The Rap Year Book

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - One of Barnes & Noble's Best Sports Books of 2025<BR><BR> From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Rap Year Book and Basketball (and Other Things), a clever and inventive examination of some of basketball's most iconic players, moments, games, and more, with original illustrations by Ian Klarer.<BR><BR> Everything in basketball is measured. Everything in basketball is counted, and quantified, and computed. And yet, no matter how expansive the list of various pinpoint-specific statistical categories gets, some basketball things remain uncountable, and unquantifiable.<BR><BR> Some moments are more poetry than calculation; more art than numerical value; more feeling than data processing. And thus: Expensive Basketball.<BR><BR> From the final 196 seconds of Kobe Bryant’s playing career to the Sue Bird backpedal, from the erosive terror of Tim Duncan to the Larry Bird memory carousel, Expensive Basketball is an affirmation of feelings.

#1 New York Times Bestseller ¿ Selected by Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of the yearWhat year was Michael Jordan the absolute, undisputed Devil-mode version of Michael Jordan? Who belongs in the elite, deeply disrespectful Dunk Hall of Fame? What are the exact, unwritten laws governing what is allowed and absolutely forbidden in a pickup basketball game?Basketball (and Other Things) is the definitive collection of pivotal, ridiculous, and brilliant fan disputes from hoops history. Perfect for fans of sports trivia, pop culture essays, and deep-dive NBA analysis, this book breaks down the standard talk-show debates you've heard a million times into the hyperspecific questions you didn't even know your brain needed answered.Award-winning writer Shea Serrano covers everything from the analytical (How many years was Kobe Bryant actually the best player in the league?) to the wonderfully chaotic (Which NBA player would you want as an ally if The Purge happened in real life?).With a foreword by NBA legend Reggie Miller and packed with stunning, comic-book-style illustrations by Arturo Torres, this classic 33-chapter masterpiece treats the mythology of modern basketball with equal parts brilliant insight and hilarious irreverence. It's the ultimate sports gift book for anyone who has ever stayed up until 3:00 AM arguing about the NBA's greatest what-ifs, or for anyone ready to fall in love with the beautiful absurdity of basketball fandom for the very first time.

#1 New York Times Bestseller ¿ Selected by Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of the yearWhat year was Michael Jordan the absolute, undisputed Devil-mode version of Michael Jordan? Who belongs in the elite, deeply disrespectful Dunk Hall of Fame? What are the exact, unwritten laws governing what is allowed and absolutely forbidden in a pickup basketball game?Basketball (and Other Things) is the definitive collection of pivotal, ridiculous, and brilliant fan disputes from hoops history. Perfect for fans of sports trivia, pop culture essays, and deep-dive NBA analysis, this book breaks down the standard talk-show debates you've heard a million times into the hyperspecific questions you didn't even know your brain needed answered.Award-winning writer Shea Serrano covers everything from the analytical (How many years was Kobe Bryant actually the best player in the league?) to the wonderfully chaotic (Which NBA player would you want as an ally if The Purge happened in real life?).With a foreword by NBA legend Reggie Miller and packed with stunning, comic-book-style illustrations by Arturo Torres, this classic 33-chapter masterpiece treats the mythology of modern basketball with equal parts brilliant insight and hilarious irreverence. It's the ultimate sports gift book for anyone who has ever stayed up until 3:00 AM arguing about the NBA's greatest what-ifs, or for anyone ready to fall in love with the beautiful absurdity of basketball fandom for the very first time.