Basketball (and Other Things): A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated

by Shea Serrano, Reggie Miller (Foreword), Arturo Torres (Illustrator)

SELECTED BY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS HE READ IN 2017 . ***No. 1 New York Times Bestseller*** ***Best Nonfiction Books of 2017 selection by Barnes & Noble*** ***Best Humor and Entertainment Books of 2017 selection by Amazon*** .Michael Jordan is the acknowledged greatest basketball player of all-time, but what season was Michael Jordan the best version of Michael Jordan? Who's in The Disrespectful Dunk Hall of Fame? What's allowed and absolutely not allowed in a game of pickup basketball? BASKETBALL (AND OTHER THINGS)  presents readers with a set of pivotal and ridiculous questions from basketball history, providing arguments and answers, explained with the wit and wisdom that is unique to Shea Serrano. Serrano breaks down debates that NBA fans didn't even know they needed, from the authoritative (Which NBA championship was the most important to the league?) to the fantastical (If you could assign different values to different shots throughout basketball history, what would they be and why?), with tangents and footnotes laser-ing out in all different directions, because that's how talking about basketball works, because that's how basketball works. .With incredible art from Arturo Torres, this book is a must-have for anyone who has ever stayed up late into the night debating basketball's greatest moments, what-ifs, stories, and legends, or for those who are discovering the mythology of basketball for the first time.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Basketball, Humor, Essays, Pop Culture, History

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2017

Reviews

[Thekelburrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Shout out to pasteurization."

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: this book will make you feel lonely.

If you like basketball as much as I (or Shea Serrano) do, it will make your confront the depth of your loneliness. You will find out there are other people in the world wondering which Michael Jordan is the best Michael Jordan (no, it's not the 37 ppg one), which disrespectful dunk is the most disrespectful of all-time, what can and can't you do in pick-up basketball (an official chart), etc. And it is not until one us writes a goddamn book about it that this loneliness will be broken, but in the most sublime possible way.

I loved BASKETBALL (AND OTHER THINGS). There were a couple extra chapters I would've shaved off (the Karl Malone/bear swap, the James Harden movie thing), but otherwise it is a celebration of everything that's beautiful about the sport of basketball that is more or less related to the sport itself. We can't be more than a 100 people in the world that care about these things, but I'm happy one of us could reach out to the others.

I loved this book and I may or may not love Shea Serrano despite him not knowing me. This is the kind of trouble you're stirring up by writing a book like this one.

[Sebastien · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend of mine got me this because she knows I love basketball. It's a super fun book and I really enjoy Serrano's writing style. The writing is clever, funny, irreverent, a bit wacky but truly well-crafted. I make a point of catching all his articles now (he writes for The Ringer, a sports/culture site I generally enjoy). He's also incredibly knowledgable and well-versed on the sport, so his analysis is interesting and insightful.

My favorite chapters had to with actual real-world basketball analysis. Usually that stuff can be boring and dry as hell, but Serrano has a peppy cleverness that brings all that stuff to life. The chapters I liked less were the theoretical whackjob scenarios. It's not that those chapters were bad, I mean who doesn't like imaging how hard it would be to dunk on Theodore Roosevelt? So while goofy and rather clever, those chapters were just less interesting based on my particular interests.

I also appreciated the chapter on how many years Kobe Bryant was the best player in the league. The answer according to Serrano is probably zero which pleased me in a petty way. I'm not completely anti-Kobe Bryant because he was a great player but I'm generally not a huge fan of relatively inefficient volume scorers (who also happen to have gotten away with seriously messed up stuff off the court, but that's a story for another day). Of course Kobe was also a very good defensive player but he always seemed like a lesser Michael Jordan imitation (there are worse players to imitate of course).

Anyways, great book. Highly recommend for anyone who likes basketball and clever writing with fun scenarios.

I also loved that Reggie Miller wrote the foreword. He was my absolute favorite player as a kid, loved seeing him torch those obnoxious hard-knock Knicks' squads, some beautiful memories right there ;)

[Lisa (NY)]

I tried.

[Maggie]

Shea is bae. Side-eyeing the hell out of the Reggie Miller foreword though. Was No One not available?

[Barnabas Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serrano is hilarious. I love his writing style and humor and voice. The chapters on what you can/can’t do in pickup ball are so perfect.

[Chris Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick fun fact about this book, I bought it at the Strand in NYC (I’m very cultured now).

If you are an NBA fan then you will love this book. It is such a fun and unique read. Some of the chapters were pretty random and weird, ex. “If Karl Malone and a Bear swapped places for a season, who would be more successful?” but some of them are very interesting to think about, ex. “What’s the most important NBA championship?” It was also very fun to read about certain plays or moments in NBA history that I have seen lots of times and could picture in my head as the author was describing them. Overall, this book helped remind me how much I love the game of basketball, which guarantees it a 5 star.

[Dennis Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a few interesting basketball questions the author attempts to answer and does so by establishing elaborate rules with which to evaluate his proposal. The problem is that many of the questions are just silly and the author's writing style is tedious. It reminds me of Bill Simmons on speed. There are constant references to pop culture and totally irrelevant comparisons.

That style is fine for a short piece on a web site or a magazine, but for a 200+ page book, well, I was glad to finish it.

[Isaac Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an out of body experience to read a book by someone else who experienced basketball in the 1990's as a child. This book is incredibly funny (I could read the script for James Harden's action movie every day for the rest of my life).

Only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because, like most comedy books, it is hard to read cover to cover. It's a perfect coffee table book.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. I ran hot and cold on the topics, but I really liked the structure (and footnotes). And it was fun to read this and then watch game moments on YouTube.

[nini · Rating 5 out of 5]

i had the time of my life reading this book can literally say nothing bad about it .. i can’t wait for tuesday i can’t wait for new eps on wednesday this is just footnote ☹️ but real ! ! !

side note: the art is epic thanks torres

[Diego Basadre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un viaje por la NBA de los últimos 30 años maravilloso. Muy divertido, con muchas referencias (me ha hecho ver dos películas que ya casi no recordaba de nuevo) y sobre todo muy ameno. No se hace pesado ningún capítulo, y eso que uno de los capítulos versa sobre si quién se adaptaría mejor: Karl Malone a la vida en un bosque o un oso a los Utah de la 97-98.

[Brian Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shea Serrano is my boyfriend.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you likes Bill Simmons book, its like that but much funnier.

[Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author gets too cute too often.

[Ryan Palm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a great time reading this while I have been substitute teaching and have had some downtime . This book gives me flashbacks to the heated debates my friends and I would have at our lunch table in middle school as well as high school. The chapter debating what the most disrespectful dunk of all time was had me almost crying with laughter. Highly recommend to all the basketball junkies out there!

[Tyler Lamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not actually done reading this book. I’m really not even that far into it. I feel completely comfortable giving it a 5/5 rating. It’s that good. If you’re a basketball fan it’s a must have. If you’re not, there’s a chance you should get it anyway.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easygoing and cleverly written, this book hits all of the marks it strives for. Not to mention the illustration is often hilarious. This book is the definition of fun for any basketball fan

Now back to thinkin about Dominique Wilkins dunking on Jesus...

[Michael Mulraney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, insightful, and tall. Shea Serrano’s BAOT, is a testament to hoops.

[Jenn Palomino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shea rocks. This book rocks. Basketball rocks. I learned so much (I’m not the most sports literate person so this was fun)! Fun read. I love the way Shea writes and I’ll support him always.

[Max D'onofrio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't get all the historical basketball references, but this book was a lot of fun nonetheless.

[Da Big · Rating 4 out of 5]

V entertaining but could have done without chapters such as the fake James Harden action movie script

[Ryan Elsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very niche. Will return circa March, as I am onto reading Dune.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much in the vain of Bill Simmons' "Book of Basketball", Serrano's version is focused on a smaller variety of whimsical questions about basketball's past and present, but questions that are very much in line with my interests.

Which vintage of Michael Jordan was the best vintage, or a year-by-year analysis of whether Kobe Bryant was ever actually the best player in the NBA were smartly done. Serrano easily shows his passion for the sport in his writing, and this makes a nice companion to Simmons' more complete "Book of BBall".

[Tim O'Hearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I feel I can go blow-for-blow with Shea on rap music, I know nothing about basketball. Not to say I'm not a basketball fan, but rather that I'm more of a fan of Shea Serrano than of the sport of basketball. Aside from a few quips which went entirely over my head, the book is accessible to all audiences (though family friendliness depends on the particular family). The few rap references had me salivating, but everything else that was thrown in, which might literally include the kitchen sink, makes for a spectacular book. The illustrations are lush, the writing is hilarious, and the use of the gerund "Voltroning" will hopefully lead to its wider adoption and inclusion in Merriam Webster. Shea shows depth with a few sections that are written non-traditionally, and though the abundance of footnotes can throw off the pacing, I'd find it hard to deny that Shea has reached all-star status with this one.

[Leif Quinlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for any literate person with a sense of humor - my eyes well with tears for the me that has already read this book and thus cannot read it for the first time. He is a sad man with nothing left to long for in life. He has reached the peak of human satisfaction and has only down to look forward to
If you haven't bought this book yet, please, please rethink your entire life

Shea Serrano is a G

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know 33 more things for the low price of $13 what a steal.

[Justin KM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shea is a great dude, clearly a nerd and enthusiast. Like a chicano Chuck Klosterman. The substantive stuff is consistently funny and creative, the personal digressions less so, but there isn’t too much of the latter (he's not quite as self-involved as Chuck).

Straight up shocked that a Ringer writer would say (correctly) that VC is the greatest dunker of all time, given what a bizarre moratorium on saying anything kind about the guy Bill Simmons seems to have in place. I always assumed Vince must have shunned Simmons for an interview request or slept with his wife or something.

It's chief sin is being uneven. Some chapters are completely missable - 17 and 18 being prime examples ('what if Michael Jordan was named Morgan Jordan'? You really thought you could stretch that for a whole chapter?). But others are excellent, like the List of Lists chapter (incl. 'best villains', 'best conspiracy theories', 'players most likely to lie to your face about something unimportant', although the latter shockingly did not include LeBron).

Among the hilarious takes are that J.J. Reddick probably has a nice penis (Serrano for some reason consistently favours “penis” above all other possible terms for that object) and why Derek Vinyard and Jim Halpern should be on your fantasy team. If none of that made you laugh or intrigued you, this book’s probably not for you.

Occasionally there are very neat stats too, like that Kobe missed more shot attempts than any player in the history of the L, or that he was the first guard drafted out of HS, or that D-Wade had the best Finals performance (per PER) of any player since the merger (including Jordan(!)).

I'm usually pretty forgiving re footnotes, being a typical ADD-stricken, Infinite Jest-loving Millennial Male…but man did Serrano go overboard with them. It was definitely annoying for my eyes to have to travel to another page like 5 times a minute to read some 6-word quip. Just incorporate more into the body dude.

And this has got to be a first for me for a book review but…I have to critique the literal typography? Like, aside from the fact that the size 9 font is difficult to read in itself….having differently coloured pages throughout the book has got to be the ultimate example of a fun idea that comes out in the writer’s room, until someone thinks it through and kills everyone’s buzz by explaining why it’s extremely stupid. In case you think I’m being a whiny little bitch here, just try to imagine reading several hundred words of small black text on a *dark brown page*. Full star off for this needless own-goal.

All told, a fun and informative, if occasionally frustrating, read for the 'heads' as Big Woz likes to say.

[Elijah Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This book is made up of 33 chapters. Each chapter is a different basketball question it needs to be answered. Some of them are obviously crucial (Example: What’s the most important NBA championship?) and some of them are secretly crucial (Example: Was Kobe Bryant a dork?). But all of them are approached in ways that I hope you think are smart and fun and nuanced. There are illustrations throughout the book and there some charts in it, too. Also, you should know ahead of time that some of these pieces go a bit so sideways sometimes, like the chapter that ends up just being the script of an action movie, or the other chapter that’s actually just a bunch of lists and nothing else. Basketball is fun.” This quote from Shea Serrano himself, PERFECTLY describes this book. This book is a book unlike any other you will ever read. This unique book deals with all sorts of debates on basketball. Anything from the usual, “Who’s the Greatest Player of All Time,” to “What’s the Order of the First Round of the Fictional Basketball Draft?” He also throws in his own personal experiences with basketball to add humor and yet, make these stories more relatable. His love for the sport and the passion to write such a detailed book on something that could have easily been made boring. His light hearted humor and the overall comedic, yet all fact based, odd facts about the NBA and its players is appealing to anyone who likes a good laugh and learn about the NBA at the same time.

Me being a huge basketball fan, I absolutely loved this book. This is a book that will never get old as I read it over and over again. I’m typically not the person to laugh out loud to books, but this book had me trying to catch my breath. If you are a fan of basketball, love to laugh, and enjoy a book whose author has a passion for what he writes, THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are part of the FOH ARMY, then you know Shea Serrano's unique voice. This book feels exactly like so many conversations I've had with friends and family about sports debating ridiculous lists, diving into mid-90's Sonics memories, and talking sports hypotheticals. Shea can seamlessly bring those conversations to the pages of this beautiful book.

The book is a collection of essays answering fun questions about all things NBA supported by fun charts and truly beautiful illustrations by Arturo Torres. I particularly liked the chapters, "Which Dunks are on the Disrespectful Dunk Hall of Fame?" and "Which Was the Most Perfect Duo in NBA History?" Don't skip over the footnotes! Shea uses them in hilarious and informative ways that only amplify the voice fans of his have come to know.

I can't stress enough how beautiful the paperback version of this book is. The quality is extremely high I think that this version is the best way to truly appreciate the art.

Read this book straight through or read a chapter when you feel like settling in for a laugh. You'll enjoy it either way.