Simmonsova vtipná a návyková THE BOOK OF BASKETBALL, Pearlmanova jedinečná SHOWTIME, Feinsteinova auerbachovská LET ME TELL YOU A STORY či Lazenbyho poctivé biografie.
Vitajte vo svete basketbalových kníh. Pred pár rokmi sme s Michalom Duchovičom urobili zoznam publikácií v českom/slovenskom jazyku, tentoraz sme spravili súpis kvalitných kúskov v origináli v angličtine. Ide o knižky, ktoré sme prečítali, resp. máme ich doma uložené na poličkách. Angličtiny sa netreba báť, ak nie ste úplný začiatočník, každý deň sledujete správy a prenosy z NBA a ovládate basketbalovú terminológiu, zvládnete prelúskať knihu aj v anglickom jazyku. Čím viac prečítate, tým lepšie vám to pôjde. Asi sa už nenájde ďalší šialenec, ktorý prečíta 100+ kníh o NBA, ale desať-pätnásť za život je úplná pohoda. A že času je málo? Michal napríklad číta na tréningoch klubov, cestou na ne či na väčšie podujatia ako ME žien v Ľubľane alebo turnaj B-kategórie ME do 18 rokov v Sofii.
Existujú rôzne rebríčky basket knižiek, moje must-reads som označil hashtagom #ODPORÚČAM!. Knihy som zoradil chronologicky podľa roku prvého vydania, na každom názve je link do internetového obchodu Amazon (možnosťou je aj objednávka cez Eurobooks.sk, čo sa týka Amazonu, asi najviac sa oplatí objednávať z toho nemeckého), ak je autorom človek z NBA, dal som ho do zátvorky. Ešte dodám, že vo väčšine ide o knižky venujúce sa profibasketu v USA. Takmer každá je v súčasnosti k dispozícii aj ako e-kniha (v čítačke Kindle), čo je fajn, ak nechcete čakať, kým vám ju doručia a samozrejme vyjde to i lacnejšie; ak nemáte čas na čítanie, výbornou možnosťou sú audioknihy (platforma Audible), jediným mínusom je, že neobsahujú fotografie.
Ak máte obľúbenú knihu, ktorá sa v našom zozname nenachádza, určite nám dajte o nej vedieť. Pred tým, než sa k nemu dostaneme, si dovolím zaspomínať na moju prvú o baskete v angličtine. Písal sa rok 2006, bol som čerstvý vysokoškolák a išlo o obdobie, v ktorom bol v našich končinách každý prenos zápasu NBA sviatkom. Bol som basketbalový fanatik a niekedy v tej dobe som si začal písať emaily s Petrom Janouchom, komentátorom na športovom kanáli Galaxie sport, ktorého znalosť NBA ma fascinovala. Chcel som vedieť viac, hlavne o histórii tejto súťaže. Už si presne nepamätám, ako som na svoju prvú natrafil, ale pravdepodobne som ju objavil na Amazone. Volala sa Total Basketball a bola to totálna bichľa. Také veľké hovädo snáď ani na Slovensko nezasielali, lepším riešením bolo poslať to na americkú adresu. Petr ochotne pomohol a objednal ju domov k jeho kamarátovi Lubošovi Bartoňovi. Luboš ju priviezol z Ameriky a ja som si ju vyzdvihol v Hradci Králové. Prečo práve tam? Sídlila tam Galaxie sport, takže som prevzal zásielku a zároveň si v tú noc pozrel zápas NBA priamo v komentátorskom štúdiu. Bol som tam druhýkrát, prvý raz v máji 2006 (Clippers vs. Suns, zápas č. 3, 2. kolo play-off). Bol to zážitok, začiatkom novembra hrali Spurs proti Cavs a dodnes mám v pamäti smeč mladého LeBrona cez môjho obľúbenca Tima Duncana. Ale dosť bolo spomienok, poďme k veci, k našej virtuálnej basketbalovej knižnici.
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Knihy, ktoré vyšli v 20. storočí
Go Up for Glory (Bill Russell), 1966
50 Years of Basketball (Joe Lapchick), 1968
24 Seconds to Shoot: The Birth and Improbable Rise of the National Basketball Association, 1968
Life on the Run (Bill Bradley), 1976
Hondo: Celtic Man in Motion (John Havlicek), 1977
The Short Season: A Boston Celtics Diary, 1977-1978, 1979
The Breaks of the Game, 1981 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
Giant Steps: The Autobiography of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (KAJ), 1983
Drive: The Story of My Life (Larry Bird), 1989
Cages to Jump Shots: Pro Basketball's Early Years, 1990
Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association, 1990 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
The Franchise: Building a Winner With the World Champion Detroit Pistons, Basketball's Bad Boys, 1990
A View from Above (Wilt Chamberlain), 1991
Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA, in the Words of the Men Who Played, Coached, and Built Pro Basketball, 1992 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
Unfinished Business: On and Off the Court with the 1990-91 Boston Celtics, 1992
My Life (Magic Johnson), 1992
Hang Time: Days and Dreams with Michael Jordan, 1992
The Jordan Rules: The Inside Story of a Turbulent Season with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, 1992
Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior (Phil Jackson), 1995
Living the Dream: My Life and Basketball (Hakeem Olajuwon), 1995
Bad as I Wanna Be (Dennis Rodman), 1996
Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made, 1999 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
Unguarded: My Forty Years Surviving in the NBA (Lenny Wilkens), 2000
Knihy, ktoré vyšli v rokoch 2001 až 2010
At the Buzzer! Havlicek Steals, Erving Soars, Magic Deals, Michael Scores!, 2001
Shaq Talks Back: The Uncensored Word on My Life and Winning in the NBA (Shaq O'Neal), 2001
Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adventure, 2002
I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It (Charles Barkley), 2002
NBA's Greatest: The NBA's Best Players, Teams, and Games, 2003
Total Basketball: The Ultimate Basketball Encyclopedia, 2003 ... LEN PRE TOTÁLNYCH FANATIKOV
The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game (Oscar Robertson), 2003
Chocolate Thunder: The Uncensored Life and Time of Darryl Dawkins (Darryl Dawkins), 2003
Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game (Red Auerbach), 2004 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
Wilt: Larger Than Life, 2004
The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul (Phil Jackson), 2004
The Show: The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers in the Words of Those Who Lived It, 2005
Lapchick: The Life of a Legendary Player and Coach in the Glory Days of Basketball, 2006
Beyond Basketball: Coach K's Keywords for Success (Mike Krzyzewski, NCAA), 2006
Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns, 2006 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
The Basketball Book, 2007
Pistol: The Life of Peter Maravich, 2007
The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game, 2008
The First Tip-Off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA, 2008
The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy, 2009 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
The Art of a Beautiful Game: The Thinking Fan's Tour of the NBA, 2009
When the Game Was Ours (Larry Bird, Magic Johnson), 2009
King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution, 2010
Knihy, ktoré vyšli v rokoch 2011 až 2017
Shaq Uncut: My Story (Shaq O'Neal), 2011
When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks, 2011
West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life (Jerry West), 2011
Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever, 2012 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success (Phil Jackson), 2013
Dr. J: The Autobiography (Julius Erving), 2013 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
Assisted: An Autobiography (John Stockton), 2013
Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, 2014 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
Michael Jordan: The Life, 2014 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
Facing Michael Jordan: Players Recall the Greatest Basketball Player Who Ever Lived, 2014
Basketball's Greatest, 2014
Not a Game: The Incredible Rise and Unthinkable Fall of Allen Iverson, 2015
Drazen: The Remarkable Life and Legacy of the Mozart of Basketball, 2015
Got to Give the People What They Want: True Stories and Flagrant Opinions from Center Court (Jalen Rose), 2015
Elgin Baylor: The Man Who Changed Basketball, 2015
Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution, 2016
Back from the Dead: Searching for the Sound, Shining the Light, and Throwing it Down (Bill Walton), 2016
The Curse: The Colorful & Chaotic History of the LA Clippers, 2016
Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant, 2016
Furious George: My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs, and Poor Shot Selection (George Karl), 2017
Return of the King: LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Greatest Comeback in NBA History, 2017
Hard Labor: The Battle That Birthed the Billion-Dollar NBA, 2017
Golden Days: West's Lakers, Steph's Warriors, and the California Dreamers Who Reinvented Basketball, 2017 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
Game Face: A Lifetime of Hard-Earned Lessons On and Off the Basketball Court (Bernard King), 2017
We Changed the Game: How a New League, a Small Group of Dreamers, and Some Amazing Situations Changed the Culture of a City and the Face of Basketball Forever (Bob Netolicky, ABA), 2017
Knihy, ktoré vyšli v rokoch 2018 a 2019
The Soul of Basketball: The Epic Showdown Between LeBron, Kobe, Doc, and Dirk That Saved the NBA, 2018
Basketball: A Love Story, 2018
Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad Boys of Basketball, 2018
The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, the Celtics, and What Matters in the End, 2018
The Mamba Mentality: How I Play (Kobe Bryant), 2018
My Life, My Fight: Rising Up from New Zealand to the OKC Thunder (Steven Adams), 2018
SprawlBall: A Visual Tour of the New Era of the NBA, 2019 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
The Czech Wizards: Jan Vesely and Tomas Satoransky's Wizards Era, 2019
Slam Dunk: The True Story of Basketball's First Olympic Gold Medal Team, 2019
MPLS: The Minneapolis Lakers and the Dawn of Professional Basketball, 2019
The Sixth Man: A Memoir (Andre Iguodala), 2019
I'll Show You (Derrick Rose), 2019
LeBron, Inc.: The Making of a Billion-Dollar Athlete, 2019
Darkness to Light: A Memoir (Lamar Odom), 2019
Knihy, ktoré vyšli v roku 2020
Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports, 2020
Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty, 2020 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
We the North: 25 Years of the Toronto Raptors, 2020
The Big Three: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and the Rebirth of the Boston Celtics, 2020
Tony Parker: Beyond All of My Dreams (Tony Parker), 2020
From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA, 2020
Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany, 2020
The Spencer Haywood Rule: Battles, Basketball, and the Making of an American Iconoclast, 2020
Rapture: Fifteen Teams, Four Countries, One NBA Championship, and How to Find a Way to Win – Damn Near Anywhere (Nick Nurse), 2020
Hoops Heist: Seattle, the Sonics, and How a Stolen Team's Legacy Gave Rise to the NBA's Secret Empire, 2020
The Back Roads to March: The Unsung, Unheralded, and Unknown Heroes of a College Basketball Season, 2020
The Cap: How Larry Fleisher and David Stern Built the Modern NBA, 2020
Knihy, ktoré vyšli v roku 2021
The James Naismith Reader: Basketball in His Own Words, 2021
KG A to Z: An Uncensored Encyclopedia of Life, Basketball, and Everything in Between (Kevin Garnett), 2021
Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP, 2021 ... #ODPORÚČAM!
Dynasties: The 10 G.O.A.T. Teams That Changed the NBA Forever, 2021
Dwyane (Dwyane Wade), 2021
Letters to a Young Athlete (Chris Bosh), 2021
Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope (Carmelo Anthony), 2021
Wish It Lasted Forever: Life with the Larry Bird Celtics, 2021
Steve Kerr: A Life, 2021
Unguarded (Scottie Pippen), 2021
Built to Lose: How the NBA’s Tanking Era Changed the League Forever, 2021
Knihy, ktoré vyšli v roku 2022
The Great Nowitzki: Basketball and the Meaning of Life, 2022
Barkley: A Biography, 2022
The Last Enforcer: Outrageous Stories from the Life and Times of One of the NBA's Fiercest Competitors (Charles Oakley), 2022
Muggsy: My Life from a Kid in the Projects to the Godfather of Small Ball (Muggsy Bogues), 2022
Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks, 2022
Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski, 2022
The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality, 2022
Game: An Autobiography (Grant Hill), 2022
Black Market: An Insider's Journey into the High-Stakes World of College Basketball, 2022
Knihy, ktoré vyšli v roku 2023
LeBron, 2023
Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA, 2023
Talk of Champions: Stories of the People Who Made Me: A Memoir (Kenny Smith), 2023
Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court (Chris Paul), 2023
