The (Inter) National Basketball Association: How the NBA Ushered in a New Era of Basketball and Went Global

Gunderson (Boise State of Mind: The Emergence of College Football’s Grittiest Underdog) dribbles out a superficial treatment of how international players became so prominent in the NBA. Gunderson opens in the 1980s, with efforts to bring Lithuanian superstar Arvydas Sabonis to the NBA, which he portrays as being derided by then commissioner David Stern, who feared a threat to his league’s brand as “America’s Game.” Sabonis eventually joined the Portland Trail Blazers, where his success paved the way for other European talents. Gradually, the notion that foreign players could more than hold their own became apparent, Gunderson writes, and Stern’s successor, Adam Silver, committed to making the NBA a global brand. Silver advanced initiatives aimed at increasing the league’s presence in China, India, and Africa, and promoted the notion of “basketball diplomacy.” Gunderson also reviews the recent history of the San Antonio Spurs, which has led the way in scouting, drafting, and utilizing international players such as Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker. Gunderson’s nonchronological organization leads to confusion, and his analysis is cited to secondary sources, with no interviews new to the book (and he leaves out the WNBA entirely). Gunderson shoots and misses. [em](Oct.) [/em]