Brooks on Books: The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons

I haven't watched a lot of NBA action the past few years, but I thought reading this book would rekindle my action in the league. Well, it did, but, as I told my friend, it got me interested not in the NBA of today, but rather the NBA of the eighties and nineties (or at least the Michael Jordan years). I loved this wide-ranging, over-the-top, idiosyncratic look at the Association from its beginnings to the present. I still don't care too much about the present, but, boy, reading Simmons rave about the Bird-Magic seasons of glory sure makes me want to relive some of that.

Let's get this out of the way now: You will NOT love this book if you hate Bill Simmons. The longtime web fixture and ESPN personality is a bit of a divisive presence online, and for better or worse, this book reflects all the B.S. you would expect/hope for/fear. This volume is huge, it's irreverent, and it's highly opinionated. It features tons of footnotes containing all sorts of extra asides and info--Simmons has a LOT to say about everything, not just basketball. It contains references to many of Simmons' obsessions, such as Vegas, porn, and 1980s movies. It is also extremely self-referential. You get the feeling the book would be about half as long if you deleted all the jokes about how long it is. If the guy rubs you the wrong way, steer clear.

For everyone else, though, there is much to enjoy. A more "mature" basketball book might not drop f-bombs, make multiple references to a story in Wilt Chamberlain's autobio about being serviced on a plane by a flight attendant, or refer to popular conspiracy theories as if they were given facts (like the NBA rigging the draft lottery so the Knicks could get Patrick Ewing). Such a book would not be near as fun, though.

And then there is all that content. Simmons discusses the history of the league, breaking it down into distinguishable eras; he ranks the best teams of all time, etc., covering everything he can about the NBA in doing so. It all builds up to his unveiling of a new concept for the Hall of Fame. I can't find anywhere near the passion he does for the Basketball Hall of Fame, and I don't even think too highly about his idea, but I don't care because it's really just a framework for him to provide an entertaining ranking of the best players of all time.

Say what you will about Simmons' ego or his pro-Celtics bias, but the guy watches a lot of hoops, and he did a ton of research for this, studying old game tapes and digging up print materials, so he at least tries to back up his assertions. I don't agree with all of his reasoning, and in fact two big things reduce his credibility: His account early in the book of fawning over Isiah Thomas in person after ripping him for years, plus a several-page argument Chuck Klosterman makes that really makes you doubt Simmons' choice of the #1 player ever--a choice which "The Book of Basketball" essentially makes 700 pages developing.

I look at it this way: Simmons is cool enough and secure enough to give Klosterman that platform. Agree with him or not, he's an effective writer, and even if his Simmonsisms really pile up in a book this length, I think it's awesome he delivered a book of this length. I found the 700 pages plus of NBA talk addictive and compelling, and I almost didn't want it to end. It's an excellent read even for a (mostly) lapsed pro hoops fan like myself.