 10 fun facts, and a mini bio Features male and female players from different backgrounds and eras High-interest nonfiction for boys and girls ages 7–13 Great for classroom libraries, sports fans, and future MVPsThis ...

LeBron James: The Power of Hard Work, Leadership, and the Seven Habits of Success Before LeBron James became a four-time NBA champion, a league MVP, and one of the most influential athletes of all time, he was just a kid from Akron, Ohio, facing challenges that could have stopped him from ever stepping onto the court. Raised by a single mother who struggled to make ends meet, LeBron moved from home to home, often feeling like the odds were stacked against him. But instead of giving up, he made a choice—to work harder than anyone else, to believe in his dreams, and to never let his ...

The basketball rivalry between Duke and North Carolina is the fiercest and longest-running blood feud in college athletics, and perhaps in all of sports. To legions of otherwise reasonable adults, it is a conflict that surpasses athletics; it is rich against poor, locals against outsiders, even good against evil. In North Carolina, where both schools reside, it is a way of aligning oneself with larger philosophic ideals—of choosing teams in life—a tradition of partisanship that reveals the pleasures and even the necessities of hatred.

In 2012, Derrick Rose was on top of the world. After growing up in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, Rose achieved an improbable childhood dream: being selected first overall in the NBA draft by his hometown Chicago Bulls. The point guard was a phenom, winning the Rookie of the Year award and electrifying fans around the world. In 2011, he became the youngest MVP in league history. Rarely had a bond between a player and fans been so strong, as the city wrapped its arms around the homegrown hero.