Sports Illustrated Basketball’s Greatest

“In the clutch, who would you rather have with the ball, Magic Johnson or Larry Bird?”  Sports Illustrated’s Basketball’s Greatest is another pictorial with dramatic and artistic photographs of the most famous men in basketball, filling the void left by books like DK’s Basketball’s Best Shots when they go out of print.  Yes, only men.  To their credit, this edition includes the editors’ notes on how they created the rankings and lists the writers and editors whose opinions counted on page ten.  Back matter includes full lists of all nominees for each category.  Less sophisticated readers will appreciate the treasury of photographs, most in full-color, in this oversized coffee table book.  More sophisticated readers will enjoy the articles authored by some of the most famous and most prolific Sports Illustrated writers.  All basketball lovers will find much to discuss, similar to Sports Illustrated’s Kids’ edition on this same topic.  The two make an interesting comparison:  what do publishers do differently when they are trying to sell a book for a younger audience and why?  Perfect for media units and scaffolding the common core’s emphasis on analyzing nonfiction text for audience. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Skyen, Bill. (Editor).  Sports Illustrated Basketball’s Greatest.  New York: Time Home Entertainment, 2014.