Review by Booklist Review
Basketball began in December 1891 at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, when instructor James Naismith taught his students a new game. He ordered farm baskets nailed to the balconies on opposite sides of the gymnasium, and he explained the basic rules. Each time a team threw the ball into its basket, the team would score a point, and all action would cease until the ball was retrieved from the basket, which did not have a hole large enough for the ball to fall through. A jump ball signaled that the teams could resume play. For 10 years, basketball was taught only to white men, but soon it spread to Black players and women as well. By today's standards, the games were relatively slow and quiet for both players and spectators. Basketball fans, young and old, will be fascinated by the history of the game, its rules, and the players who dared to challenge familiar moves with new styles of play that would lead to the impressive feats seen in modern basketball. Nelson's detailed but very readable text is illustrated with a series of riveting oil paintings of key figures, including outstanding players in the sport's history. This handsome, informative volume belongs in many sports collections.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--Nelson delivers this compelling companion to the acclaimed We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, chronicling the history of basketball. Narrated by the sage voice of an elder player, the book traces the sport from its slow beginnings in 1891 to the dazzling, fast-paced game it is today. The book's strengths are in its visual impact; it features an oversized format and nearly 60 showstopping color paintings that bring the heart-pounding history to life. Nelson addresses the sport's diversity and segregation, noting that the game was initially confined to white-owned gymnasiums and not open to African Americans. It highlights Edwin B. Henderson, the father of Black basketball, who introduced the game in segregated Washington, DC, in 1904. The narrative covers iconic Black teams like the Harlem Globetrotters--who named themselves to signal they were a Black team to avoid trouble in remote towns--and the Harlem Rens, who won the 1939 World's Championship but were ignored by major papers due to their race. Profiles of revolutionary players, such as Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan are provided, along with notable quotes. VERDICT With its strong focus on the historical context of segregation and its comprehensive coverage of the sport's indomitable heroes, this is an excellent addition for collections, appealing strongly to sports enthusiasts and readers seeking diverse historical perspectives.--Richard Winters
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Review by Horn Book Review
Nelson (We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, rev. 5/08, among many others) brings his sports fandom and verve -- and always impressive oil paintings -- to the history of basketball. Organized into four "quarters," plus pregame, halftime, overtime, and postgame sections, the text is wide-ranging and enthusiastic; the (fictional) narrator speaks "from the firsthand experiences of a former basketball player who's witnessed the game evolve from its humble beginnings...into a flashy athletic spectacle on the world stage." Beginning with Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891, Nelson describes the new sport's rules, equipment, popularity, and challenges, providing primary-source quotes and historical context around issues such as racial and financial inequities, skill-building, showmanship, and teamwork. Moving through the twentieth century, he arrives at perhaps the liveliest chapter: "Third Quarter: The Revolutionaries," which provides snapshots of fourteen of the most influential (and playfully contestable/debatable) male players. Women are largely relegated to the engaging "Overtime" section, with Nelson's author's note acknowledging a greater story to be told. Every spread of this dazzlingly illustrated work includes dynamic imagery -- over sixty original paintings. All are helpfully captioned, though many of the subjects are iconic and will need no identification for fans. A timeline, a glossary, notes and sources, and an index are appended. Elissa GershowitzJanuary/February 2026 p.91 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In an old gymnasium in Massachusetts in 1891, the legendary game of basketball was born. Invented by James Naismith, a white PE teacher tasked with keeping his energetic students active in the winter, "basket ball," as it was then called, was initially a slow game played with lumpy leather balls and wooden baskets without backboards. The sport underwent an epic journey of transformation and innovation--with more than a dash of Black excellence--to become the fast-paced, high-scoring game we enjoy today. Jam-packed with well-researched historical context, each chapter is compelling; Caldecott Medalist Nelson writes in an invitingly conversational tone while including plenty of basketball slang and jargon, with definitions seamlessly incorporated in a glossary. This detailed work doesn't shy away from the game's history of racism, discrimination, and exclusion, though Nelson also celebrates Black players' impact on the game. He combines thorough history with full-spread features on some of basketball's GOATs, from Bill Russell to LeBron James. Nelson finishes with a section on the parallel history of women's basketball, noting its groundbreaking influence and the challenges that female professional athletes still face. His breathtakingly realistic oil paintings give readers a courtside seat to the action; in the creative page design, text is wrapped around stunning images of larger-than-life legends, some based on iconic photos of basketball history. A backboard-shattering slam dunk. (author's note, timeline, notes, sources, index)(Nonfiction. 9-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
