A brilliant, entertaining deconstruction of basketball, drawing on the
expertise of board-game creators, magicians, therapists, and more
Basketball is the second-most popular sport in the world--an insanely
complicated game built on a combination of athleticism, craftiness,
rules, intangibles, and superstardom. However, while it's enjoyable to
watch, the real reason it works is because it's a game of culture, art,
and all the things that make us human. How to Watch Basketball Like a
Genius deconstructs the sport from top to bottom and then puts it back
together again, detailing its intricacies through reporting and dozens
of interviews with experts. These experts, however, are a diverse group:
wine critics weighing in on LeBron's ability to delegate on the fly,
magicians analyzing Chris Paul's mystifying dribbling techniques,
cartographers breaking down Steph Curry's deadeye three-point shooting.
Every chapter treats basketball to a multi-disciplined study that
adventures far beyond the lines of the court, examining key elements of
the sport from some surprising and revealing angles. There's a reason it
has conquered the world, and every game is a chance to learn about pop
culture, fashion, history, science, art, and anything else that bounces
our way.