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Interviews | November 19, 2009

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[Editor's note: The following is a reprint of our 2005 interview with John Irving, whose new novel, Last Night in Twisted River, has just come out... Continue »

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FreeDarko Presents the Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game

by Freedarko High Counc

FreeDarko Presents the Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The indispensible, amazingly illustrated companion to today's NBA—a roundball Rosetta Stone that hilariously decodes the trends and tendencies of pro basketball.

The NBA of the moment is a league of hugely charismatic celebrities, crackling aesthetic intrigue, sociopolitical undercurrents, and raw humanity: every Kobe Bryant pump-fake or LeBron James dunk holds within it a Shaq-size load of meaning. The Macro-Phenomenal NBA Almanac is a one-of-a-kind guide to this tumultuous and exciting league. In a series of brilliantly illustrated chapters—from Master Builders like Tim Duncan to Destiny’s Kids like Amare Stoudemire to Lost Souls like Lamar Odom—the almanac breaks down the styles of the NBA’s most colorful characters, showing what each one reveals through his play and conduct, both on the court and off. Filled with some of the smartest, funniest sportswriting known to fankind, this book will cast an entirely new light on one of our favorite games.

Synopsis:

Filled with smart, funny sports writing, this illustrated companion to today's NBA casts an entirely new light on one of America's favorite sports.

About the Author

FreeDarko is collective of like-minded NBA writers and artists whose blog has become a staple of basketball fandom on the internet. More a movement than a self-contained website, it had a regular spot on the McSweeney's site and is frequently called on by Deadspin.com to provide guest NBA coverage. Bethlehem Shoals, its chief operative, has published basketball-related writing in Slate, the Chicago Sports Review, and SLAM, and is a columnist on AOL's FanHouse.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
mixotic, January 26, 2009 (view all comments by mixotic)
Simply put, this is the finest examination of the true nature of a league and its players that has ever been put down in written word, for any sport. It is peppered with hilarious comparisons of statistics and player personality types, but the deep analysis of the driving force behind many of these individuals and their perception in the league and media is pure genius.

I have never seen another book that takes such a unique point of view and communicates it so effectively. Truly an amazing accomplishment.
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(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
jereme, January 8, 2009 (view all comments by jereme)
From the moment I held this book, I had a feeling that its innards would be grand.

In a wonderfully stylized text-book format, the MPBA breaks down the NBA's most prolific players and explains their game, personalities, lives, etc.

The illustrations in this book are fantastic, and the Daily Show-esque writing style provides a nice candy coating for a pill that is ordinarily hard to swallow. After all, who wants to get to know a better side of Kobe?

The authors do not seem to attempt to paint players in any certain light. They attempt to convey all angles of a player, but are able to write in a way that forces you to further consider your convictions.

After one night of reading.. I, a dedicated Kobe-hater, have actually modified my own status to a dedicated Kobe-disliker. Now that I feel I understand him better, I am able to rationalize his behaviour and personality.

What this book lacks is Blazers... There's a good reason for this. At the current, the Blazers have a super star, maybe two, but they are chock full of selfless team players.

This book is not about selfless team players! It's about the freaks, the jerks, the ego maniacal slamma jammas and the low down dirty rotten thugs.

Let go of the old NBA and embrace the new is the message in this great read.
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(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781596915619
Subtitle:
Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game
Author:
Freedarko High Counc
Illustrator:
Belafonte, Big Baby; Billups
Illustrator:
Belafonte; Belafonte, Big Baby
Illustrator:
Billups
Foreword:
Arenas, Gilbert
Author:
Indianchief, Dr Lawyer
Author:
Shoals, Bethlehem
Author:
5000, Silverbird
Publisher:
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Subject:
Basketball - General
Subject:
Almanacs
Subject:
Basketball
Subject:
Basketball - Professional
Subject:
Basketball players
Publication Date:
November 2008
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
YES
Pages:
219
Dimensions:
9.20x7.28x.94 in. 1.69 lbs.

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