Who Got Game: Basketball: Amazing But True Stories

Who Got Game? Basketball is perfect for basketball fans. It is easy to feel the excitement that the author brings to the story. Slang throughout the text keeps this from being a bland nonfiction book. While the greats of the game are mentioned throughout the book, it is intentional about shining light on the aspects of history for African Americans and Women who haven’t received much recognition before.
The tone of the text is approachable and offers page-turning facts about the sport and the people who have made it an enduring and international sensation. It mostly focuses on pro basketball, but since many records have been made at the collegiate level, those have not been forgotten. This book does not use real photographs, but the illustrated approach is well done.
Overall, this is a fantastic resource for research or for a deep dive by an enthusiast about Basketball and the people who have made it a legend.

“Who Got Game? Basketball: Amazing But True Stories!” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya, has a variety of different sections in the contents. This nonfiction book covers premier pioneers who got the game started, like Julius “Dr. J” Erving, George Mikan, and “Muggsy” Bogues, to sensational stories about glass-shattering dunks and aerial excellence, on to radical records such as the highest-scoring game ever and the three-point king, to triumphant turnarounds in the game.

The sport itself is covered in quite a bit of detail, from its history to journeys of individual players. Coaches and radio announcers are also covered, and there are so many statistics, dates, and other similar details lining the pages, any sports lover will find more than enough to enjoy. Some of the greatest coach quotes are also outlined toward the back of the book, along with a glossary, tips and resources, and some more engaging content to add to the reading experience.

Anyone who listens to sports radio, likes going to games, or merely enjoys learning new facts will find so much wonder in this book. Plus, for anyone who wants to learn more about another sport—baseball—there is a book just like this one about that sport as well, also by Derrick Barnes.

Wow. This had SO MUCH basketball information, and gets bonus points for including a lot of players from marginalized populations. It's formatted in a way that readers who like the Guinness Book of World Records or Ripley's Believe It or Not books will love, with lots of colorful illustrations, bold fonts, and fun lists. I'm definitely buying a copy, in a Perma-Bound edition, and it will be constantly checked out. I'm also buying the baseball book, but what we really need is a similar one about football, since that is the second most popular sport for which my students ask.