The Joy of Basketball: An Encyclopedia of the Modern Game

Description

The Joy of Basketball celebrates the meteoric rise of basketball over the last quarter century by ignoring the bland, traditionalist binary of wins or losses. Instead, the book's focus is on everything else. Using text, charts, and illustrations that upend conventional jock wisdom, the book details the most incredible players in history, draft flops, long-limbed oddballs, superteams, the international talent wave, brawls, scandals, the rapid evolution of contemporary gameplay, coaching, fashion, crime, positional erosion, tragic tales, memes, and the sacred Kardashian Blessing. Bouncing between witty graphics and keen sociopolitical observations, The Joy of Basketball is a subversive sports manifesto camouflaged as a colorful reference book for your coffee table.

Ben Detrick has been a contributing writer to the New York Times since 2007, covering pop culture, style, nightlife, travel, and music. His byline has appeared in publications like New York magazine, The New Yorker, GQ, Vice, Vibe, and Complex. Detrick is the cofounder and cohost of Cookies Hoops, and has been a guest on The Ringer NBA Show alongside Bill Simmons, NBA Desktop, The Dan Le Batard Show, and Jalen & Jacoby. He lives in New York. Andrew Kuo is an artist and regular contributor to the New York Times, where his colorful visual columns have appeared in Arts & Leisure, the Magazine, T Magazine, and the Sunday Section. Since 2013, he's been represented by Marlborough Gallery in New York City and London. His paintings and sculptures have also been reviewed in Art Forum, Frieze Magazine, and the New York Times. He is the cohost of Cookies Hoops and lives in New York.

"TheJoy Of Basketball will easily become one of those quintessential sports books that you can open up at any page and get deeply enthralled. And one that will definitely need a sequel as the years pass."--Sarah Silverman "Fans of the modern NBA will devour this book, which recounts not only the stories that have defined the sport, but also explains how those stories have dovetailed with political history and pop culture. Much like the game itself, The Joy of Basketball is a rich text and a visual delight."--Mina Kimes, ESPN "I'd never read a book that made me want to redecorate my apartment with its pages. But The Joy of Basketball certifies what Ben Detrick and Andrew Kuo's day ones have known forever: they are two of the most creative forces in the NBA universe. Their art has already redecorated my brain."--Pablo S. Torre, ESPN