Pickup Artists: Street Basketball in America (Haymarket) - Tapa dura

"A passionately but conscientiously assembled book. Riveting profiles give life to figures both forgotten and never heard of, while a long overdue history of basketball's most elemental version is a valuable contribution to the game's historiography." -- Alexander Wolff, Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated "Pickup Artists is an unusually well-written and astute picture of the ways that basketball has evolved in this country ... An exemplary piece of reporting and writing, transcending sports to give us a somber view of America's crumbling cities." -- Kirkus Reviews "The book's strength lies in its characterization of the numerous figures, both tragic and comic, who have played out roles on the nation's asphalt stages ... A meticulously researched, richly written look at a vital part of American popular culture." - Philadelphia Inquirer "Anderson and Millman obviously know their subject and have done a wonderful job tracking down playground heroes." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

The authors of this text tell the story of basketball from its mythical past to the present. Using original reporting to examine the evolution of playground basketball, they aim to uncover the sport's subculture. The book also profiles not just legends like Earl Manigault and Joe Hammond, but players like Fred "Spook" Stegman and Gregory Vaughn.