The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy, is simply the greatest one man debate ever. This 715 page marathon of a read explores every nook and cranny of the National Basketball Association from its inception in the 1940’s to today. ESPN columnist and pop culture guru Bill Simmons uses his vast experiences as a NBA fan (he and his father have been Celtics season ticket holders since the early 80’s and he now is a LA Clippers season ticket holder) and 3 years of research (he could of earned a MBA in less time) to compile a enlightening and entertaining book that succeeds in his goal of educating a future generation of NBA fans.

Simmons starts of the juggernaut by providing a resume’ full of stories and memories from his childhood that both prove to the reader Simmons is qualified to write a complete summary of the NBA and sets the tone for the rest of the book. From there Simmons explores and debates everything about the NBA, The Secret for success in basketball (FYI it has nothing to do with basketball), Russell vs. Wilt, each questionable MVP selection, a “What If…?” chapter, a New Hall Of Fame, a ranking of the top 96 NBA-ers ever, the team with the most invincible season ever and who would you chose to play in one game to save the universe? , there also is the best titled chapter, “How the Hell did we get here?”.

For those who are unfamiliar with the BS (Bill Simmons) Style I would suggest moseying over to ESPN’s Page 2 and reading some recent articles. Another suggestion-before reading this book you need to watch the following movies, Teen Wolf, Hoosiers, Almost Famous, Airplane!, and Boogie Nights. Now you might ask,” Why do I need to watch a 90’s movie about 70’s porn stars to enjoy a 2009 book about the NBA?” my answer to that is uhhhhhh, well just trust me. Simmons uses footnotes on just about every page and if you read this book without taking the time to read each and every one of them you will be missing out my friends. The footnotes are the jalapeños in the salsa. The salsa is fine without them and you don’t know what you’re missing if they’re not there but, when you throw ‘em in WOWY you’re in for a delicious flavor explosion (not sure if that made sense..).

All of this creates a unique reading experience that I feel like only a few can pull off. This wasn’t a book I read, it was the most satisfying sports conversation I’ve ever had. You see for, big time sports fans the thing we love most is debates, we will spend a inordinate amount of time arguing and discussing some of the most important/not-important topics ever (i.e. A good friend and I recently tried to figure out what NFL Teams are most like NBA teams) and we will use bad stats and biased opinions to prove our points. Simmons takes the debate out of the bar and into the pages of this book and proves ever point he wants to make logically. At the end of each argument or option you cannot disagree with him, he’s too convincing. What makes Simmons even more enjoyable to “converse with” is his ability to admit his own biases (Celtics Fan) and not allow them to deter him from finding the truth about NBA players or teams leaving you with a businesslike respect for Simmons

This is not a book for everyone. I feel like you have to have some working knowledge of the NBA to properly enjoy it. There were times when even I got lost in the stories of players I had never heard of and never saw play. I can only imagine what it would be like if the only players I knew were Kobe, Jordan and LeBron. You also have to be ready to put aside large chunks of time to reading because you won’t want to stop mid chapter. 

I have to recommend this book to every sports fan and ask Mr. Simmons to please write a NFL book ASAP! I also want to thank you Bill for providing me with one of greatest conversations of my life.

 Check it out at Amazon: The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy


TJ Gaylord is a staff writer and tipster for The Everythingist
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