Basketball (and Other Things): A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated

Serrano (The Rap Year) poses a series of 26 questions about the modern NBA, from the serious (What was Michael Jordan's best season?) to the absurd (What is the draft order of fictional basketball characters?). Answers are both thoughtful and hilarious as he includes statistics, NBA history, and his own opinions to make his arguments. The best chapters balance Serrano's sense of humor with his hoops knowledge. Chapters on ranking the most important NBA finals, the rules of pickup basketball, and the disrespectful dunk Hall of Fame are the highlights here. Some chapters do fall flat, most notably a plot treatment for an action movie starring NBA superstar James Harden. Readers will be able to relate to Serrano's childhood recollections of playing or rooting for his favorite team. Torres's unique and stylized illustrations, such as a giant squid defending Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins dunking on Jesus, accentuate Serrano's writing.