{"product_id":"the-art-of-a-beautiful-game-the-thinking-fans-tour-of-the-nba-9781439110225","title":"The Art of a Beautiful Game: The Thinking Fan's Tour of the NBA","description":"\u003cb\u003eChris Ballard sits down with the NBA's most passionate, \u003c\/b\u003ecerebral players to discover their tricks of the trade and to learn what drives them. He reveals the roots of Kobe Bryant's limitless competitiveness; shadows LeBron James to figure out how he deploys his prodigious talent; and challenges Steve Kerr to a three-point shootout to analyze the mind-set of a pure shooter. Ballard tracks down renowned dunkers to explore the slam's impact on today's game, follows Shane Battier during his extensive pregame preparations, gets pointers from a free-throw shooting guru who once hit 2,750 in a row, and attends an elite NBA training camp to experience the pain that turns a prospect into a pro. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePacked with fascinating characters and startling anecdotes, and grounded in the superb writing and the reportage that is the hallmark of \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated, The Art of a Beautiful Game \u003c\/i\u003eis an often witty, always insightful look at the men like Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, and Dirk Nowitzki who devote themselves to this elegant and complicated sport. It's an inside read on the game that will surprise even diehard fans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBallard, Chris:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eChris Ballard\u003c\/b\u003e is a senior writer at \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e covering the NBA and writing features. He has written profiles of people with offbeat professions for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e and is the author of \u003ci\u003eHoops Nation\u003c\/i\u003e, which was named one of \u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e's Top Ten Sports Books of 1998, and \u003ci\u003eThe Butterfly Hunter\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Berkeley, California.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50337101447442,"sku":"9781439110225","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a247a549-ef9b-4148-bd2c-4bef804d4810.jpg?v=1727953911","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-art-of-a-beautiful-game-the-thinking-fans-tour-of-the-nba-9781439110225","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}