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Basketball: A Love Story

Jackie MacMullan,

Rafe Bartholomew,

Dan Klores

4.20 · Rating details · 1,001 ratings · 115 reviews

A sweeping and revelatory history of basketball, drawing upon hundreds of hours of interviews with the greatest players, coaches, executives, and journalists in the history of the game.

In an effort to tell the complete story of basketball in all its fascinating dimensions, celebrated journalists Jackie Macmullan and Rafe Bartholomew have compiled nearly a thousand hours' w ...more

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Published September 18th 2018 by Books on Tape

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Jul 06, 2019 Scott rated it it was amazing

A thorough and nostalgic history of basketball, told mainly by weaving individual’s quotes together. The format is a little off-putting at first, but the insight from the individuals is so great, that it eventually begins to flow. I had so much nostalgia, especially reading about Magic vs Bird and Arvydas Sabonis. I also learned a lot about the early racism in the game and gambling scandals that almost derailed it.

The quote that resonated with my love of basketball the most was from Charlie Sco ...more

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Oct 28, 2018 P rated it it was amazing

I have never been a fan of longform "oral histories" online. It's a format where they gather the opinions of a varied field of experts on a topic, and quote them and order it to sound like a conversation among old heads. I always knew it had its value... but it never appealed to me.

This is an oral history of the NBA.

And it's great.

I am not sure there was a single chapter I didn't love.

Additionally, I've read a number of books on basketball and basketball's history, and I still somehow learned qu ...more

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Nov 27, 2019 Brian rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Just a fun, love infused, interview based book.
If you’re a junkie, there’s enough here.
If you’re a fan (like me), there’s a lot of little things you didn’t know that you’ll learn (and familiar stories told campifre style)
If you’ve never thought about basketball, you’re going to appreciate the way the narrative weaves itself through the last 90 years of American history with love and a perspective you maybe haven’t seen before.

Really enjoyable, easy to digest; the palate cleanser I needed.

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Nov 19, 2018 Rives Coleman rated it it was amazing

An absolutely stunning book with interviews with basketball s greatest players coaches writers general managers . It crossed the borders on many tough subjects and did not skirt anything in the tales. I loved every page of this book.

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Jan 19, 2020 Thomas added it · review of another edition

My expectations for this novel were truly exceeded after reading this novel. I love basketball, so being able to read about all the stroies that my parents tell me is pretty cool. My parents always talk about Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and the Celtics team that won multiple championships in a row. It was just remarkable to read these stories and really feel what it was like from the main characters perspective's. The novel is filled with multiple stories going all the way back to the beginning o My expectations for this novel were truly exceeded after reading this novel. I love basketball, so being able to read about all the stroies that my parents tell me is pretty cool. My parents always talk about Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and the Celtics team that won multiple championships in a row. It was just remarkable to read these stories and really feel what it was like from the main characters perspective's. The novel is filled with multiple stories going all the way back to the beginning of the sport. It may be confusing for some readers because the stories within the book change every chapter.

One key characteristic of the book that I enjoyed was that it was set up in an interview format. For example, one of the chapters is about the Dream Team. The Dream Team was a team with all American NBA players that went to Barcelona to compete in the 1992 summer olympic games. The speakers were the members of the dream team and other important figures involved with this event. One down fall of this set up is that it isvery inconsistent and jumps around from place to place, some people might enjoy that while other might have a tough time reading it.

The novel also contains multiple uses of imagery throughout the entire book. The uses of imagery that are used help to give you an idea of what happened during a specific time or event. This is a good trait that can be used to help someone understand something that they didn't see. I wasn't alive when most of the events mentioned in this novel took place. These uses of imagery help give me an idea of what happened. One story was the Mighty Macs. The mighty macs were a womens team from Immaculta College. Cathy Rush came to coach the team and lead them to a championship. The uses of imagry that were mentioned in the book helped give me a picture of what the team looked like (not physically, but skill wise). This novel makes these stories sound so amazing, that I wish I was able to see this events when they took place.

The last characteristic of this novel is that the events are put in order of when they occured. The novel starts off with events that took place in the 1950's and then the events move throughout the book in chronological order ending with what the game is like in the present day. The first events that are listed were the celtics vs lakers in the 1950's (not the larry bird/magic johnson rivalry). After this the the book moves in order from this event through the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, and ending at the 2010's when the book was written. I personally thought that this was a characteristic that helped the book stand out because it doesn't stay on the same story throughout the entire book, but it does flow through time in order which I personally liked.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the sport of basketball, likes to read about nostalgic events, or likes reading about events from the past. I would guess that the people who like the sport of basketball would love to read about it, just because they love everything basketball. Another group of people would be an older group of people because they were able to see and view the events as they were happening. My parents would probably read it if they had time because it would bring back memories of them watching back when they were kids. The last group of people would just be people that like reading about stuff that happened in the past. They don't have to like the sport, but they could just enjoy reading it because it happened in past decades which they could find interesting.

So to conclude this review, I believe that Basketball: A Love Story is a great book to read. This is a book that has a few great characteristics that make it such a good read. ...more

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Nov 02, 2018 Logan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction, sports

An epic tome and an absolute must read for any basketball fan. As someone who only watched basketball during the 90s and now since 2014 I was endlessly fascinated by the stories from eras I didn't witness. As a modern fan it brought so much context to the current culture and playstyle of the game. The oral history style of most of the book does great justice to all the interesting personalities of the game and makes sure that the story told is an honest one.

I was also so pleasantly surprised by ...more

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Nov 23, 2018 Dean rated it liked it

3.5 stars. ESPN recently put together a show based on hundreds on interviews with important figures in the world of basketball who talk about why they love the sport and what it has meant to them. Participants also describe various eras including the John Wooden era at UCLA, the rise of the ABA, and the Bird-Magic, Celtics-Lakers battles of the 1980s.

I have not seen the video; my brother tells me it's great. However, I have now read most of the book that was assembled from those interviews. Like ...more

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Dec 13, 2018 Nate rated it it was amazing

This book is a companion to ESPN's ten hour documentary of the same name but stands on it's own as an oral history of college and professional basketball. The shear volume of interview subjects in the book is staggering as is the positivity starting with athlete after athlete describing how and why they first fell in love with basketball to Magic Johnson's words that close out the book. While I would have loved a little more about woman's basketball in the book and due to her untimely illness an ...more

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Jan 07, 2019 Joseph Stieb rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sports

While there are only so many ways that basketball players can say "I love basketball," this is a really entertaining and well-compiled oral history of all kinds of hoops topics. It has some of the classics (Wilt and Russell, Bird v Magic, the ABA) and then some more compelling and historically relevant thematic sections (racial integration of basketball, the rise of the women's game, the international game). The book is well-paced, and it avoids the drift and lack of structure that plagues many ...more

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Jul 14, 2019 Mwalizadeh rated it it was amazing

At first, I was skeptical of the writing / quoting style. But it hits a groove, and the added story lines and different perspectives come out smoothly and entertaining way. The chapters on the social, racial and gender struggles were really interesting. As well as the MJ23 and Lakers-Celtics chapters. Good stuff. This book will not make you a basketball fan. But Definitely recommend it for basketball fans.

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May 03, 2020 Sam rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction, overdrive, audiobook, sports, library

This was a great book - an oral history of the game. They cover a broad variety of topics from gambling to the Dream Team to the WNBA to MJ. Because you're hearing from the players and coaches directly, you can sense their love for the sport, and that translates to the reader. It's not quite as good as actually watching basketball, but since we don't have that option right now, I'll take this book! ...more

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Mar 01, 2019 Patrick Freeman rated it it was amazing

I recommend this book for someone who loves the game of basketball. This book provides incredible commentary for the most intense basketball rivalries and players. I personally loved this book because the stories within the book really interested me. I could connect to the intensity to playing basketball. I realized how intense playoff basketball was a long time ago.

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Nov 20, 2018 Darryl Spicer rated it it was amazing

For those who love basketball this is a gem of a book.
Within the pages are gems of insights and understanding of the game, it takes you from looking at the game at a superficial level.

Sure its format may not be to every one 's taste.
But I enjoyed it ...more

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Nov 23, 2018 Alexander Fitzgerald rated it it was amazing

Flawless.

This is one of my favorite audiobooks of all time.

The players and the coaches discussing every era in their own words. Nothing less. Nothing more. Absolutely perfect.

There was so much competitive wisdom in each passage. I didn't want it to end. ...more

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Dec 05, 2018 Gavin McLean rated it it was amazing

If you love basketball you will love this book.

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Mar 09, 2019 Saxon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

"Basketball: A Love Story" elegantly weaves together the views and thoughts of dozens of influential players/coaches/writers/administrators into a series of wonderful episodes in basketball history, united around a mutual love of basketball. An oral history of the finest caliber, I think the long-term value of this book rests primarily in the preservation of the words and experiences of the oldest remaining NBA players. First and foremost, this is a piece of history. This is clear, as most of th "Basketball: A Love Story" elegantly weaves together the views and thoughts of dozens of influential players/coaches/writers/administrators into a series of wonderful episodes in basketball history, united around a mutual love of basketball. An oral history of the finest caliber, I think the long-term value of this book rests primarily in the preservation of the words and experiences of the oldest remaining NBA players. First and foremost, this is a piece of history. This is clear, as most of the coverage was pre-1980 and little was post-Jordan. This was a wise choice, as it gives the page count to the legends, the old guard, whose stories may not be as well known today and inspired each generation after them. As the NBA's early decades leave living memory, keeping that story alive is vital. That also means this book could easily be twice as long with deeper coverage on more recent topics or the connective sections that largely eschew the oral history format.

On the bad, an occasional quote feels not quite properly placed. Sometimes a relevant individual gets surprising low word counts compared to everyone else. These do seem like potential pitfalls of the oral history format. I would also note that, in response to another review I read, I think would agree there was a bit too much Bill Simmons (and I'm a longtime fan). At the very least, it felt like his quotes were just asides that if you weren't a reader/listener of his, seem like oddly chosen things to say on the topic (though a least we didn't get a Jordan gambling debts-baseball aside). On the other hand, I have never liked Stephen A. Smith and I liked everything he had to say here. Go figure.

I hate to say it, but I can't describe this book without expressing that it felt incomplete. Despite the 150+ interviews compiled within, some key people were missing. Obviously, multiple deceased individuals could not speak for themselves(I'm most disappointed by Dean Smith, Pat Summitt, and Wilt Chamberlain), but where are Jordan, Kareem and Duncan/Popovich? By the end, I found myself looking back to see if I missed them, which is a horrible feeling in a book filled with so much knowledge and love for the game of basketball. I didn't notice the lack of Karl Malone, John Stockton, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Kevin McHale, Jason Kidd, or multiple others until I closed the book, but those four are inseparable from the NBA/basketball story and are still alive. Their absence is disappointing in comparison with the comprehensive nature of the rest of the book. I can only assume some people were unavailable for one reason or another. It is just a shame.

Overall, I would read this book if you love the game of basketball, the NBA, sports histories, and especially oral histories. You may have heard the stories multiple times, especially if you are a longtime fan, but I guarantee you'll walk away having learned a new angle to something you thought you knew. ...more

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Sep 28, 2019 Dale Kulas rated it really liked it

Basketball: A Love Story is a comprehensive oral history of basketball. Not just the NBA either, but also college hoops, ABA, International and Olympics history and the WNBA. It does not cover every single year, but jumps to big moments in the history of the game from the dominance of the 60s Celtics, the rise and fall of the ABA and how it revolutionized the game, to how the '92 "Dream Team" paved the way for an influx of International players that diversified the NBA to all new levels.

This is ...more

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May 20, 2020 Preston Popoff rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, own-ebook

This was a really good book. I thought I knew a good amount about basketball and NBA history, but as I read through the earlier sections (and even through the modern NBA) I was surprised by how much I was learning. Very thorough, thoughtfully nostalgic, and dramatically insightful, this collection of history was simply a joy to read. Because it was adapted from a documentary, the style of being a bunch of oral history from one person to the next took some getting used to. But once I did, I felt ...more

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Dec 31, 2018 Corban Ford rated it really liked it

This is an interesting book, and one that I'm still figuring out, even after having read it. It is more of an anthology, an interesting tome of interviews form the great that were and are in the game of basketball, regardless of level or league. To be honest, I'd have preferred this written in a different format and not the same one as the TV special that airs on ESPN at the moment, but this was still a very thoughtful exploration on the game of basketball, it's history, and the love held for it ...more

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Jan 15, 2019 Ben Travis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sports

Overall it was a very fun book to read with a lot of great anecdotes from the great basketball players from each era. The one issue I have with the book is it is tough to read in long stretches due to the way it is formatted. Being an oral history I found it difficult to keep switching points of view and sometimes would get lost with who said what, especially with the lesser known people. This book is great for short reads, a chapter or two at a time. My favorite chapters were about the point sh ...more

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Aug 03, 2019 Rick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

As a basketball fan, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Like many others, I went in skeptical with the oral history format, but in this case it worked. I especially enjoyed the early history of the professional game with its Wild Wild West vibe. No punches pulled (rightly so) when addressing the racial issues of the time & the game.

If you love the game you’ll enjoy this book.

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Dec 28, 2018 C rated it really liked it

A delightful oral history.

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Apr 12, 2019 Troy Aguilar rated it it was amazing

It was great and shows more than why they just love basketball but in how they got pass their obstacles

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Jan 16, 2019 Krishna rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle, sports, 2019, nonfiction

Stop quoting Bill Simmons when it comes to modern basketball.

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Feb 17, 2020 Katie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, adult-non-fiction

Loved it.

I laughed. I cried. And it's one of the few books that I've genuinely hugged to my chest after finishing.

This is a fantastic read for any fan of basketball (at all levels) and one that I will add to my personal book shelf. ...more

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May 10, 2020 sbans rated it really liked it

An oral history of basketball compiled from hundreds of interviews, detailing the professional (NBA) side of the sport through all its eras, the struggle for racial and gender equality, the rise of the college basketball powerhouses, etc., straight from the people that lived it, with minimal editorializing. Found the ABA chapter and the chapter on the first international players to make the jump to the NBA particularly compelling and more deeply appreciate the early pioneers for pushing the spor ...more

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Aug 18, 2020 Ted Hekman added it

I thought it was cool to get a first-hand perspective of what it's like being in the league and playing with/against all the great players. I did feel that it droned on for a bit at times and I found myself skipping ahead from time to time. I learned a few interesting tidbits I didn't already know and got a better feel for the history of the league. ...more

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Jul 29, 2020 Carlo Z rated it it was amazing

An excellent book that offers one of the most comprehensive histories of basketball I’ve read to date. The stories of the NBA in the 1960s, the ABA, the WNBA, and the evolution of the USA’s international basketball teams throughout the decades are among the highlights. Highly recommended for all fans of basketball.

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Mar 13, 2019 David rated it really liked it · review of another edition

oral history that drags occasionally as people rehash oft-told stories [Kobe and Shaw did not get along; the Dream Team in 1992 Olympics was awesome and inspired a lot of international players; Michael Jordan was highly competitive] or great players/rivalries I remember very well [ex. Celtics/Lakers rivalry of the 1980's], but with occasional skimming this is a fun book.

narcissistically, I enjoyed the quotes that reminded me of me -- turns out Steve Kerr remembers vividly the 1973 UCLA/Maryland ...more

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Nov 21, 2019 Ken Heard rated it it was amazing

At first, reading a 400-page book entirely consisting of quotes from scores of people seemed a bit awkward, but once I got into the story, it flowed well.

This is an epic look at basketball's history from the days of pre-Russell and Chamberlain through the growth of popularity with international players to the Jordan days to now. Each section contains some nice anecdotes from players. For example Hakeem Olajuwon almost played college basketball at St. Joseph's rather than Houston. However, he ste ...more

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