With intimate, fly-on-the-wall detail, "When the Game Was Ours" transports readers to an electric era of basketball and reveals for the first time the inner workings of two players--Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson--dead set on besting one another.

"The definitive biography of Charles Barkley, exploring his early childhood, his storied NBA career, and his enduring legacy as a provocative voice in American pop culture. He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large. Yet few people know the real...

With startling honesty and an unmistakable voice, Dr. J is a historic self-portrait of an American legend, Julius "The Doctor" Erving. With his flights of improvisation around the basket and his towering afro, Julius Erving became one of the most charismatic (and revolutionary) players basketball has ever known. But while the public has long revered this cultural icon, few have ever known of the double life of Julius Erving. Dr. J traces the inner...

"Though not as widely known as other basketball legends, hall-of-famer Elgin Baylor was one of the game's all-time greatest players-an innovative athlete, team player, and quiet force for change. A member of the early, scrappy NBA and one of the first professional African American players, Elgin (b. 1934) played in the late 1950s and early 1960s for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, taking risks on and off the court. Known for his acrobatic style...

This book discusses LeBron's youth and family in Akron, Ohio, his accomplishments in high school and college, and his record as a professional basketball player with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Elgin Baylor's memoir of an epic all-star career in the NBA--during which he transformed basketball from a horizontal game to a vertical one--and his fights against racism during his career as a player and as general manager of the LA Clippers under the infamous Donald Sterling. People think of Elgin Baylor as one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game--and one of the NBA's first black superstars--but the full extent of his...

"It takes truly special athletes to be superstars, whether they're catching touchdowns, scoring goals, or slamming home acrobatic dunks. The Sport Superstars series takes a look at some of these legendary athletes, their origin stories, and how they have influenced their sport"--Cover page 4.

LeBron James: NBA Champion examines the life and career of a player who's been in the spotlight since he was in middle school and rose out of poverty to become an NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, and world-famous philanthropist. Features include a timeline, a glossary, further readings, websites, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a...

Details of James's life as a young man struggling in his home life to his rise to fame and fortune on the basketball court are illustrated in full-color photos in this biography. Fans get an inside look into the events that made him a star, how he keeps himself grounded amid media attention, and the sometimes negative fan reactions to his decisions. This glimpse of the person behind the athlete reveals a person dedicated to programs that benefit children...

"Ray Scott was part of the early wave of Black NBA players like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who literally changed how the game of professional basketball is played-leading to the tremendously popular financial blockbuster the NBA is today. Scott was a celebrated 6'9" forward/center after being chosen by the Detroit Pistons as the #4 pick of the 1961 NBA draft, and then again after he was named head coach of the Pistons...