Dream Team Book Review

The other day I just had the pleasure of picking up and reading the book The Dream Team by Jack Mcmallum.  While this book isn’t the greatest basketball book ever, that honor belongs to David Halberstam’s The Breaks of the Game, or the most entertaining, Bill Simmons’s The Book of Basketball, it is a must read for all people who considers themselves fans of the sport of basketball, and really all sports fans in general should read it. 

The book covers what is not only the best team in the history of basketball but arguably the best and most interesting team in the history of sports.  Following the assassin Michael Jordan as he firmly and unquestionably takes over the reign as best basketball player alive.  You get to read about the scrimmage!  The scrimmage for the uninformed is the intrasquad scrimmage that took place during a practice where both sides went as hard as they possibly could and reading the play by play of what happened is one of the most exciting things I have ever read about sports. 

Hearing though about how the players interacted with each other is really the most interesting part of the book though.  The unlikely friendships that formed most notably between Harry and Larry, Larry being Larry Bird and Harry being… you will have to read the book to find out.  Hearing the reverence or dislike that certain players felt toward one another is a fascinating study.  Of course hearing about the Round Mound himself, Charles Barkley, and his crazy nights and amazing quotes, most notably about Angola is worthy of a book in its own right. 

The Dream Team might not be the best book about basketball ever, but it is written about the best topic.  So read this book, read about why Isiah was left off the team, about read about the magical journey that made basketball international, and to read about how one team changed the course of sports forever is something every sports fan should do.