The Soul of Basketball: The Epic Showdown Between Lebron, Kobe, Doc, and Dirk That Saved the NBA, Hardcover

From a seasoned NBA expert and acclaimed Sports Illustrated writer, the compelling story of the last decade of the NBA, as seen through the lens of the unforgettable 2010-2011 season
The Soul of Basketball is the compelling narrative of the changing guard in the NBA over the past decade, as played out during the pivotal 2010-2011 season, which saw stars fall, new heroes rise, the game stop and somehow find rebirth. It started with The Decision, that infamous moment when uber-star LeBron James made the ill-advised announcement that he was joining Miami to cast aside the single-superstar model of Michael Jordan and play alongside some of the best in the NBA. But it didn't work, and in the process LeBron became the personification of a sport that had lost its way. The Soul of Basketball centers around the stories of LeBron, Kobe Bryant, Doc Rivers, Dirk Nowitzki, and other NBA celebrities that year, each traversing a make-or-break season that would change the league forever.

In the tradition of Moneyball and The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty, veteran NBA writer Ian Thomsen paints a portrait of a game in the throes of change. Chronicling this last season of what fans should have regarded as the best basketball ever played, Thomsen tells the larger story of a league in crisis. From Miami to Boston, Los Angeles to Dallas, Cleveland to the NBA offices in downtown Manhattan, this is a fascinating narrative about the business of sports that paves the way for the new guard, such as Steph Curry, to thrive.