Alpha List by Ranking
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Title Author Team Biography 1-season books Reference Instructional Historical
Note: The books are alphabetized by title within their groups. These rankings are not written in stone. Normally, when I read a book, my opinion is higher than it is a month later. After a month or two, I may adjust the ranking.
6 star book - "The King of the Hill" |
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| Title | Author | Secondary Author(s) |
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Roland Lazenby |
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5 star books - "The cream of the crop" |
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| Title | Author | Secondary Author(s) |
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Jack McCallum |
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Frank Fitzpatrick |
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Larry Bird |
Jackie MacMullan | |
| Foul! The Connie Hawkins Story | David Shaw | |
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Ann Parr |
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Tommy Heinsohn |
Joe Fitzgerald | |
| Glory Road |
Don Haskins |
Josh Wetzel |
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Roland Lazenby |
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Red Auerbach |
John Feinstein | |
| Life on the Run | Bill Bradley | |
| Long Time Coming | Chet Walker | Chris Messenger |
| Loose Balls | Terry Pluto | |
| Outrageous! | Charles Barkley | Roy S. Johnston, Jr. |
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Mark Kriegel |
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| Tall Tales | Terry Pluto | |
| The Franchise | Cameron Stauth | |
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Sam Smith |
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| The Lakers | Roland Lazenby | |
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Wilt Chamberlain |
Richard Freed |
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| Those who Loved the Game | Glenn Rivers | Bruce Brooks |
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Lenny Wilkens |
Terry Pluto |
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| When the Game was Ours | Larry Bird |
Earvin "Magic" Johnson with Jackie MacMullen |
| Wilt: Larger than Life | Robert Cherry | |
| Winning is an Attitude | Steve Wartenberg | |
4 star books - "Very good" |
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| Title | Author | Secondary Author(s) |
| 24 Seconds to Shoot | Leonard Koppett | |
| Blood on the Horns | Roland Lazenby |
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| Cousy | Bill Reynolds | |
| Drive | Larry Bird | Bob Ryan |
| Falling from Grace | Terry Pluto | |
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Charles Salzberg |
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Mark Heisler |
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John Havlicek |
Bob Ryan |
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| My Life | Magic Johnson | Peter Novak |
| Only the Strong Survive |
Larry Platt |
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| Rebound | Dennis Rodman | Pat Rich & Alan Steinberg |
| Red and Me |
Bill Russell |
Alan Steinberg |
| Reggie Lewis: Quiet Grace | Craig Windham | |
| Sacred Hoops | Phil Jackson | Hugh Delehanty |
| Season of the 76ers |
Wayne Lynch |
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| Showtime | Pat Riley | |
| Spanning the Game | Ralph Miller | |
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Oscar Robertson |
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Peter May |
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James W. Johnson |
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| The Greatest Basketball Story Ever Told | Greg Guffey | |
| The Rivalry | John Taylor | |
| The Show | Roland Lazenby | |
| Tip-Off: How the 1984 Draft Changed Basketball Forever | Filip Bondy | |
| Values of the Game | Bill Bradley | |
| Wilt, 1962 |
Gary M. Pomerantz |
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| Wilt! | Wilt Chamberlain | David Shaw |
3 star books - "A solid read" |
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| Title | Author | Secondary Author(s) |
| A Rocket at Heart | Rudy Tomjanovich | Robert Falkoff |
| A Sense of Where You Are | McPhee, John | |
| A View from Above | Wilt Chamberlain | |
| Born to Coach | Rick Pitino | Bill Reynolds |
| Calling the Shots |
Earl Strom |
Blaine Johnson |
| Chaney: Playing for a Legend |
Donald Hunt |
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| Charlotte Hornets: Sharpening the Stinger |
Rick Bonnel |
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| Chocolate Thunder |
Darryl Dawkins |
Charley Rosen |
Spud Webb |
Reid Slaughter |
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Bob Ryan |
Terry Pluto |
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| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Peter Knobler | |
| Go Up for Glory | Bill Russell | William McSweeny |
| Pete Maravich | Darrell Campbell w/ Frank Schroeder | |
| Reggie Miller | Gene Wojcieckowski | |
| Muggsy Boggues | David Levine | |
| John Starks: My Life |
John Starks |
Dan Markowitz |
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Mike Wise |
Frank Isola |
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| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Mignor McCarthy | |
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Larry Platt |
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| Hakeem Olajuwon | Peter Knobler | |
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Phil Berger |
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| Bill Walton | Gene Wojcieckowski | |
| Second Coming | Sam Smith | |
| Second Wind | Bill Russell | Taylor Branch |
| Walt Frazier | Dan Markowitz | |
| Peter May | ||
| The Playmasters | Eldon J. Ham | |
| This Game's the Best! (So why don't they stop screwing with it?) | George Karl | Don Yeager |
| Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball | Elliott Kalb | |
| Winning a Day at a Time | John Lucas | Joseph Moriarity |
| Yao |
Yao Ming |
Ric Buchler |
2 star books - "so-so" |
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| Title | Author | Secondary Author(s) |
| A View from the Bench | Red Holzman | |
| Basketball: Startling Stories Behind the Records | Jim Beuagh | |
| Basketball: The New Champions | Kurt Hannon | |
| Bull Session | Johnny Kerr | Terry Pluto |
| Great Moments in Basketball | Sam Goldaper | |
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Charles Barkley |
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Jason Williams |
Steve Friedman | |
| Magic's Touch | Magic Johnson | Roy S. Johnson, Jr. |
| Leigh Montville | ||
| NBA Rookie Experience | Mike Monroe | |
| Raw Recruits | Alexander Wolff | Armen Keteyian |
| Red on Red | Red Holzman | Harvey Frammer |
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Bob Spitz |
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Roland Lazenby |
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| The Long Hot Winter | Rick Adelman | Dwight Jaynes |
| Walt Frazier: A Magical Season and a Player's Life | Walt Frazier | Neil Offen |
1 star books - "Not so great" |
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| Title | Author | Secondary Author(s) |
| Basketball Shorts | Glenn Liebman | |
| Basketball Stars of 1970 | Louis Sabin | |
| Elevating the Game | Nelson George | |
| Forward: Rick Barry | Robert Geline | Pricilla Turner |
| Full Court Pressure | Kurt Sampson | |
| Sir Charles: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles Barkley | Charles Barkley | Rick Reilly |
| The Bathroom Trivia Book | Steve Heldt | |
| The Book of Isiah |
Paul Challen |
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| The Golden Boys | Cameron Stauth | |
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Charley Rosen |
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| The Selling of the Green | Harvey Araton | Filip Bondy |
| Who's Running the Asylum? | Wilt Chamberlain | |
Books I haven't read yet |
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| Title | Author | Secondary Author(s) |
| America's Dream Team | Chuck Daley | Alex Sachare |
| Basketball |
Allen Camelli |
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| Basketball for the Fan, Player, & Coach | Red Auerbach | |
| Basketball Stars of 1969 | Barry Steinback | |
| Basketball Stars of 1972 | Louis Sabin | |
| Basketball Stars of 1973 | Louis Sabin | |
| Basketball Stars of 1974 | Hal Bock | Ben Olen |
| Basketball: A History of the Game | Alexander Wolff | |
| Bird |
Lee Daniel Nevine |
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| Bird: Portrait of a Legend | Roland Lazenby | |
| Bob Cousy | Bartholomew House | |
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Bull Run |
Roland Lazenby |
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| Clyde: The Walt Frazier Story | Walt Frazier | Joe Jakes |
| Confessions of a Basketball Gypsy | Rick Berry | Bill Libby |
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Doc |
Vincent M. Mallozzi |
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| From Sweet Lou to 'Nique |
Jeffrey Denberg |
Roland Lazenby & Tom Stinson |
| Hang Time: Days and Dreams with Michael Jordan | Bob Greene | |
| Hoop Dreams | Ben Jarorsky | |
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I Can't Accept Not Trying |
Michael Jordan |
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I Remember Pete Maravich |
Mike Towle |
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In the Year of the Bull |
Rick Telander |
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| Jordan: the man, his words, his life | Mitchell Krugel | |
| Lakers | Joseph Hession | |
| Larry Legend |
Mark Shaw |
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| Magic | Michael Morgan | |
| Michael Jordan |
Mitchell Krugel |
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| Michael Jordan: Beckett Great Sports Heroes |
Miscellaneous |
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| Michael Jordan * Magic Johnson | Richard Brenner | |
| On and Off the Court | Red Auerbach | Joe Fitzgerald |
| On court with the Superstars of the NBA | Merv Harris | |
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Overtime! |
Richie Powers |
Mark Mulvoy |
| Pistol Pete Maravich | Bill Gutman | |
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Playing Tall: The 10 shortest players in NBA history |
Bill Heller |
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Rebound: The Odyssey of Michael Jordan |
Bob Greene |
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| Rookie: The World of the NBA | David Klein | |
| Seeing Red: The Red Auerbach Story | Dan Shaughnessy | |
| Special Delivery: The Amazing Basketball Career of Karl Malone | Clay Latimer | |
| Stand up for Something | Spencer Haywood | Bill Libby |
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Stand Tall |
Phil Pepe |
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Taking to the Air |
Jim Naughton |
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| The Bob Love Story |
Robert Earl Love |
Mel Watkins |
| The Breaks of the Game | David Halberstam | |
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The Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia |
Alex Sachare |
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| The Encyclopedia of Pro Basketball: Team Histories | Peter Bjarkman | |
| The Knicks: The 50th Anniversary Celebration | Geroge Kalinsky | |
| The Last Amateurs |
John Feinstein |
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| The Last Season |
Phil Jackson |
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| The NBA book of fantastic facts, feats, and superstars | Zander Hollander | |
| The NBA Finals: a fifty year celebration | Roland Lazenby | |
| They call me Coach | John Wooden | |
| To the Hoop |
Ira Berkow |
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| Unstoppable: The George Mikan Story | George Mikan | Joseph Oberle |
| Unsung Heroes of Pro Basketball | Raymond Hill | |
| Vintage NBA: the pioneer era | Neil D. Isaacs | |
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Willis Reed |
Larry Fox |
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