I’ve said it before, and no doubt I’ll say it again: I am very pleased that there appears to be a real, broad appetite for books about the NBA recently. There have been plenty of new books published about active players, but there have also been just as many that examine retired players, or particular periods of the League’s history.
As a life-long basketball player (of dubious skill), but also someone who only really was able to start watching NBA games about 14 years ago (thanks to relocating to Canada), I am particularly interested in reading books that help me fill in the historical gaps. Which brings us to Rivals Turned Idols by Julian Kimble, which examines the 1996 draft class and their incredible impact on the game and League as a whole. It will be released next Spring, and I can’t wait. Here’s the synopsis:
The must-read story of the 1996 NBA Draft class — Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash — that turned the NBA into a global force and changed culture forever.
In Rivals Turned Idols, a legendary class of players — Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, and Stephon Marbury — emerged not just as stars, but as architects of the modern game and the global phenomenon it would become.
This is the story of how athletes became brands, how style and music merged with sport, and how the NBA expanded from American arenas to a worldwide stage. From Philadelphia playgrounds to Los Angeles spotlights to sold-out gyms in Beijing, the ripple effects of this class are still shaping the game and the culture around it today.
Electric, deeply reported, and rich with cultural insight, Rivals Turned Idols is the story of the draft that turned a league into a global force, and rivals into icons.
Kobe, AI, Nash? Yeah, this is a must-read.
Julian Kimble’s Rivals Turned Idols: How The NBA ’96 Draft Class Changed the Game is due to be published by Simon & Schuster in North America, on April 27th, 2027.
Civilian Reader 