Nonfiction Monday: Ultimate Guide to Bastketball

 In honor of the Final Four which is here in town:

Ultimate Guide to Basketball: Facts, Stats, Stars and Stuff by James Buckley, Jr. Beach Ball Books, 2010 (review copy provided by the publisher)

In the style of Guinness Book of World Records and other "record" books this is a fun, start-anywhere-book of facts and information about basketball.  This is not a book with every conceivable stat and fact but at 160 pages, it does give  nice brief, overviews of the sport.  The focus is on professional basketball, the history of the game and the NBA. Lots of short, interesting (to me) descriptions of court positions and player roles, facts on steals, blocks, and assists are included.
So THAT is what a "pick and roll" is.

Legends of the game, including  Wilt Chamberlin, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, and some of their stats are detailed.  Information about each NBA division and franchise is also included along with some "funky facts" about each team.  I did not know Mavericks guard Jason Terry wears 5 pairs of socks because it is "more comfortable" when he plays.

Two color printing with insets and fact boxes and balloons make this an accessible and entertaining overview of the game.
The Nonfiction Monday Roundup is at L.L. Owens!