This dictionary by historian Grasso features over 600 alphabetically ordered entries covering professional, amateur, Olympic, college, and men's and women's basketball, both in the US and abroad. Specific entries discuss players, coaches, teams, leagues, schools, countries, and positions. Entries are short, concise, and heavily cross-referenced. Preceding the entries is a 25-page chronology ranging from 1891, when James Naismith concocted the initial set of basketball rules to help alleviate the winter doldrums, to John Wooden's death in 2010. A 24-page introduction addresses a range of subjects with titles including "Basketball's Beginnings," "The First True Major League," "The Harlem Globetrotters," "Integration, Scandals, and the Near Death of the NBA," "Michael Jordan and the Dream Team," and "Kobe, LeBron, and the Multimillionaires." Following the entries are a dozen appendixes covering topics such as Naismith's original rules, NCAA champions, and inductees to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Completing the volume is a 40-page bibliography that guides readers to source material and features interesting subheadings such as "Playground," "African-American Influence," and "Corruption." Overall, this is a useful quick-and-dirty resource.

Summing Up: Recommended.