Basketball is a popular sport among many. Use the list below to find your students' next favorite basketball book that all kids and teens will enjoy!
1. Hoops by Walter Dean Myers
17-year-old Lonnie Jackson and his basketball coach, Coach Cal, are faced with a tough decision. The Tournament of Champions is nearing and the pair are pressured to lose the game by some big-name bettors. Will they give up the most crucial game of their lives?
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2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
In this basketball story, a 14-year-old cartoonist named Junior decides to leave his school on Spokane Indian Reservation and attend an all-white high school. In this coming-of-age story, Junior must discover who he is, and his love for drawing and sports, all while navigating the prejudiced world around him.
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3. Boy21 by Matthew Quick
Finley uses basketball as an escape as his hometown is filled with drugs and violence. He must take care of his grandfather while his father is at work. At school, he is the only white basketball player on the team. He befriends a new boy at school, Russ, who only answers to Boy21. Read this story to learn how their unique friendship makes their senior year something to remember.
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4. Jocks Don’t Fall for Bookworms (Invisible Girls Club, Book 6) by Emma Dalton
Xavier, the high school basketball team captain, asks the narrator to help him get the popular girl's attention. The narrator is anything but popular herself and is a self-described bookworm. Things take a turn when this friendship begins to develop into something more.
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5. The Final Four by Paul Volponi
Following the story of four characters Malcolm, Roko, Crispin, and M.J., all of the players' lives interlace during the March Madness championship. With just four games left, the reader learns how each college basketball player became the star that has brought them to this moment in the championship season.
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6. Slam! by Walter Dean Meyers
17-year-old Greg “Slam” Harris navigates being a basketball star, while also maintaining good grades and his personal life. Harris must overcome some obstacles put in his way to ensure that he has the future he always dreamed of.
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7. The Wizenard Series: Training Camp (The Wizenard Series, 1) by Wesley King and Kobe Bryant
This novel combines the love of basketball and the mystery of magic. A young boy named Magic plays for the lowest-ranked basketball team in the worst neighborhood. Everyone on the team has given up hope on their losing season until their new head coach, Professor Wizenard, arrives. Changes begin to happen and the players on the team begin experiencing things that they cannot explain changing their lives on and off the court.
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8. The Extended Summer of Anna and Jeremy by Jennifer Ann Shore
Anna Wright is tired of her mundane life and is looking for something new. To change her good-girl reputation before school starts, she convinces the top basketball player Jeremy Blake to help her turn this around. Rather than doing her school work and being on her best behavior, she is looking to shake things up in school.
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9. Last Shot: Mystery at the Final Four (The Sports Beat, 1) by John Feinstein
Stevie wins a writing contest which lands him a press pass to the Final Four game in New Orleans. While reporting on the games, he discovers that one of the teams is being blackmailed to lose the game. Stevie must uncover who is blackmailing the team and why.
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10. Game On with the Power Forward: A Sweet YA Basketball Romance (Eastridge Heights Basketball Players Series Book 1) by Stephanie Street
In this basketball romance novel, players Piper Hines and Drew Thompson determine if they are better off as just friends or if their relationship is something more.
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11. After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay
Bunny and Nasir have been best friends forever, but everything changes when Bunny accepts an athletic scholarship requiring him to change schools. Nasir and Bunny hang out with different crowds, putting their friendship to the test.
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12. Letters to a Young Athlete by Chris Bosch
NBA professional basketball player Chris Bosch shares his journey to becoming a professional athlete. He shares crucial life lessons, his basketball accomplishments, and his success on and off the court.
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13. Ball Boy by Paul Shirley
Gray Taylor moves from Los Angeles to the small town of Baudelaire, Kansas. He finds a passion for basketball and uses his new passion as an opportunity to make a name for himself.
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14. Just #1 (Blacktop) by LJ Alonge
This novel is the first three-part series that features a young basketball junkie named Justin. This compelling story follows his summer adventures on and off the court.
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15. This Was Never About Basketball by Craig Leener
Ezekiel “Zeke” Archer loses his basketball scholarship and gets expelled from schooling finding himself at a non-conventional high school. He makes a new friend who teaches him that a mysterious 7th dimension brought basketball to planet earth but is now taking it away because of Zeke's actions. Zeke must make things right in his past to save basketball's future.
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16. Here to Stay by Sara Farizan
Bijan Majidi's life changes when he makes the game-winning basket in a varsity playoff game. His popularity gets him the attention of others gaining him new friends while also making him the target of bullies. When a cyberbully calls him a terrorist and makes fun of his Middle Eastern background, he must navigate through the hate and determine who his true friends are.
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17. All the Right Stuff by Walter Dean Meyers
Paul Dupree gets a summer job at a Harlem soup kitchen after his father is shot and killed. He gains a mentor, Elijah, who begins to help him better understand the circumstances of his life.
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18. Taking Sides by Gary Soto
Lincoln Mendoza struggles when his new basketball team in a white suburban neighborhood plays his old school from the Hispanic inner city. He must determine his true friends and where his loyalty lies in his basketball journey.
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19. On the Devil’s Court by Carl Deuker
Inspired by the novel Dr. Faustus, Joe Faust considers selling his soul to the devil to be better in school and on the basketball court. Will his trade be worth what he gave up?
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20. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
The first novel in this series, written in verse, is about two brothers, Josh and Jordan Bell, and their discoveries about life on and off the court.
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21. Rebound by Kwame Alexander
This prequel of The Crossover series features Chuck Bell, the father of Josh and Jordan Bell. Discover how this basketball-playing dad, Chuck "Da Man" Bell, found his passion for basketball.
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22. Night Hoops by Carl Deuker
Nick Abbot and Trent Dawson hated each other, but they form an unlikely friendship over their love of basketball.
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23. The Perfect Shot by Elaine Marie Alphin
This murder mystery attempts to uncover who murdered Brian’s girlfriend, Amanda. Everyone keeps telling Brian to focus on basketball, but he cannot help but wonder if the one accused is innocent.
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24. The Paths to Pro Basketball by Doeden, Matt
This Sports Illustrated book explores what it takes to make it to the NBA or WNBA. Gain basketball knowledge and insight from the experiences of successful players.
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25. Basketball (And Other Things): A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated by Shea Serrano
This book is great for any true basketball fan as it answers thirty-three questions about basketball asked and answered in thirty-three chapters.
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26. Game Changer Written by John Coy and Illustrated by Randy Deburke
This novel tells the true story of the secret game of the Duke University Medical School basketball team against the North Carolina College of Negroes. In 1944 during a time of extreme racism and segregation, legendary coach, Coach John McLendon, organized this secret game, changing the sport for the better.
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27. Ball Don’t Lie by Matt De La Pena
Sticky is a foster kid who has nowhere to call home but finds home on the basketball court. He must learn to be true to himself and allow his basketball skills to help him achieve his dreams.
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28. Shoot Your Shot: A Sport-Inspired Guide To Living Your Best Life by Vernon Brundge Jr.
This inspirational book for basketball fans examines the top basketball players in the world and explores what it takes to be the best.
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