Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game - Hardcover

by Kadir Nelson (Author), Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)

A New York Times bestseller
A USA TODAY bestseller

Award-winning creator Kadir Nelson delivers the perfect gift for basketball fans of any age--a beautifully illustrated history of the game and its key players over the years--in this companion to his bestselling We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball.

Basketball has evolved by leaps and bounds since its origin over 125 years ago, but what remains is the passion of the players, the heat of competition, and supreme strategy and athleticism on the court. In this visual tour de force, celebrated artist Kadir Nelson weds his love for the game with showstopping paintings that bring its heart-pounding history to life.

The sage voice of an elder player narrates the journey from the early days of the slow game of "basket ball" to today's dazzlingly athletic and fast-paced sport. Engaging profiles of revolutionary players--including Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry--are featured, along with notable quotes from major figures of the game. With each breathtaking page turn, fans young and old will learn the gripping story of the all-American game and meet its iconic, indomitable heroes.

Don't miss Kadir Nelson's first American Sports History book:
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Author Biography

Kadir Nelson is a highly acclaimed painter and the illustrator of many books for young readers, including the Caldecott Medal winner The Undefeated, written by Kwame Alexander; the New York Times bestseller We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award and Illustrator Honor as well as the Sibert Medal; Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, written by Carole Boston Weatherford, which was an NAACP Image Award winner, Caldecott Honor Book, and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner. His work has appeared in many publications, including Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, and The New Yorker. Kadir's original paintings are in the permanent collections of the US House of Representatives and the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of African American History and Culture. A recipient of the Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, he has also been inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame. He lives in Southern California.