Best-selling New York Times writer Ira Berkow presents a unique look at America's premier sport—and its fans—through interviews with a remarkable cross section of widely known and extraordinarily accomplished individuals in a variety of fields, who explain what the lure of basketball is for them. Berkow talked with Chris Rock, Woody Allen, Tom Brokaw, Saul Bellow, Johnnie Cochran Jr., Walter Matthau, Nikki Giovanni, Donald Trump, Julia Child, Frank Stella, Erica Jong, Grover Washington Jr., Seiji Ozawa, and Sharon Stone, among others, to uncover fresh, funny, controversial, and often surprising opinions about the teams and players who make the game intriguing.

Ira Berkow is a sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times and has won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting. He has written numerous books, including The Minority Quarterback, and Other Lives in Sports and most recently a memoir, To the Hoop: The Seasons of a Basketball Life.

“Berkow might be the Phil Jackson of basketball writers. . . . [A] lively, coherent collection that not only provides fascinating insights into the game but reveals surprising information about the celebrities.”—Boston Globe

“Wonderful reading.”—Booklist

“Each of the contributors gives a different, nuanced, and intriguing look at the game. Readers do not have to be rabid fans to enjoy this work, as many of the interviewees see the game as more than just wins and losses. . . . Of interest to all basketball fans, this book is highly recommended.”—Library Journal