The Book of Basketball (IRB 5)

The game of basketball has quite an expansive history, spanning from the domination of Wilt Chamberlain to the magical Michael Jordan era and even to today's time headlined by LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant. The timeline of the National Basketball Association is dotted with high points, low points, and unbelievable points. Bill Simmons, in his The Book of Basketball, takes a stab at explaining the history of this incredible basketball league. The introduction is unique to that of many books, since it talks solely about Simmons and his experience with the Boston Celtics since when he was five years old. Not only does this method help to detail the impact of one of the greatest NBA players ever, Larry Bird, but it also establishes Simmons as a credible source of information on the game of basketball, making him someone the reader can trust going forward into the book. The purpose Simmons has in mind, both in his introduction and his entire book, is to inform his audience, predominately composed of avid basketball fans, of the history of the best basketball league in the world. So far, Simmons has been able to attract an audience and set readers up to be amazed and entertained as the book continues.