Basketball (And Other Things)

As an avid reader, I spend a lot of time at the library. I spend time there mostly because I consider myself “old fashioned” (although I’m only 23). I’m not accustomed to audio books or e-books. I prefer having a physical book in my hand, and it will likely stay that way. With that being said, I stumbled upon a book during my last trip to the library.

The book is titled “Basketball (And Other Things)” and is written by Shea Serrano. It is also illustrated by Arturo Torres. Shea Serrano is a staff writer TheRinger.com, a website founded by former ESPN contributor Bill Simmons. Serrano is an author of three books and has also contributed to ESPN, XXL and more. “Basketball (And Other Things)” is his third book. The book was published on October 10, 2017.

“Basketball (And Other Things)” is a collection of basketball questions fans think about, but don’t say aloud. Some of the questions might even be weird. Shea Serrano not only answers these questions, he does so in a humorous way. The first question he asked was, “What year was Michael Jordan the Best Version of Michael Jordan?”. Michael Jordan played in the NBA from 1984 to 2003. Jordan retired twice throughout those years. Serrano excludes the Jordan’s Washington Wizards stint, and only includes Jordan’s years with the Bulls. Serrano concludes that Michael Jordan was at his best in the 1992-1993 season.

Another question Serrano asked was “Who’s your Frankenplayer made out of?”. For this question, he takes aspects such as name, hair, wingspan, and shooting ability of different players. He combines all these attributes into one player to create a super player or Frankenplayer. This chapter was a fun read, and an activity I did myself (I omitted a few things).
Serrano asked other questions such as “What’s the draft order of fictional basketball players?” and “If you could dunk on any person, who would it be?”. The fictional player draft consists of players from famous basketball movies such as Monica Wright of Love and Basketball, Lola Bunny of Looney Tunes/Space Jam, Calvin Cambridge of Like Mike, Billy Hoyle of White Men Can’t Jump. My first pick would be between Shep of Above the Rim or Neon Boudeaux of Blue Chips. If you’re a basketball fan, Boudeaux may look familiar. I posted a picture of him below.

Overall, “Basketball (And Other Things)” was an entertaining read. There are several other questions that basketball fans will enjoy. I’m glad that I found this book, and I recommend it to basketball fans.