Had a great deal of fun editing Basketballl’s Greatest for SI Books. Among my roles for this project: reading through SI’s archives and selecting the story excerpts that accompany each and every Top 10 selection in the main part of the book. It’s amazing how many great NBA writers SI has had over the years, including Frank Deford, Jack McCallum, Phil Taylor, Chris Ballard and Lee Jenkins. Pretty devastating lineup. The pictures in this book are a treat too, not just for the great action and novel perspectives, but for all the inadvertent documentary detail in the background. I’ve done one read-through just looking at players’ shoes. Pete Maravich in low-tops—my ankles hurt just thinking about it.
Today begins the promotion for the book. Meanwhile, the SI Books team is beginning the work on Hockey’s Greatest. Should be out this time next year.
Bill Syken 