{"product_id":"the-inter-national-basketball-association-how-the-nba-ushered-in-a-new-era-of-basketball-and-went-global-9781683583486","title":"The (Inter) National Basketball Association: How the NBA Ushered in a New Era of Basketball and Went Global","description":"For most of its existence, the National Basketball Association was a league filled with (almost) all American-born players. Players from overseas were looked at as less-skilled and not worth the risk. Americans playing overseas were looked at as those who couldn't cut it in the NBA, now playing in, essentially, the minor leagues of basketball. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But that's no longer the case. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Today, a full one-third of those in the league were born overseas. Out are the days of foreign-born players from unknown countries sitting at the end of the bench. Now, they're the face of the franchise. A lottery draft pick. They are carrying the game into the new millennium. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e So the question remains: what brought about this change? How did the skillsets of players born overseas become comparable to those in the states? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThe (Inter) National Basketball Association\u003c\/i\u003e, author Joel Gunderson explores how the international game has become so integral to the growth of the NBA. It's not, as former commissioner David Stern described at the 1985 NBA Draft, \"America's Game.\" No longer does Team USA expect to steamroll through the Olympics. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Doncic (Slovenia), Joel Embiid (Cameroon), Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia), and many more, the game of basketball has become a universal language. With almost forty different countries represented in the National Basketball Association today, the evolution of the sport has transcended across international waters. Teams no longer shy away from players born abroad, but instead welcome them with open arms. And for those who come over, not knowing the language, unfamiliar with the American lifestyle, they are now arriving with fluency in the most important language: basketball.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Sports Publishing LLC\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/03\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781683583486\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.00d","brand":"Joel Gunderson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":38024169324725,"sku":"9781683583486","price":21.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_143e34a6-a7e0-4ada-949d-5c2f0d81c789.jpg?v=1609186647","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-inter-national-basketball-association-how-the-nba-ushered-in-a-new-era-of-basketball-and-went-global-9781683583486","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}