{"product_id":"magic-in-the-air-the-myth-the-mystery-and-the-soul-of-the-slam-dunk-hardcover","title":"Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMike Sielski\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of the bestselling Kobe Bryant biography \u003ci\u003eThe Rise \u003c\/i\u003ecomes the legend of the most powerful shot in basketball: the slam dunk. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe evolution of basketball, and much of the social and cultural change in America, can be traced through one powerful act on the court: the slam dunk. The dunk's history is the story of a sport and a country changed by the most dominant act in basketball, and it makes \u003ci\u003eMagic in the Air\u003c\/i\u003e a rollicking and insightful piece of narrative history and a surefire classic of sports literature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen basketball was the province of white men, the dunk acted as a revolutionary agent, a tool for players like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell to transform the sport into a Black man's game. The dunk has since been an expression of Black culture amid the righteous upheaval of the civil-rights movement, of the threat that Black people were considered to be to the establishment. It was banned from college basketball for nearly a decade--an attempt to squash the individual expression and athleticism that characterized the sport in America's cities and on its playgrounds. The dunk nevertheless bubbled up to basketball's highest levels. From Julius Erving to Michael Jordan to the high flyers of the 21st century, the dunk has been a key mechanism for growing the NBA into a global goliath. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on deep reporting and dozens of interviews with players, coaches, and other hoops experts, \u003ci\u003eMagic in the Air \u003c\/i\u003ebrings to life the tale of the dunk while balancing sharp socio-racial history and commentary with a romp through American sports and culture. There's never been a basketball book quite like it.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMIKE SIELSKI is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality \u003c\/i\u003e(2022)\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eand a columnist for \u003ci\u003eThe Philadelphia Inquirer. \u003c\/i\u003eThe Associated Press Sports Editors voted him the country's top sports columnist in 2015, and his previous book, \u003ci\u003eFading Echoes: A True Story of Rivalry and Brotherhood from the Football Field to the Fields of Honor, \u003c\/i\u003ewas published in 2009. Sielski lives in Bucks County, Pa., with his wife and two sons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 368\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.21 x 9.4 x 6.86 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 11, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51979070406957,"sku":"9781250287526","price":30.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/7Jv0payUrj9781250287526.webp?v=1775818798","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/magic-in-the-air-the-myth-the-mystery-and-the-soul-of-the-slam-dunk-hardcover","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}