I'm not a fan of basketball (or any sport really), but I am a fan of reading about almost anything in comic book form, so here we go . . .

I was surprised to find myself enjoying this fast and fun overview of the history of basketball. I assume dedicated fans will find it frustrating and want to argue about many specific points and how they are covered here, but as someone who is only aware of basketball when it shows up outside the sports section of news publications (and, hey, didn't Dr. J show up in Spalding ads in my comic books for a year?), I found it just right in its content and pacing. Actually, a lot of it overlaps with the history high points that Gene Luen Yang worked into this Dragon Hoops graphic novel that I read last year.

The focus is mostly on the careers of the sport's biggest superstars: Bob Cousy, George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. There are a few pages here and there given over to women (who really deserve there own book based on the tidbits here) and international players. There is intriguing reference made to basketball and Native Americans but it is more tantalizing than satisfying. Racism and a few gambling scandals are mentioned but not dwelled upon. Really, most negative aspects are glossed over including the treatment and exploitation of college players.

But hey, now I know why basketballs were all red, white, and blue when I was a kid and are all orange now. ( )