This spectacular full-color volume is a four-decade-long NBA highlight reel as never before published. Sports Illustrated veteran Walter Iooss has culled 175 sensational color photographs from his archives that document the sport's electrifying athleticism, historic rivalries, and larger-than-life stars. Sportswriter Mark Jacobson, a self-described hoops junkie, contributes a witty, insightful commentary that gives context to the 40 years of vibrant basketball imagery. Relive the 1960s, when Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia Warriors battled Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics in $19 Converse sneakers; the 1970s, when Dr. J redefined gravity and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar patented the skyhook; and the 1980s, when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird catapulted the NBA onto the main screen and Michael Jordan changed the face of the sport. Take a look at the 1990s and the reign and breakup of the seemingly unstoppable Shaq-Kobe Lakers, and at basketball's future, under young stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Yao Ming.