From its early days as a physical, plodding game with franchises parked
in outpost towns like Fort Wayne, Moline, and Rochester, to today's
international showcase sport, professional basketball has evolved
dramatically over the decades. But the development of the National
Basketball Association and its star players was not preordained. There
were moments, both obvious and subtle, that steered the direction of the
sport, whether it was Bill Russell's swan song, a near-miss on Michael
Jordan, Kobe Bryant's All-Star debut at nineteen, a LeBron James legacy
game or a deep 3-point-shot by Steph Curry, these moments gradually
brought us the NBA we know today--a scrappy league that was jump-started
by a 24-second timer and will be defined by the 30,000 3-pointers its
players knock down per season. Veteran NBA reporter and editor Sean
Deveney will explore the unique characters and backstories of 12 crucial
games in the history of the NBA, while putting them into the context of
their influence on the direction of the league.