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Basket Ball

The Story of the All-American Game

Basket Ball Open the full-size image

Contributors

By Kadir Nelson

Illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Formats and Prices

Price

$21.99

Price

$28.99 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Hardcover $21.99 $28.99 CAD
  2. Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $4.99

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Award-winning, bestselling creator Kadir Nelson delivers the perfect gift for basketball fans of any age—a beautifully illustrated history of the game and its key players over the years—in this much anticipated companion to his bestselling We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball.

Basketball has evolved by leaps and bounds since its origin over 125 years ago, but what remains is the passion of the players, the heat of competition, and supreme strategy and athleticism on the court. In this visual tour de force, celebrated artist Kadir Nelson weds his love for the game with showstopping paintings that bring its heart-pounding history to life.

The sage voice of an elder player narrates the journey from the early days of the slow game of “basket ball” to today’s dazzlingly athletic and fast-paced sport. Engaging profiles of revolutionary players—including Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry—are featured, along with notable quotes from major figures of the game. With each breathtaking page turn, fans young and old will learn the gripping story of the all-American game and meet its iconic, indomitable heroes.

Genre:

  • Praise for We Are the Ship:

    Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award
    Winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor
    Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Award
    A New York Times bestseller

    "Nelson continues to top himself with each new book... Along with being absolutely riveted by the art, readers will come away with a good picture of the Negro Leaguers' distinctive style of play, as well as an idea of how their excellence challenged the racial attitudes of both their sport and their times." I>Kirkus Reviews

    "Easygoing, conversational storytelling is exactly what Kadir Nelson achieves in this pitch-perfect history of Negro League Baseball.... His grand slam, though, is the art: Nelson's oil paintings have a steely dignity, and his from-the-ground perspectives make the players look larger than life."
    Horn Book

On Sale
Jan 13, 2026
Page Count
112 pages
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13
9780316209403

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Kadir Nelson

About the Illustrator

Kadir Nelson is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including the Caldecott Medal–winning The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander; the New York Times bestselling We Are the Ship, winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award and Illustrator Honor as well as the Sibert Award Medal; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, which was an NAACP Image Award winner, Caldecott Honor Book, and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner. His work has appeared in many publications, including Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, and The New Yorker. Nelson’s original paintings are in the permanent collections of the United States House of Representatives, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Kadir lives in Southern California and invites you to visit him online at kadirnelson.com.

Learn more about this illustrator