Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
1st out of 7 books
—
4 voters
FreeDarko Presents: The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History
The history of basketball has always belonged to champions like the Celtics, the Lakers, and the Bulls. Yet the game's history cuts much deeper than that. The bottom line, the record books and retired jerseys, can never fully do justice to this wild, chaotic, and energetic game. In between the championships, there's the sight of Earl Monroe, spinning and cajoling his way t...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
October 26th 2010
by Bloomsbury USA
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
639)
Jan 18, 2011
Patrick Brown
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
basketball fans, fans of great writing
Shelves:
sports,
best-of-2010
I wrote a "Staff Pick" for this on The Millions. Please read it, as I think it speaks to what I loved about the book. I won't repeat that review here, because I think it's tacky, but also because I have some more thoughts on the book, thoughts I couldn't really fit into that mini-essay.
1. I am not a huge NBA fan, surprisingly enough. I am an enormous and dedicated college basketball fan (Go Cuse!), but I have never been able to translate that love into a love for the pro game. I enjoy watching t...more
1. I am not a huge NBA fan, surprisingly enough. I am an enormous and dedicated college basketball fan (Go Cuse!), but I have never been able to translate that love into a love for the pro game. I enjoy watching t...more
My standard for this kind of book--a book that looks fairly intensely at stats and other aspects of the game to reveal and re-evaluate--is Bill James's Historical Baseball Abstracts.[return][return]The FreeDarko collective comes from the world of blogging rather than the world of numbers crunching and historical research. So, in comparison to our Jamesian benchmark, FreeDarko's books are less insightful and revelatory, but lighter, funnier and far better illustrated. [return][return]For the cont...more
"Not having been around for much of the material we've covered in these pages, we have had to... creatively interpret history-- a process at best curatorial; at worst revisionist. But what has remained constant-- and what has kept us honest-- was a concerted attempt to honor the players, games, and stories we got to know along the way."
Sportswriting, and more recently, blogging, often come off as sub-journalistic endeavors where assertions of personality trump all other considerations, yet the g...more
Sportswriting, and more recently, blogging, often come off as sub-journalistic endeavors where assertions of personality trump all other considerations, yet the g...more
FreeDarko delivers again with another incredible basketball book. Not intended to be a comprehensive history of professional basketball, but rather a document to a game always in motion. Some big events and teams are barely mentioned here because they've already gotten their say in other books. Instead, the FreeDarko writers spent time on what they thought matters, even if it was a player that most people haven't heard of (Maurice Stokes - who knocked his skull against the hardwood one game but...more
This book was a very interesting look at professional basketball history from the random "cager" leagues early in the 20th Century until today. The tone is an interesting mix of reverence for the sport the authors of the Free Darko High Council love and a lighthearted look where no character is sacrosanct (except perhaps for Bill Russell). It might not be quite as excellent as FreeDarko presents The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game, but it is a qui...more
I enjoyed it more than Simmons' Book of Basketball but less than Macrophenomenal (maybe because there are not as many neat infographics?). There are still many thoughtful and visually pleasing infographics and prints. The book is on the verge of being too cerebral, but that is its strength that sets it apart from the rest. Many tasty and useful factoids (Popovich has extensive intelligence training which may spill over to his coaching tactics) and bits of philosophical wisdom ("The difference be...more
I picked this up for two reasons: 1. the authors' website and 2. there are a lot of gaps in my knowledge of basketball history. Unlike baseball, the sport has never truly embraced its past as part of its identity. I've gotten away from basketball over the years, in no small part from having moved to a state where no one cares about the sport, so it was fun to dive back in and learn a few new things.
While not comprehensive, this book covers all the major milestones and trends from when the first...more
While not comprehensive, this book covers all the major milestones and trends from when the first...more
This second book by the guys at Free Darko is much better than the first. This eccentric look at basketball history manages to hit the important points while also highlighting some lesser known stories that serve to give the reader a fresh perspective on the game. It was interesting to find out how brutal the game was in the very early years, and also to read about some players lost in the cracks of the 70s. The double-page illustrations are awesome and the charts and graphs actually convey info...more
Free Darko was a NBA blog unlike no other. Sometimes bizarre, but often inspired and never unoriginal, the Free Darko guys were dedicated to reinterpreting the NBA (but never Darko Milicic) through their own distinct visions. Their 1st book was a group of essays about current players, their playing styles and their significance to the game. This book takes a different tack by going back to the very beginning of the game starting with Dr. James Naismith and explains how the NBA evolved into what...more
Except from What I've Been Reading: FreeDarko Presents: The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History:
"I love great writing. I worship at the altar of Steinbeck, always searching for beautiful prose. And for that reason, I’ve always found a lot of enjoyment in FreeDarko – basketball writing with a literary slant.
With a joy for the game unlike any other. With passion. With soul.
The Free Darko collective’s first book (FreeDarko Presents: The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac) was sublime. Bu...more
"I love great writing. I worship at the altar of Steinbeck, always searching for beautiful prose. And for that reason, I’ve always found a lot of enjoyment in FreeDarko – basketball writing with a literary slant.
With a joy for the game unlike any other. With passion. With soul.
The Free Darko collective’s first book (FreeDarko Presents: The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac) was sublime. Bu...more
The first book-length offering from the FreeDarko collective was brash and creative but hardly awe-inspiring. This collection of historical essays, however, constitutes a major work by both scholarly and popular standards. Bill Simmons' the Book of Basketball was jam-packed and rambling; the Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History is precise, erudite, and brilliant. If someone writes a better series of sports essays or designs a more aesthetically pleasing book, I'll, uh...well, let's just sa...more
This is a book of essays on pro basketball from the earliest years up until the present. Many of them are quite good (the one about Bill Russell, the one about Jordan's dominance, the one about the marketing of young 90s NBA stars). The illustrations and info graphics are top notch. I wish it was a little longer and went into depth on a few more players. The writers seem to only write about the players and issues they are most passionate about, which makes it a great read, if not incredibly thor...more
Excellent and entertaining history of Basketball. If you are mildly interested in Basketball this is definitely a great read. Lively and colorful, this book depicts the earliest days of basketball all the way through 2010.
My only complaint is that I am a Laker fan and this book has pages and pages and chapters on the Celtics, Spurs, Bulls, Suns and in the entire book the Lakers get about a page and a half worth of text, most of it negative. So boo on all that, but that aside, it's really good!
My only complaint is that I am a Laker fan and this book has pages and pages and chapters on the Celtics, Spurs, Bulls, Suns and in the entire book the Lakers get about a page and a half worth of text, most of it negative. So boo on all that, but that aside, it's really good!
I love these guys. Their overall approach is so creative and encapsulating. I'd like to see FD branch out more and do different areas of life. I'd read anything they write. FD on cooking or music or any number of other branches of entertainment would be great!
I liked this one better than the Macrophenomenal Almanac, although it's not quite so loopily over-the-top. The FreeDarko lens of style-as-sport is a nice way to take in a bit of NBA history. A bit slim, but that's probably in reaction to the Simmons' brick. Three solid stars.
Brilliant writing style. Anyone who considers themselves a basketball fan and has wondered about the origins of the league and the players who made it in to what it is today should pick this book up.
Series of excellent essays on Pro Basketball. The graphics are outstanding and highlight of the book. Not a complete or thorough history, it does give the flavors of the decades.
A wonderfully written history of professional basketball that is both informative and visually appealing. The FreeDarko books take social issues and memory and how they relate to pro-basketball's history. If you're a basketball fan, it's a must read.
Liked this better than Simmon's book. Much more concise, good highlights from the different eras, great graphical representation of some information.
One of the best basketball history books I have read. Witty and every bit as insightful as the Free Darko blog. The ability to make the history relevant to today and seem current is the highlight of the book.
Interesting and helpful. Broadened my understanding of the game.
Yes to this. Emphatically yes.
Fantastic infographics.
Gets a little too cute at times, but its stylized approach is in keeping with the spirit of the game and unearths quite a bit of insight. The Charles Barkley essay and their explanation of the 00s Spurs' muted dominance are outstanding.
A filtered look at the history of professional basketball, full of interesting unknown factoids (I would consider myself fairly knowledgeable on this stuff and I learned a whole lot) and graceful, reverent words.
Essential basketball reading.
Jun 17, 2013
Ty Plate
marked it as to-read
Jun 16, 2013
Joe
marked it as to-read
Jun 16, 2013
Nolen Bailey
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Jan 19, 2011 11:15am