Kobe Bryant is a legend - The Rise is a fascinating look at his early life and how he became regarded as one of basketball's greatest-ever players. Kobe Bryant's death in January 2020 did more than rattle the worlds of sports and celebrity. It took the tragedy of that helicopter crash to reveal the full breadth and depth of Kobe's influence. By tracing and telling the oft-forgotten and lesser-known story of his early life, The Rise promises to provide an unparalleled insight into Kobe. In The Rise, readers travel from the cracked concrete basketball courts of Philadelphia in the 1960s and 70s - where Kobe's father, Joe, became a playground, college and professional stand-out - to the majesty and isolation of Europe, where Kobe spent his formative years, and to the leafy suburbs of Lower Merion, where Kobe's legend was born. The story ends with his leading Lower Merion to the 1995-96 Pennsylvania state championship - a true underdog run for a team with just one star player, Kobe - and with the 1996 NBA draft, where Kobe's dream of playing pro basketball culminated with his acquisition by the Los Angeles Lakers. With exclusive access to a series of never-before-released interviews during Bryant's senior season and early days in the NBA, and tapes and transcripts which have preserved Kobe's thoughts, dreams and goals from his teenage years for a quarter-century, Mike Sielski's The Rise uncovers insights and stories that have never been revealed before. This is an exploration of the making of an icon and the effect of his development on those around him - the essence of the man before he truly became a man.

Hoop Dreams on Wheels is a life-history study of wheelchair athletes associated with a premier collegiate wheelchair basketball program. The book, which grapples with the intersection of biography and history in society, situates the study in broader context with background on the history and sociology of disability and disability sports. It documents the development and evolution of the basketball program and tells the individual life stories of the athletes, highlighting the formative interpersonal and institutional experiences that influenced their agentive actions and that helped them achieve success in wheelchair sports. It also examines divisions within the disability community that reveal both empowering and disempowering aspects of competitive wheelchair athletics, and it explores some of the complexities and dilemmas of disability identity in contemporary society. The book is intended to be read by a general audience as well as by students in college courses on disability, sports, social problems, deviance, medical sociology and anthropology, and introductory sociology. It also will be of interest to scholars in the sociology of disability, sociology of sports, and medical humanities, as well as life-history researchers and professionals in the fields of physical education, therapeutic recreation, and rehabilitative counseling.

This book illustrates correct techniques and demonstrates how to achieve optimal results in basketball. It covers exercises or skills, participants, action involved, rules, facility or field, scoring and etiquette, and focuses on skills and drills or program design.

Legendary trainer Tim Grover's internationally acclaimed training program used by the pros, including Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant--now completely revised, updated, and expanded, with 100 new photos.
Since 1989 when Tim Grover began training Michael Jordan, hundreds of elite competitors have turned to Grover to become stronger, faster, and more powerful, both physically and mentally. From Jordan to Kobe Bryant to Dwyane Wade and countless other superstars, Grover's revolutionary methods have made the best even better, year after year.
In "Jump Attack," Grover shares the revolutionary program he uses to train the pros. A fitness bible for athletes around the world, this three-phase, twelve-week program has been completely updated with new exercises and workouts as well as cutting-edge information on training, nutrition, longevity, injury prevention, and more. Devised for explosive power, quickness, endurance, and agility, this intensely challenging workout pushes athletes out of their comfort zones, tests their capacity to go harder, and turns "I can't" into "Just try and stop me."
You don't have to be an elite athlete to benefit from Grover's program--but you can attain the mindset of a champion through the physical program outlined in this complete plan. Says Grover: "This is how my pros do it. If you want to become more explosive, stronger, and faster, if you want to jump higher and improve your overall athletic performance in any sport, this is exactly how we do it today: This program is the difference between jumping and taking flight."

How was basketball born? Why is the area in the paint and around the free throw circle known as the key? When did the NBA begin play? What team was arguably the worst NBA squad ever? Who was the highest drafted college player who never played a single game in the NBA? This book provides over 100 questions and detailed answers concerning the traditions, rules, and history of basketball. Organized by the sport's three eras--its birth through 1945, the NBA from 1946 through 1999, and the game today--it answers questions about the sport at all levels, from college games to the Olympics. A bonus chapter provides a who, what, when, where, why, and how of basketball--the perfect resource to settle arguments or to answer challenging trivia questions.

A thoroughly obsessive, intermittently uplifting, and occasionally unbiased account of the Duke-North Carolina basketball rivalry

The most up-to-date and in-depth book on the business of professional team sports Pro team sports are the biggest and most important sector of international sport business Strong focus on applied analysis and performance measurement, invaluable real-world skills Covers sports, teams and leagues all over the world from the EPL to the NFL Addresses key themes from ownership and competitive balance to media revenue and the role of agents

There is no event in sports quite like the Final Four. John Feinstein will explore what it means to a school, a coach and a player to be in the Final Four or even at The Final. There are moving stories of players and coaches who thought they'd never make it to college basketball's final weekend, spectacular triumphs of the winning teams and heartbreaking defeat of those who missed the cut. He also brings us inspiring and dramatic stories from people behind the scenes: from officials and referees to scouts and ticket-scalpers. With the unflinching eye of a seasoned reporter and the remarkable skill of a true storyteller, Feinstein exposes the driving force behind one of the most revered events in American sports.

The late 1960s and early 1970s, in New York City and America at large, were years marked by political tumult, social unrest . . . and the best professional basketball ever played. Paradise, for better or worse, was a hardwood court in midtown Manhattan.

Harvey Araton has followed the Knicks, old and new, for decades--first as a teenage fan, then as a young sports reporter with the New York Post, and now as a writer and columnist for the New York Times. When the Garden Was Eden is the definitive account of the New York Knicks in their vintage pomp. With measured prose and shoe-leather reporting, Araton relives their most glorious triumphs and bitter rivalries, and casts light on a team all but forgotten outside of pregame highlight reels and nostalgic reunions at the Garden.

The Only Resource You Need for a Standout Season

All basketball coaches can use some fresh ideas for practice drills, game plays and strategies. Whether you are coaching beginners who need a place to start, or a successful team that just needs polish, "Basketball Drills, Plays, and Strategies" is a resource you can trust to produce positive results on the court.

With over 160 drills and plays, this book covers every aspect of your season. It will help you run efficient and effective practices and improve your game in live competition. Step-by-step instructions, accompanied by diagrams and illustrations walk you and your players through every step of the way. Areas of the game that are covered in detail include:

• Fundamental skills like dribbling, shooting, passing, and rebounding
• Offense and defense
• Inbound and tip-off plays
• Presses and press breaks
• Conditioning drills

Because each drill and play includes adjustments to make things easier for beginners and more difficult for advanced players, you will be able to rely on this resource throughout your coaching career no matter what level you are working with. So don't let time run out--start preparing for your next season today

The story of global sport is the story of expansion from local development to globalized industry, from recreational to marketized activity. Alongside that, each sport has its own distinctive history, sub-cultures, practices and structures. This ambitious new volume offers state-of-the-art overviews of the development of every major sport or classification of sport, examining their history, socio-cultural significance, political economy and international reach, and suggesting directions for future research. Expert authors from around the world provide varied perspectives on the globalization of sport, highlighting diverse and often underrepresented voices. By putting sport itself in the foreground, this book represents the perfect companion to any social scientific course in sport studies, and the perfect jumping-off point for further study or research. The Routledge Handbook of Global Sport is an essential reference for students and scholars of sport history, sport and society, the sociology of sport, sport development, sport and globalization, sports geography, international sports organizations, sports cultures, the governance of sport, sport studies, sport coaching or sport management.

With a new introduction, Phil Jackson's modern classic of motivation, teamwork, and Zen insight is updated for a whole new readership"Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball." --Phil Jackson Eleven years ago, when Phil Jackson first wrote these words in Sacred Hoops, he was the triumphant head coach of the Chicago Bulls, known for his Zen approach to the game. He hadnt yet moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he would bring his total to an astounding nine NBA titles. In his thought-provoking memoir, he revealed how he directs his players to act with a clear mind--not thinking, just doing; to respect the enemy and be aggressive without anger or violence; to live in the moment and stay calmly focused in the midst of chaos; to put the "me" in service of the "we"--all lessons applicable to any person's life, not just a professional basketball player's. This inspiring book went on to sell more than 400,000 copies. In his new introduction, Jackson explains how the concepts in Sacred Hoops are relevant to the issues facing his current team--and today's reader.

'A feast for anyone interested in the secrets of excellence.' Andre Agassi, winner of eight Grand Slam titles and bestselling author of Open For fans of Charles Duhig, Malcolm Gladwell and Nate Silver, a brilliant and buoyant investigation into the existence (or not) of hot streaks. For decades, psychologists and economists have studied the science of streaks to determine whether the 'hot hand' exists. Is there such a thing as being in the zone? Or it simply a case of seeing patterns in randomness? Genius scholars and Nobel Prize winners have dedicated years to answering this question. A substantial number of the decisions we make each day are rooted in two opposing beliefs: that if something happened before, it will happen again - or if it happened before, it probably won't happen again. The Hot Hand is an incredibly entertaining and provocative investigation into the seductive idea that streaks not only exist but can be created. Every day we look for patterns in coincidence, and coincidence in patterns. Is there a hidden logic that defies our basic understanding of probability? If we recognize someone has a hot hand, can we adjust to take advantage? If we mistakenly assume they have the hot hand, what are the costs? What happens when we're wrong - and what happens when maybe we were right all along? To answer these questions, Ben Cohen embarks on a kaleidoscopic investigation that ranges from the magical night that forever changed NBA's superstar Stephen Curry's life to a billionaire investor who made a fortune betting against streaks; the mystery of a missing World War II hero to the authentication of a lost Van Gogh painting; how Shakespeare's success was abetted by a flea to how Spotify had to make its shuffle feature less random to feel more random. The Hot Hand takes us to the jungles of the Amazon, a sugar-beet farm in the northern United States, and strip mall arcades to show us how recognition of patterns can be both fruitful - and disastrous.

Master this one-of-a-kind, miniature basketball game! Kit includes: * Easy-to-assemble basketball hoop with backboard and suction cup base that attaches to a desk or tabletop surface. Measures approximately 5" high when assembled. * Mini rubber basketball * 32-page rule book on Desktop Basketball

"A thrilling, cinematic story. I loved every minute I spent with these bold, daring women whose remarkable journey is the stuff of American legend." --Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy The Boys in the Boat meets A League of Their Own in this true story of a Depression-era championship women's team. In the early 1930s, during the worst drought and financial depression in American history, Sam Babb began to dream. Like so many others, this charismatic Midwestern basketball coach wanted a reason to have hope. Traveling from farm to farm near the tiny Oklahoma college where he coached, Babb recruited talented, hardworking young women and offered them a chance at a better life: a free college education in exchange for playing on his basketball team, the Cardinals. Despite their fears of leaving home and the sacrifices that their families would face, the women joined the team. And as Babb coached the Cardinals, something extraordinary happened. These remarkable athletes found a passion for the game and a heartfelt loyalty to one another and their coach--and they began to win. Combining exhilarating sports writing and exceptional storytelling, Dust Bowl Girls takes readers on the Cardinals' intense, improbable journey all the way to an epic showdown with the prevailing national champions, helmed by the legendary Babe Didrikson. Lydia Reeder captures a moment in history when female athletes faced intense scrutiny from influential figures in politics, education, and medicine who denounced women's sports as unhealthy and unladylike. At a time when a struggling nation was hungry for inspiration, this unlikely group of trailblazers achieved much more than a championship season.

Twenty-four million people wager nearly $3 billion on college basketball pools each year, but few are aware that winning strategies have been developed by researchers at Harvard, Yale, and other universities over the past two decades. Bad advice from media sources and even our own psychological inclinations are often a bigger obstacle to winning than our pool opponents. Profit opportunities are missed and most brackets submitted to pools don't have a breakeven chance to win money before the tournament begins. Improving Your NCAA (R) Bracket with Statistics is both an easy-to-use tip sheet to improve your winning odds and an intellectual history of how statistical reasoning has been applied to the bracket pool using standard and innovative methods. It covers bracket improvement methods ranging from those that require only the information in the seeded bracket to sophisticated estimation techniques available via online simulations. Included are: Prominently displayed bracket improvement tips based on the published research A history of the origins of the bracket pool A history of bracket improvement methods and their results in play Historical sketches and background information on the mathematical and statistical methods that have been used in bracket analysis A source list of good bracket pool advice available each year that seeks to be comprehensive Warnings about common bad advice that will hurt your chances Tom Adams' work presenting bracket improvement methods has been featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and SmartMoney magazine.