Basketball Audiobooks | Sports & Recreation

You Let Some Girl Beat You?: The Story of Ann Meyers Drysdale

Ann Meyers Drysdale, Joni Ravenna (Author), Pam Ward (Narrator)

Audiobook

Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White

Bestselling author, basketball legend and cultural commentator Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explores the heart of issues that affect Americans today. Since retiring from professional basketball as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, six-time MVP, and Hall of Fame inductee, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has become a lauded observer of culture and society, a New York Times bestselling author, and a regular contributor to The Washington Post, TIME magazine and TIME.com. He now brings that keen insight to the fore in Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White, his most incisive and important work of non-fiction in years. He uses his unique blend of erudition, street smarts and authentic experience in essays on the country's seemingly irreconcilable partisan divide-both racial and political, parenthood, and his own experiences as an athlete, African-American, and a Muslim. The audiobook is not just a collection of expositions; he also offers keen assessments of and solutions to problems such as racism in sports while speaking candidly about his experiences on the court and off. Timed for publication as the nation debates whom to send to the White House, the combination of plain talk on issues, life lessons, and personal stories places Writings on the Wall squarely in the middle of the conversation, as many of Abdul-Jabbar's topics are at the top of the national agenda. Whether it is sparring with Donald Trump, within the pages of TIME magazine, of full-length features in The New York Times Magazine, writers, critics, and readers have come to agree on what The Washington Post observed: Abdul-Jabbar "has become a vital, dynamic and unorthodox cultural voice."

Raymond Obstfeld (Author), Ben Adduchio (Narrator)

Audiobook

Win the Day: Fuel your Passion with Discipline & Raise your Basketball Game and Life, Day after Day

'The MyStride Approach can be beneficial for players at all levels. Win the Day is a great book for players who really want to see how good they can become.' Karl Smesko, Florida Gulf Coast University (NCAA I), Women's Head Coach - Third highest career winning percentage amongst all NCAA Division I coaches. Millions across the globe put in countless hours to realize their basketball dreams... Despite this hard work, not many reach their full potential, and most never fulfill their aspirations. Having ambitious goals is necessary, but goals don't get you anywhere. To progress, ambitious players need a better support system. Just like #1 New Your time best seller James Clear states: 'You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.' In Win the Day you will learn about the key mindset to adopt to raise your game on and off the court, and how to implement them within the MyStride Approach, a comprehensive and robust training management system. This book will increase your discipline, consciousness, and consistency in your training. Additionally, Win the Day will inspire any reader through successful stories of players and athletes who beat the odds to create a future for themselves. This book will teach you how to: - Gradually change the beliefs about yourself and your game, increasing your self-confidence. - Avoid the common mistakes that keep players from developing. - Build and implement a life-changing training management system. - Get back on track faster when you get off-course. and much more... Win the Day is a guide any basketball player should keep in their back pocket and apply if they wish to fulfill their full basketball potential and dream of a special basketball journey.

Christophe Varidel (Author), Joddy Appiah (Narrator)

Audiobook

When the Game Was Ours

From the moment these two legendary players took the court on opposing sides, they engaged in a fierce physical and psychological battle. In Celtic green was Larry Bird, the hick from French Lick with laser-beam focus, relentless determination, and a deadly jump shot, a player who demanded excellence from everyone around him. Magic Johnson was Mr. Showtime, a magnetic personality with all the right moves. Young, indomitable, he was a pied piper in purple and gold. Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most thrilling rivalry in the NBA-East vs. West, physical vs. finesse, old school vs. Showtime, even white vs. black. Each pushed the other to greatness, and together Bird and Johnson collected eight NBA Championships and six MVP awards, helping to save a floundering NBA. At the start they were bitter rivals, but along the way they became lifelong friends. With intimate detail, When the Game Was Ours reveals for the first time the inner workings of two players dead set on besting each other. From the heady days of trading championships to the darker days of injury and illness, we come to understand Larry's obsessive devotion to winning and how his demons drove him on the court. We hear him talk with candor about playing through chronic pain. In Magic we see a star struggle with the sting of defeat, not just as a player but as a team leader. When he learns he has contracted HIV we hear in his own words how that devastating news affected his relationships in basketball and beyond. But always, we see both these men prevail.

Earvin Magic Johnson, Larry Bird (Author), Dick Hill (Narrator)

Audiobook

We the North: 25 Years of the Toronto Raptors

NATIONAL BESTSELLER 'Doug Smith always gets the first question in any Raptors press conference--as the dean of our press corps, he's been in the front row for every development over the past 25 years. There's no one better placed to write a history of our team's first quarter century.' --Nick Nurse, head coach, Toronto Raptors Bringing Jurassic Park to your home, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Canada's most exciting team. When the Toronto Raptors first took the court back in 1995, the world was a very different place. Michael Jordan was tearing up the NBA. No one had email. And a lot of people wondered whether basketball could survive in Toronto, the holy city of hockey. Twenty-five years later, the Raptors are the heroes not only of the 416, but of the entire country. That is the incredible story of We the North, told by Doug Smith, the Toronto Starreporter who has been covering the team since the press conference announcing Canada's new franchise and the team's beat reporter from that day on. Comprising twenty-five chapters to mark the team's twenty-five years, We the North celebrates the biggest moments of the quarter-century--from Vince Carter's amazing display at the dunk competition to the play-off runs, the major trades, the Raptors'incredible fans, including Nav Bhatia and Drake, and,of course,the challenges that marked the route to the championship-clinching Game 6 that brought the whole countryto a standstill. We the North: 25 Years of the Toronto Raptors tells the story of Canada's most exciting team, charting their rise from a sporting oddity in a hockey-mad country to the status they hold today as the reigning NBA champions and national heroes.

Doug Smith (Author), Kia Nurse, Matt Devlin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Walk-On Warrior: Drive, Discipline, and the Will to Win

A season at Marquette. A summer with Rick Majerus. An inspiring quest to stay connected to the game. Small town. Undersized. Not enough talent. John Willkom heard it all as a young basketball player growing up in rural Wisconsin. Despite the odds, John dedicated his life to the game, an arduous journey that challenged the very core of even the most disciplined. As John's hard work lands him amongst basketball's elite, it is the workouts, the people, and the behind-the-scenes interactions that not only change his skill set but how he lives his life. Both heartfelt and funny, Walk-On Warrior takes you into the mind of an athlete from John's perspective. Take a journey that will reignite your passion for life, challenge your perspectives on toughness and fear, and ultimately, inspire you to maximize your talent.

John Willkom (Author), Cameron Sharp (Narrator)

Audiobook

Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court

The popular ESPN basketball analyst and former Duke player looks at the true meaning of toughness. If anyone knows tough, it's Jay Bilas. A four-year starter at Duke, he learned an incomparable work ethic under coach Mike Krzyzewski, battling against the greatest college players in the game. After playing professionally overseas for several years, he returned to Duke, where he served as Krzyzewski's assistant coach for three seasons, during which the Blue Devils won back-to-back titles. A graduate of Duke Law School, he has since become one of basketball's most recognizable faces through his insightful, intelligent work on ESPN's SportsCenter and College GameDay. Through his ups and downs, on and off the court, Jay learned the true meaning of toughness from coaches, teammates, and colleagues. Now, he discusses this misunderstood-yet vital-attribute and how it contributes to winning in sports and in life. Featuring never-before-heard stories and personal philosophies on toughness from top players and coaches including Coach K, Bob Knight, Grant Hill, Mia Hamm, Jon Gruden, Tom Izzo, Bill Self, Curtis Strange, and many others-Bilas redefines what it takes to succeed.

Jay Bilas (Author), Jay Bilas (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Wonder Boy: Luka Doncic and the Curse of Greatness

ESPN's Tim MacMahon examines the pressure of building around a prodigy in the NBA, through the prism of the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic. THE WONDER BOY chronicles Doncic's journey from the most hyped European teen prospect in basketball history to a generational NBA star -- and all the madness that ensues as the Mavericks attempt to avoid blowing the golden opportunity of having a young, perennial MVP candidate as the franchise centerpiece. The book digs behind the scenes of the drama and dysfunction in Dallas during the early years of Doncic's career, when owner Mark Cuban's front office focused as much on internal power struggles as actually improving the basketball team. And it covers the new regime's effort to earn Doncic's loyalty, which requires putting the ruthless competitor in position to win. Readers will learn never-before-reported details about the blockbuster deal for Kristaps Porzingis that blew up in the Mavs' faces, the divorces with coach Rick Carlisle and GM Donnie Nelson, the series of mistakes that led to Jalen Brunson leaving after a run to the Western Conference finals, the new pairing with mercurial Kyrie Irving, roster moves that could have been made and much more. As the clock ticks on the Mavs' search for a co-star, THE WONDER BOY dives into how the Mavericks have handled a dilemma every NBA team would love to have.

Tim Macmahon (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Truth About Overseas Basketball Exposure Camps: How To Effortlessly Choose The RIGHT Exposure Ca

Attention all Professional Basketball Players who want to 1) know which camps are worth it versus which camps are scams and wastes of time, 2) get exposure to the team managers and owners who can offer you a contract -- and the agents who have connections to them, and 3) take a HUGE step towards signing a professional basketball contract ASAP... If you're looking to succeed with overseas basketball then this brand new book by Overseas Basketball expert Dre Baldwin, reveals how every professional basketball player can understand how to choose the RIGHT exposure camp for YOU that will give you the highest return on investment and give you your best chance to be seen by the people who will help advance your career.In fact, here's just a sample of you'll discover in the pages of this insightful new book: 'The Truth About Overseas Exposure Camps'(An Interview with Overseas Basketball Expert, Dre Baldwin)* The #1 RULE Pro basketball players need to follow for overseas exposure camp success* The most important RULE for how to choose the right pro basketball exposure camps -- and what mistakes to avoid (no matter what your current level of achievement)* The cardinal overseas exposure camps RULE Pro basketball players need to follow when it comes to leveraging exposure camps to further your basketball career* The biggest rule Dre Baldwin ever broke as a Pro basketball player when it came to overseas exposure camps (and how YOU can learn from that experience) ... and much, MUCH More! And, as a special bonus, we'll also reveal the events that Dre would go to if he were getting started today! Most of what you need is instruction and encouragement from someone who has 'been there and done that!' Get this book NOW and claim the overseas basketball success you deserve!So go ahead, click the order button right now and you're on your way to overseas basketball success!Act now! Buy now! Your satisfaction is guaranteed.

Dre Baldwin (Author), Dre Baldwin (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sense of Wonder

From the author of Pen/Faulkner finalist Disappear Doppelgänger Disappear and Craft in the Real World comes a searing masterwork on the ways Asian Americans navigate the thorny worlds of sports and entertainment when everything is stacked against them. An Asian American basketball star walks into a gym. No one recognizes him, but everyone stares anyway. It is the start of a joke but what is the punchline? When Won Lee, the first Asian American in the NBA, stuns the world in a seven-game winning streak, the global media audience dubs it "The Wonder"-much to Won's chagrin. Meanwhile, Won struggles to get attention from his coach, his peers, his fans, and most importantly, his hero, Powerball!, who also happens to be Won's teammate and the captain. Covering it all is sportswriter Robert Sung, who writes about Won's stardom while grappling with his own missed hoops opportunities as well as his place as an Asian American in media. And to witness it all is Carrie Kang, a big studio producer, who juggles a newfound relationship with Won while attempting to bring K-drama to an industry not known to embrace anything new or different. The Sense of Wonder follows Won and Carrie as they chronicle the human and professional tensions exacerbated by injustices and fight to be seen and heard on some of the world's largest stages. An incredibly funny and heart-rending dive into race and our "collective imagination that lays bare our limitations before blasting joyfully past them" (Catherine Chung). This is the work of a gifted storyteller at the top of his game.

Matthew Salesses (Author), Jee Young Han, Tommy Kang (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph

Winner of the 2016 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing The true story of the game that never should have happened--and of a nation on the brink of monumental change In the fall of 1943, at the little-known North Carolina College for Negroes, Coach John McLendon was on the verge of changing basketball forever. A protÃ©gÃ© of James Naismith, the game's inventor, McLendon taught his team to play the full-court press and run a fast break that no one could catch. His Eagles would become the highest-scoring college team in America--a basketball juggernaut that shattered its opponents by as many as sixty points per game. Yet his players faced danger whenever they traveled backcountry roads. Across town, at Duke University, the best basketball squad on campus wasn't the Blue Devils, but an all-white military team from the Duke medical school. Composed of former college stars from across the country, the team dismantled everyone they faced, including the Duke varsity. They were prepared to take on anyone--until an audacious invitation arrived, one that was years ahead of anything the South had ever seen before. What happened next wasn't on anyone's schedule. Based on years of research, The Secret Game is a story of courage and determination, and of an incredible, long-buried moment in the nation's sporting past. The riveting, true account of a remarkable season, it is the story of how a group of forgotten college basketball players, aided by a pair of refugees from Nazi Germany and a group of daring student activists, not only blazed a trail for a new kind of America, but helped create one of the most meaningful moments in basketball history.

Scott Ellsworth (Author), Scott Ellsworth (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality

Kobe Bryant is a legend – The Rise is a fascinating look at his early life and how he became regarded as one of basketball’s greatest ever players. Kobe Bryant’s death in January 2020 did more than rattle the worlds of sports and celebrity. It took the tragedy of that helicopter crash to reveal the full breadth and depth of Kobe’s influence, and by tracing and telling the oft-forgotten and lesser-known story of his early life, The Rise promises to provide an unparalleled insight into Kobe. In The Rise, readers travel from the cracked concrete basketball courts of Philadelphia in the 1960s and 70s - where Kobe's father, Joe, became a playground, college and professional stand out - to the majesty and isolation of Europe, where Kobe spent his formative years and to the leafy suburbs of Lower Merion, where Kobe's legend was born. The story culminates with his leading Lower Merion to the 1995-96 Pennsylvania state championship - a true underdog run for a team with just one star player, Kobe - and with the 1996 NBA draft, where Kobe's dream of playing pro basketball culminated with his acquisition by the Los Angeles Lakers. With exclusive access to a series of never-before-released interviews during Bryant's senior season and early days in the NBA. Mike Sielski's The Rise reveals insights never seen before. For a quarter-century, these tapes and transcripts preserved Kobe's thoughts, dreams and goals from his teenage years, and they contained insights into him and told stories about him that have never been revealed before. This is beyond a mere basket ball book. This is an exploration of the making of an icon and the effect of his development on those around him - the essence of the man before he truly became a man.

Mike Sielski (Author), Landon Woodson, Mike Sielski (Narrator)

Audiobook

Basketball Audiobooks in Sports & Recreation