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Basketball fans unite—March Madness is upon us! If your bracket is already busted, here are some basketball-themed books and DVDs available at the library to ease your sorrow.

 

Sprawlball by Kirk Goldsberry

From the leading expert in the exploding field of basketball analytics, a stunning infographic decoding of the modern NBA: who shoots where, how well, and why. SprawlBall combines stunning visuals, in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes stories, and gee-whiz facts to chart a modern revolution. 

 

Sweetwater

Inspired by true events, witness the extraordinary journey of Nat ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton, who made history as the first Black player to sign an NBA contract. At a time when segregation divided sports, New York Knicks coach Joe Lapchick and team executive Ned Irish see the future of basketball in Sweetwater’s dazzling and unorthodox displays of entertaining athleticism. Together, they challenge convention and break through barriers that would change the game forever.

 

Coach K by Ian O’Connor

The definitive biography of college basketball’s all-time winningest coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Known worldwide as Coach K, he is a five-time national champion at Duke, the NCAA’s all-time leader in victories with nearly 1,200, and the first man to lead Team USA to three Olympic basketball gold medals. Through unprecedented access to Krzyzewski’s best friends, closest advisers, fiercest adversaries, and generations of his players and assistants, author Ian O’Connor takes you behind the Blue Devil curtain with a penetrating examination of the great, but flawed leader as he closes out his iconic career.

 

LeBron by Jeff Benedict

LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of the 21st century, and he’s in the conversation with Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time. The reigning king of the game and the first active NBA player to become a billionaire, LeBron wears the crown like he was born with it. Yet his ascent has been anything but effortless and predetermined—the truth is vastly more interesting than that. What makes LeBron’s story so compelling is how he won his destiny despite overwhelmingly long odds, in a drama worthy of a Dickens novel. 

 

Winning Time

Season one of the HBO series offers a dramatic look at the glitz and glamour of 1980s Los Angeles and the rise of the NBA’s Lakers, Dr. Jerry Buss, and Magic Johnson.

 

Rez Ball by Byron Graves

This young adult novel follows Tre, a basketball player on the Red Lake Reservation high school team whose brother Jaxon recently died in an accident. When Jaxon’s former teammates offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him. 

 

Jen Pace Dickenson is the Youth Services Librarian for Polk County Public Libraries. For information about the library’s resources, programs, and other services, visit polklibrary.org or call (828) 894-8721.