The history of basketball has always belonged to champions like the Celtics, the Lakers, and the Bulls. Yet the game's history cuts much deeper than that. The bottom line, the record books and retired jerseys, can never fully do justice to this wild, chaotic, and energetic game. In between the championships, there's the sight of Earl Monroe, spinning and cajoling his way to every corner of the court; or Allen Iverson, driving headlong into players twice his size. The real history of the game is not its championships, which are indisputable, but the personalities of its heroes, which are, at least, undisputed. It's in the larger-than-life pathos of Wilt, the secret ties that bind Larry Bird to the flashy ABA, and Michael Jordan when he flew a little too high. From the prehistoric teachings of Dr. James Naismith to pioneering superstars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant, you'll never see roundball the same way again.
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Product Description
The history of basketball has always belonged to champions like the Celtics, the Lakers, and the Bulls. Yet the game's history cuts much deeper than that. The bottom line, the record books and retired jerseys, can never fully do justice to this wild, chaotic, and energetic game. In between the championships, there's the sight of Earl Monroe, spinning and cajoling his way to every corner of the court; or Allen Iverson, driving headlong into players twice his size.
The real history of the game is not its championships, which are indisputable, but the personalities of its heroes, which are, at least, undisputed. It's in the larger-than-life pathos of Wilt, the secret ties that bind Larry Bird to the flashy ABA, and Michael Jordan when he flew a little too high. From the prehistoric teachings of Dr. James Naismith to pioneering superstars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant, you'll never see roundball the same way again.
A Look Inside FreeDarko Presents: The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History
(Click on Images to Enlarge)
 "Loud, Fat, and Gifted: The Irrepressible Charles Barkley" |  "The Hair Up There" |  "The Nuclear Option: Wilt Chamberlain, The Man Who Went Too Far" |
Review
Praise for The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History
“Baseball has its numbers and football has its hard hits, but basketball, more than those sports, has style. And no one has done more to try to capture that than the collection of bloggers known as Freedarko."—New York Times
“To say that they’ve written one of the most enlightening books on the game’s evolution (which they have) is to miss the point. The book isn’t intended solely to educate; it’s also meant to entertain, and to that end it succeeds wildly.”—Sports Illustrated
"FreeDarko isn't standing outside the mainstream of basketball discussion: It's driving it ... This is a history of basketball told straight, but smartly, with wit and detail and undeniable affection....Any NBA fan can read this: It's not for grad students and stoners and revisionists; it's for everyone ... We are now living in a FreeDarko world. Hail, hail."—New York Magazine
"This is a history of basketball written with a degree of conceptual complexity that’s just about unique in the canon of the sport. But it’s also an inviting, accessible narrative that doesn’t have to be praised in terms of baroque sociology... It’s also, and by some distance, the prettiest sports book I’ve ever seen... It’s like a McSweeney’s you don’t have to pet."—The Run of Play
"The book is an essential guide to the NBA as seen through the eyes of brilliant outsiders—writers, statisticians, and illustrators—unwilling to describe the contents of the game in the typical language of the sports section. If you are watching basketball without the guidance of FreeDarko, you are simply doing it wrong."—The Portland Mercury
“A highly graphic look at both well-and lesser-known moments in the pro game’s past, written by the sport’s most entertaining bloggers. Get infotained with illustrated awesomeness.”—Maxim
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Jack Krause
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
My father loves the game of Basketball more than anyone I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I grew up watching my dad come home on crutches, blowing his knees out countless times, feeling the bump on his knee that made almost a right angle. Then sitting on the couch and watching hours of recorded tapes of the Milwaukee Bucks title run and the LA Lakers title runs. He would talk to me about his favorite player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and how he himself had also perfected the "Sky Hook,"(he still kicks my ass with that damn sky hook and with his bad knees the guy can't do anything else).
That being said this is not so much a review of "The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History," as it is a thank you. This book approaches basketball the same way, and I couldn't help but be reminded of my childhood. Each story and illustration is utterly perfect in showing such great enthusiasm for the sport. Reading each story brought the basketball games and players, I didn't live through, to life as much as my dad's energetic stories did. Receiving it today I've read the book from cover to cover with a smile on my face the whole time.
Last year, for Christmas, I got my dad "The Breaks of the Game," and this year I have no doubt that he'll be receiving "The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History," from me.
That being said this is not so much a review of "The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History," as it is a thank you. This book approaches basketball the same way, and I couldn't help but be reminded of my childhood. Each story and illustration is utterly perfect in showing such great enthusiasm for the sport. Reading each story brought the basketball games and players, I didn't live through, to life as much as my dad's energetic stories did. Receiving it today I've read the book from cover to cover with a smile on my face the whole time.
Last year, for Christmas, I got my dad "The Breaks of the Game," and this year I have no doubt that he'll be receiving "The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History," from me.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
In Bethlehem Shoals's writing for the FD blog (or one of the other 18 sites he writes for) I can always count on at least one display of casual writerly irreverence that will stop me in my tracks and make me wonder what the Hell just happened, exactly as the most amazing basketball athletes do. From his music blog:
"...I prefer to think of it as Sun Ra making peace with an unfamiliar life form, one that tries to strangle him twice, then eats the Saltines he offers, then radiates orange light and [defecates] sundaes."
Its the verbal equivalent of playground ball, where the informal nature of the session leads to greater risk taking and more stunning displays of athletic ability.
To write a full scale book however, requires a whole other set of skills. It takes the fundamental game that too many playground legends unfortunately lack, which spells their doom in the NBA. In short, it requires structure. Form to allow a topic like history to be developed in a meaningful sense.
In this book, I'm happy to state that the writerly flair he applies to his shorter work is reworked directly into the structure of this book. The same creative skills set up frameworks that don't just show off his skill but actually help present the information at hand in a more informative manner. George Mikan isn't just the first superstar of the NBA, he is related to the same questions of "Time and Space" that led to a standardization of basketball rules.
At the end of a 2 or 3 page essay, several issues have been presented clearly, efficiently, coherently and with an enjoyable aesthetic style.
The entire book is similarly structured. Shoals is only one member of the Free Darko High Counsel, and the other members contribute hundreds of asides, detail shots, etc. that act as a harmonic balance to the primary soundtrack.
And then there's the art. Jacob Weinstein brings the exact same qualities to the table as I attributed to Shoals above. In detail they are beautiful, with unexpected elements (I could stare a long time at a piece comprised entirely of the chain link fences in the Connie Hawkins illustration), but their overall structure- how they present their subjects, is just as impressive.
In short, this book is the whole package. It is enjoyable not just as something that pertains to basketball but as a work of art in its own right. Even if you don't know basketball, you can appreciate this work of craft. Though it would probably help to like basketball
"...I prefer to think of it as Sun Ra making peace with an unfamiliar life form, one that tries to strangle him twice, then eats the Saltines he offers, then radiates orange light and [defecates] sundaes."
Its the verbal equivalent of playground ball, where the informal nature of the session leads to greater risk taking and more stunning displays of athletic ability.
To write a full scale book however, requires a whole other set of skills. It takes the fundamental game that too many playground legends unfortunately lack, which spells their doom in the NBA. In short, it requires structure. Form to allow a topic like history to be developed in a meaningful sense.
In this book, I'm happy to state that the writerly flair he applies to his shorter work is reworked directly into the structure of this book. The same creative skills set up frameworks that don't just show off his skill but actually help present the information at hand in a more informative manner. George Mikan isn't just the first superstar of the NBA, he is related to the same questions of "Time and Space" that led to a standardization of basketball rules.
At the end of a 2 or 3 page essay, several issues have been presented clearly, efficiently, coherently and with an enjoyable aesthetic style.
The entire book is similarly structured. Shoals is only one member of the Free Darko High Counsel, and the other members contribute hundreds of asides, detail shots, etc. that act as a harmonic balance to the primary soundtrack.
And then there's the art. Jacob Weinstein brings the exact same qualities to the table as I attributed to Shoals above. In detail they are beautiful, with unexpected elements (I could stare a long time at a piece comprised entirely of the chain link fences in the Connie Hawkins illustration), but their overall structure- how they present their subjects, is just as impressive.
In short, this book is the whole package. It is enjoyable not just as something that pertains to basketball but as a work of art in its own right. Even if you don't know basketball, you can appreciate this work of craft. Though it would probably help to like basketball
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By BullBearSock
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I just received this book in the mail yesterday, so I've only read the first few chapters, but it's already been exceptional. Anyone who loves the NBA, or just casually watches games, should read this book (or at least check out the incredible artwork). I have loved every word and pciture, and I am fighting the urge to flip ahead to "spoil" the rest of the artwork.
This book does exactly what FreeDarko set out to do: tell the history of the NBA in a riveting, entertaining and bring-the-past-to-life way, rather than simply regurgitating stats and facts as so many other history books have done.
FreeDarko's previous book: "The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac" portrayed current players in a different light, and brought the personalities within game to the forefront. It wasn't just about players and stats, but about how these players fit within the game itself. This book takes the same approach with players and teams of the past. FD's Almanac used to be my favorite basketball book, but I can safely bet that "The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History" will edge it out as my personal favorite.
This book does exactly what FreeDarko set out to do: tell the history of the NBA in a riveting, entertaining and bring-the-past-to-life way, rather than simply regurgitating stats and facts as so many other history books have done.
FreeDarko's previous book: "The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac" portrayed current players in a different light, and brought the personalities within game to the forefront. It wasn't just about players and stats, but about how these players fit within the game itself. This book takes the same approach with players and teams of the past. FD's Almanac used to be my favorite basketball book, but I can safely bet that "The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History" will edge it out as my personal favorite.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
dented edges
This was a Christmas gift, and when I took it out of the box to wrap it, noticed some dents in the edges of the book. Read more
Published 16 months ago by kristen
4.0 out of 5 stars
'Like Talking Basketball With a Friend
"The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History" is a fine read. This book breaks professional basketball into eras as they relate to particular players and events, not just by... Read more
Published 16 months ago by dl5335
4.0 out of 5 stars
Despite limitations, a necessary reference piece.
I don't know that it's THE undisputed guide. But it is AN undisputed guide. This falls somewhere between David Halberstam's "Breaks of the Game," the gold standard, and Bill... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Kevin Wilson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining book, but there were some errors
I enjoyed reading this book for the most part. It was entertaining, especially the sidebar tidbits/factoids. However, there were a few errors that I noticed. Read more
Published 22 months ago by CT
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding read!
I've been a casual reader of all things FreeDarko, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read this book when I saw it getting praised by every blogger that I love (Will Leitch,... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Hau Chu
5.0 out of 5 stars
as much style as Clyde Frazier
This is the first pro basketball history book with real style and a real feel for the game. The illustrations are tremendous and add to the overall hip coolness to the... Read more
Published on April 18, 2011 by Brian Maitland
5.0 out of 5 stars
An off-beat, enjoyable ride through NBA history
Early in the book, the reader is struck with a great illustration of Red Auerbach's Celtic Machine ... and we're off. Read more
Published on March 1, 2011 by Timothy R. Sullivan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great way to learn about Basketball History
This might have been my favorite Christmas Present this year. TUGTPB is funny, entertaining, and informative. Read more
Published on January 20, 2011 by Michel A. Enos
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and informative
If you've read the FreeDarko blog, you know what you're getting into with this book: a funny, irreverent look at pro basketball. Read more
Published on December 28, 2010 by Sean Sheehan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Drop everything and buy this book...
In writing a review for this book, it is difficult to even know where to begin. A year ago I miraculously made it through all 700+ pages of The Book of Basketball (Simmons) and... Read more
Published on December 24, 2010 by Matogo
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