BASKET BALL

In an old gymnasium in Massachusetts in 1891, the legendary game of basketball was born.

Invented by James Naismith, a white PE teacher tasked with keeping his energetic students active in the winter, “basket ball,” as it was then called, was initially a slow game played with lumpy leather balls and wooden baskets without backboards. The sport underwent an epic journey of transformation and innovation—with more than a dash of Black excellence—to become the fast-paced, high-scoring game we enjoy today. Jam-packed with well-researched historical context, each chapter is compelling; Caldecott Medalist Nelson writes in an invitingly conversational tone while including plenty of basketball slang and jargon, with definitions seamlessly incorporated in a glossary. This detailed work doesn’t shy away from the game’s history of racism, discrimination, and exclusion, though Nelson also celebrates Black players’ impact on the game. He combines thorough history with full-spread features on some of basketball’s GOATs, from Bill Russell to LeBron James. Nelson finishes with a section on the parallel history of women’s basketball, noting its groundbreaking influence and the challenges that female professional athletes still face. His breathtakingly realistic oil paintings give readers a courtside seat to the action; in the creative page design, text is wrapped around stunning images of larger-than-life legends, some based on iconic photos of basketball history.

A backboard-shattering slam dunk.