Bill Simmons, writer of ESPN’s online column “Sports Guy’s World,” will be visiting a Beaverton Borders bookstore on Thursday, Nov. 19, to talk about his new book, The Book of Basketball. Simmons is also the executive producer of the new ESPN documentary series 30 for 30 and he is a lifelong NBA fanatic. The book explains his love of basketball from an early age and growing up near the Boston Garden, home of the Boston Celtics.
Simmons’ passion for the game was ignited when he started attending games with his father, a tradition that began in 1973 when he was just a young kid.
From reading the book, you might think that Simmons has watched every NBA game ever played, or at least every game that he could find a TV to watch it on, or else record to watch later. He’s one of those die-hard sports fans in the crowd that has something to say about every call the referee makes and every dispute between players.
The book seems to be one long rant about the most crucial players, teams and seasons in the history of the NBA, but even to someone who doesn’t know or care too much about basketball, it is an impressive read.
Simmons, who previously wrote for Jimmy Kimmel Live, isn’t your average, run-of-the-mill sportswriter. He lives and breathes basketball. Indications of this can be seen in the footnotes on almost every page of the book’s text. Simmons has a lot to say.
Even if you don’t get anything out of Simmons’ discussions about the greatest players and most epic moments in NBA history, you’ll at least be able to relate to the comedic pop-culture references and analogies. These references are sometimes found in the footnotes, which in some cases are the most interesting and entertaining parts of the book. Although the author’s text of sports commentary is detailed and hysterical, it’s fairly lengthy for a book focused solely on one sport.
Simmons even includes a chapter about the top 33 what-ifs in NBA history, and the Portland Trail Blazers are included in this one. There’s also a chapter about the 15 reasons why basketball gets an MVP and how it has distinguished itself from other sports.
Another chapter includes Simmons’ 33 suggestions on how to make the NBA better, which is completely hilarious. One way includes having sideline reporters being casual NBA fans, like his own wife, who would offer a whole new perspective on things happening during the game.
For readers that don’t know much about the NBA, you’ll learn a lot about the most influential players and season highlights, but if you’re a dedicated basketball fan, you may feel a need to write Simmons angry letters of why his ranking of the best NBA players is completely erroneous.