NBA Titles

Tony Parker is nothing short of a San Antonio legend, and his number 9 hangs high in the rafters as a symbol of teamwork, longevity, and tenacious talent. For the first time in the English language, the beloved Spurs point guard opens up about his life and career in the NBA, on the international stage, and beyond. This candid, conversational memoir takes fans on a whirlwind tour which includes Parker's early life in France, his four NBA championships with the Spurs, and countless memorable interactions with luminaries like Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan. It also includes insights on more personal matters and unique challenges Parker faced. Featuring photos from Parker's personal collection, this is an essential read for all basketball fans.

When Lily and Alex entered a packed gymnasium in Queens, New York in 1972, they barely recognized their son. The boy who escaped to America with them, who was bullied as he struggled to learn English and cope with family tragedy, was now a young man who had discovered and secretly honed his basketball talent on the outdoor courts of New York City. That young man was Ernie Grunfeld, who would go on to win an Olympic gold medal and reach previously unimaginable heights as an NBA player and executive. In By the Grace of the Game, Dan Grunfeld, once a basketball standout himself at Stanford University, shares the remarkable story of his family, a delicately interwoven narrative that doesn't lack in heartbreak yet remains as deeply nourishing as his grandmother's Hungarian cooking, so lovingly described. The true improbability of the saga lies in the discovery of a game that unknowingly held the power to heal wounds, build bridges, and tie together a fractured Jewish family. If the magnitude of an American dream is measured by the intensity of the nightmare that came before and the heights of the triumph achieved after, then By the Grace of the Game recounts an American dream story of unprecedented scale.From the grips of the Nazis to the top of the Olympic podium, from the cheap seats to center stage at Madison Square Garden, from yellow stars to silver spoons, this complex tale traverses the spectrum of the human experience to detail how perseverance, love, and legacy can survive through generations, carried on the shoulders of a simple and beautiful game.

Celebrate the championship glory, Hall of Fame personalities, and passionate fans that make the Boston Celtics one of the most revered teams in basketballSports Illustrated™ celebrates basketball greatness with The Boston Celtics at 75, an extraordinary collection of classic stories and photographs from the pages of SI. This commemorative book salutes hall of famers like Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Paul Pierce, and coach Red Auerbach.Fans will unearth countless gems from the Celtics' past on each page of this diamond celebration.

At its core, the goal of any basketball team is relatively simple: take and make good shots while preventing the opponent from doing the same. But what is a "good" shot? Are all good shots created equally? And how might one identify players who are more or less likely to make and prevent those shots in the first place? The concept of basketball "analytics," for lack of a better term, has been lauded, derided, and misunderstood. The incorporation of more data into NBA decision-making has been credited—or blamed—for everything from the death of the traditional center to the proliferation of three-point shooting to the alleged abandonment of the area of the court known as the midrange. What is beyond doubt is that understanding its methods has never been more important to watching and appreciating the NBA. In The Midrange Theory, Seth Partnow, NBA analyst for The Athletic and former Director of Basketball Research for the Milwaukee Bucks, explains how numbers have affected the modern NBA game, and how those numbers seek not to "solve" the game of basketball but instead urge us toward thinking about it in new ways.•The relative value of Russell Westbrook's triple-doubles•Why some players succeed in the playoffs while others don't•How NBA teams think about constructing their rosters through the draft and free agency•The difficulty in measuring defensive achievement•The fallacy of the "quick two"From shot selection to evaluating prospects to considering aesthetics and ethics while analyzing the box scores, Partnow deftly explores where the NBA is now, how it got here, and where it might be going next.

A nostalgic romp through modern NBA history as documented by basketball's most iconic and innovative magazine coversEvery magazine cover is the result of a series of intentional decisions. Cover Story shares the behind-the-scenes stories of these deliberate choices, which led to the most iconic basketball-related magazine covers during a period from 1984 to 2003. Through 100-plus interviews conducted with writers, editors, publishers, photographers, creative directors, and the players themselves, the book explores Michael Jordan's relationship with Sports Illustrated, Shaquille O'Neal and the hip-hop generation's impact on newsstands, the birth of SLAM and the inside stories of their most iconic covers, how the 1996 USA women's basketball team inspired a new era of women's sports magazines, the competition among publishers to put high school phenom LeBron James on the magazine cover first, and much more.Offering an immersive look at some of the most impactful moments in a golden era for modern basketball, this engaging read will appeal to basketball fans, pop culture enthusiasts, and those who want to take a deep dive into understanding how the individual components of a classic magazine cover come together.Features four full-color inserts showcasing a collection of notable magazine covers!

Having won two NBA titles with the Celtics before joining the broadcasting team as a radio analyst, Cedric Maxwell knows what it means to live and breathe Celtics basketball. In If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Celtics, Maxwell opens up about his life and career and provides insight into the team's inner sanctum as only he can, from Larry Bird to the Big Three era and up to the current roster.Featuring conversations with players and coaches past and present as well as off-the-wall anecdotes only Maxwell can tell, this indispensable volume is your ticket to Celtics history.

In 20 seasons in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform, Kobe Bryant ascended from teenaged rookie to 18-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion. The superstar known as the Black Mamba left his mark on basketball and popular culture as a fierce competitor who inspired those around him and never settled for less than the best. To commemorate the life and career of the most beloved Laker of his generation, these moments and memories are collected in Kobe Bryant: A Tribute to a Basketball Legend. Featuring more than 100 photographs and written coverage from the pages of Sports Illustrated this new volume provides readers a complete portrait of the international basketball superstar who transcended his sport to become a cultural icon. Relive every moment including Bryant entering the NBA draft directly out of high school, winning consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards in 2009 and 2010, the unforgettable 60-point farewell game, and the poignant tributes that followed his death in 2020.This lavish keepsake also features the best written coverage of Bryant's career from Sports Illustrated, including pieces by Chris Ballard, Jack McCallum, Lee Jenkins, and more.

History has been made in unforgettable fashion as the Milwaukee Bucks triumphed over the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals, bringing the first title to the Cream City in 50 years. Coming off playoff disappointments in 2019 and 2020 and with the addition of point guard Jrue Holiday in the offseason, the stakes were high for the Bucks entering the 2020-2021 campaign. While homegrown superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo put the entire state of Wisconsin at ease by signing a long-term extension with the Bucks, the pressure was on to end the long championship drought.Built For This: The Milwaukee Bucks' Historic Run to the 2021 NBA Title chronicles this amazing journey through in-depth analysis and expert insight from The Athletic. With coverage from both national and local writers, as well as dynamic photography, this commemorative edition traces every step as the Bucks looked to capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the second time in team history.Built For This also features detailed postseason coverage, from the sweet sweep of the Miami Heat to the slugfest against Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets, to the Giannis injury scare in the Atlanta Hawks series all the way through the amazing comeback win against the Suns on the biggest stage of all. Also including in-depth profiles on Antetokounmpo, Holiday, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and more, this keepsake will be essential for any Bucks fan for years to come.

Now in its third edition, an essential guide for all Lakers fans, including the 2020 NBA championship! Most Los Angeles Lakers fans have taken in a game or two at the Staples Center, have seen highlights of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or remember the epic battles with the Celtics in the 1980s. But only real fans know how the Lakers acquired Hot Rod Hundley, which hobby fascinated both Chick Hearn and Elgin Baylor, or the best place to grab a bite in LA before a game. Whether you were there for the Showtime era or started watching during Kobe Bryant's prime, this is the ultimate guide for Lakers faithful. Every essential piece of Lakers knowledge and trivia, as well as must-do activities, is ranked from 1 to 100, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist for those on their way to fan superstardom.Readers will experience a vivid tour of Lakers history, featuring LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the team's 2020 championship season.

"From front offices to college campuses, Jake Fischer takes you on an engrossing tour of the NBA in its latest golden age, when some of the most captivating teams won by losing." —Lee Jenkins, former Sports Illustrated NBA writer An insider account of modern NBA team-building, based on hundreds of exclusive interviews A single transcendent talent can change the fortunes of an NBA franchise. One only has to recall the frenzy surrounding recent top pick Zion Williamson to recognize teams' willingness to lose games now for the sake of winning championships later. It's a story that weaves its way behind closed doors to reveal intricate machinations normally hidden from public view.  Backed by extensive reporting and hundreds of interviews with top players, coaches, and executives, Jake Fischer chronicles secret pre-draft workouts, feuding between player agents and executives, surprising trade negotiations, interpersonal conflicts, organizational power struggles, and infamous public relations fiascos, making for a fascinating look at the NBA. The definitive account of the NBA's tanking era, when teams raced to the bottom in the hope of eventually winning a championship. 

"Basketball gave me a life; Parkinson's taught me how to live it."  —Brian Grant After 12 years of playing basketball at the highest professional level, Brian Grant could have been forgiven for thinking that the hardest part of his life was behind him, that he'd be able to kick back and enjoy the fruits of his considerable labors. But soon after?his retirement from the NBA, Grant was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson's disease, ushering in a challenge greater than any he'd faced before, as well as an opportunity to embrace what really matters. With esteemed basketball writer Ric Bucher, Grant shares his story in raw and candid fashion, as he takes readers to Sacramento, Portland, Miami, and beyond; to the airplane 30,000 feet in the air where he first came to understand the source of the tremors in his hand; and to the summit of Mount St. Helens alongside five others with PD, where he once again put himself to the test and defied expectations. In Rebound, Grant shares his remarkable life before, during, and after those NBA years with no shortage of compassion and wit. 

A young black boy, legally blind in one eye, from a hard-working family in the poorest section of Washington, D.C., leaps to the pinnacle of his sport: the NBA Hall of Fame. A rookie bank teller rises to become one of the nation's most celebrated black business leaders. A once-reluctant political neophyte answers the call to become mayor of America's most troubled city, and he establishes a mentoring program for African-American boys that serves as a model for the nation. All of these stories belong to Dave Bing. In Attacking the Rim, Bing shares this multifaceted personal saga with rare combination of modesty, moxie and powerful self-belief. Reflecting on his playing days with the Detroit Pistons, Washington Bullets, and Boston Celtics, Bing takes readers inside the exciting world of pro basketball at the moment when sensational athletes were turning a low-budget game into a high-powered, multi-million dollar entertainment spectacle. From inside the Detroit mayor's office, he offers a first-hand look at the city's plight, including intractable debt and corruption, massive unemployment, woeful city services and infrastructure, and the daily choices between the lesser of evils.

Derrick Rose achieved an improbable childhood dream: being selected first overall in the NBA draft by his hometown Chicago Bulls. The point guard was a phenom, winning the Rookie of the Year award and electrifying fans around the world. In 2011, he became the youngest MVP in league history. Rarely had a bond between a player and fans been so strong, as the city wrapped its arms around the homegrown hero. Six years and four knee surgeries later, his career was seemingly on the brink of collapse. But Rose never believed his struggles on and off the court were anything other than temporary setbacks. I'll Show You is an honest, intimate conversation with one of the world's most popular athletes, a star whose on-court brilliance is matched only by his aversion to the spotlight. Rose opens himself up in a document that is as unflinching—and at times as uncomfortable—as a personal diary. Detailing his childhood spent in one of his city's most dangerous neighborhoods; his relationships with both opponents and teammates; the pain and controversies surrounding his career-altering injuries; his complicated relationship to fame and fortune; and his rise, fall, and reemergence as the player LeBron James says is "still a superhero," I'll Show You is one of the most candid and surprising autobiographies of a modern-day superstar ever written.

The Los Angeles Lakers reclaimed the throne in 2020, triumphing over the Miami Heat in an NBA season like no other.Legacy: The Los Angeles Lakers’ Unforgettable Run to the 2020 NBA Title takes fans through the unpredictable and remarkable 2019-2020 season which put them rightfully back on top. Led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, this Lakers team embraced the "Mamba Mentality," honoring the unstoppable drive of the late Kobe Bryant in their pursuit of a championship. Frank Vogel's squad demonstrated relentless focus on the path to victory, even while adapting to new norms in a global pandemic and using their platform to demand action against social injustice. Through insightful stories from The Los Angeles Daily News and dynamic photos, relive all the key moments and storylines, including dominant postseason performances against the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, and finally hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy in the NBA bubble after triumphing over the Heat. This commemorative book also features in-depth profiles on popular figures plus a special section remembering K

From picking cotton in rural Mississippi to the historic 1968 Olympics to ABA MVP to the battle with the NBA that would go all the way to the Supreme Court and change the league forever, Spencer Haywood's life has been a microcosm of 20th century sports and culture. One of the most dominant big men of his era, Haywood burst onto the international scene with a revelatory performance at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Yet, while his basketball career was just beginning back in that summer of '68, it was only one notable moment in the extraordinary and fateful life of the big man from Silver City, Mississippi. Marc Spears of ESPN's The Undefeated and Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tell the remarkable story of a man who was born into indentured servitude in rural Mississippi, and all of the unbelievable trials, tribulations, successes, failures, and redemptions that followed. Haywood would go on to be the ABA Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season, but his triumphs on the court are only part of the legend. His winding journey off the court saw him challenge the NBA's draft-entry rules and win at the Supreme Court level; run in New York City high-fashion circles in the mid-1970s with his then-wife, supermodel Iman; and bottom out with alcohol and drug addiction during the infancy of the Showtime Lakers dynasty. Spears and Washburn explore how Haywood's impact was felt throughout the NBA and in society at large—and still is to this day—culminating in Haywood's inspiring second act as an advocate for current and retired NBA players alike.