Professional Basketball

This edited collection conceptualizes professional basketball not just as a sport but as an historically, culturally, and economically embedded entity. The chapters analyse the fact that the sport of basketball contains alternative logics that can easily clash, and by treating professional basketball as the negotiation place of these multiple demands, ideas, and logics, the editors have identified three areas in which these clashes manifest: the realization of the game; the cultural impact of professional basketball and the global outreach of professional basketball. The book is explanatory and qualitative, offering new perspectives and touching on topics including gender, diversity, racism, and minority experiences within professional basketball. As such it will be of interest to sport sociologists, as well as those researching the history of sport, sports marketing and cultural studies.

Levell Sanders has spent the past decade excelling in European Basketball. He has truly 'learned the ropes' of the European leagues and maximized his career and his life experience. This book is a 'must-read' for any player or family member who is considering a basketball career overseas." Tommy Amaker Head Coach at Harvard University A Guide to Playing Professional Basketball Overseas is a great read and should be considered by every basketball player, who is trying to play overseas or just started their professional career. Playing professionally always sounds like the best thing in the world, because we are able to do what we love and even make money with it, but Levell Sanders will tell you also about the negative sides of this job, and give you important advice that can help you in pursuing your professional career. Not everyone is made for this job, and if you want to know, if you are read this book! Juliane Hhne Professional Basketball Player Overseas 2008-present Played in Italy,Germany,Belgium and currently playing in France A Guide to Playing Professional Basketball Overseas is an absolutely great book for players that aspire to play professional basketball overseas, players currently playing professionally overseas as well as basketball fans everywhere. Levell Sanders shares his wealth of experience about life and basketball overseas and gives you a first hand look at the pros and cons of what it takes to really make a career out of being a professional athlete. This book is a must read and it's long overdue! Corey Muirhead Professional Basketball Player Overseas 2006-present Played in France,Austria,Switzerland and currently playing in the Czech Republic

Jeff Marcus provides, in alphabetical order, the year-by-year coaching records for every pro major league coach in basketball history beginning with the American Basketball League (ABL), which formed in 1925 and was the first league to play in larger arenas on the East Coast and in the Mid West, then tracking the birth of the National Basketball League (NBL) from its onset in 1937 to its convergence 12 years later with the BAA, forming what we know today as the NBA. Brief but detailed biographical sketches are provided for every coach in these leagues.

The history of the NBA has been filled with superstars, names known to fans and non-fans alike. But while comparisons between athletes who competed against each other face-to-face is a common occurrence in the sports world, it is not quite as easy to compare players from different eras. How would Wilt Chamberlain stack up against Shaquille O'Neal? What about LeBron James and Larry Bird, or Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson? In Pro Basketball’s All-Time All-Stars: Across the Eras, Robert Cohen not only examines the best players from each era, but also ranks the five greatest players at each position in the history of the pro game. Dividing the history of professional basketball into five distinct eras, this book first describes the style of play that prevailed during each period. From the slow-paced, rough-and-tumble style of play that characterized the NBA during its formative years, to the up-tempo, high-flying style that currently prevails, Pro Basketball’s All-Time All-Stars gives an in-depth view of how the game has evolved. For each of the five eras, Cohen has selected the best players to man the five positions on the court, providing career bios for each. To determine the best of the best, Cohen considers the level of dominance each player reached during his time in the league, his individual statistics, the degree to which he impacted the fortunes of his team, and the extent to which he improved his teammates’ level of play. Individual honors and quotes from teammates and opponents alike are used to support the rankings. Covering NBA greats such as Bob Pettit, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant, this book will appeal to basketball fans of all generations, and to any NBA fan interested in the history of the game.

The countdown clock is almost at zero—and suddenly, a player scores a three-pointer to win the game! Professional basketball is full of underdog stories. Sometimes, a lower-seeded team can dominate the top seed to win an NBA Championship. Learn about some of the biggest upsets in basketball history.

For a professional player, basketball isn't just a fun game?it's a job. Millions of people are watching your every move, expecting you to make every shot and block your competitors'. You have to give your all for every game, and when you're not playing, you're sharpening skills, working on plays, and studying your opponents. Dedication extends beyond the season. You must follow strict diets and workout plans to stay in shape throughout the year. You must learn to manage the pressure of constant travel and stardom. Is it worth it? This book, which was reviewed by 11-year National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran and three-time NBA champion Devean George, offers an authentic look at what life is like as a pro basketball player. You'll learn: ? What kinds of skills it takes to play in the NBA ? How players climb the ranks to reach the NBA ? What daily life is like for an NBA player ? The types of workouts and dietary plans NBA players use ? How NBA players prevent and treat injuries Go behind the scenes and see what it's really like to be an NBA star!

The Eastern Professional Basketball League (1946-78) was fast and physical, often played in tiny, smoke-filled gyms across the northeast and featuring the best players who just couldn’t make the NBA—many because of unofficial quotas on Black players, some because of scandals, and others because they weren’t quite good enough in the years when the NBA had less than 100 players. In Boxed out of the NBA: Remembering the Eastern Professional Basketball League, Syl Sobel and Jay Rosenstein tell the fascinating story of a league that was a pro basketball institution for over 30 years, showcasing top players from around the country. During the early years of professional basketball, the Eastern League was the next-best professional league in the world after the NBA. It was home to big-name players such as Sherman White, Jack Molinas, and Bill Spivey, who were implicated in college gambling scandals in the 1950s and were barred from the NBA, and top Black players such as Hal “King” Lear, Julius McCoy, and Wally Choice, who could not make the NBA into the early 1960s due to unwritten team quotas on African-American players. Featuring interviews with some 40 former Eastern League coaches, referees, fans, and players—including Syracuse University coach Jim Boeheim, former Temple University coach John Chaney, former Detroit Pistons player and coach Ray Scott, former NBA coach and ESPN analyst Hubie Brown, and former NBA player and coach Bob Weiss—this book provides an intimate, first-hand account of small-town professional basketball at its best.