About this item
From the leading expert in the exploding field of basketball analytics, a stunning infographic decoding of the modern NBA: who shoots where, and how.The field of basketball analytics has leaped to overdrive thanks to Kirk Goldsberry, whose visual maps of players, teams, and positions have helped teams understand who really is the most valuable player at any position. SprawlBall combines stunning visuals, in-depth analysis, fun, behind-the-scenes stories and gee-whiz facts to chart a modern revolution. From the introduction of the 3-point line to today, the game has changed drastically . . . Now, players like Steph Curry and Draymond Green are leading the charge. In chapters like "The Geography of the NBA," "The Interior Minister (Lebron James) ," "The Evolution of Steph Curry," and "The Investor (James Harden) ," Goldsberry explains why today's on-court product - with its emphasis on shooting, passing, and spacing - has never been prettier or more democratic. And it's never been more popular. For fans of Bill Simmons and FreeDarko,SprawlBall is a bold new vision of the game, presenting an innovative, cutting-edge look at the sport based on the latest research, as well as a visual and infographic feast for fans.
About the Author
I grew up in State College, PA in the 80's and 90's before attending Penn State. After graduating, I worked as a cartographer for FEMA in D.C., and for Delorme Mapping in Yarmouth, Maine. I Ieft Maine for Santa Barbara where I studied mapping as a grad student and met my lovely wife. We have moved around from California, to Michigan, and Massachusetts, before settling down in Austin, Texas. We have 2 children and I spend most of my time either hanging out with them or mapping basketball players.AcademicI studied Geography at Penn State as an undergrad before getting a Master's and a Ph.D. from UC-Santa Barbara. I was an assistant professor at Michigan State from 2007-2011 before accepting a visiting position at Harvard in 2011. My expertise in geography is in mapping and Cartography. I love maps.BasketballIn 2012 I published my first work on basketball analytics at the MIT Sloan Conference. This paper changed my career. Following its publication, I helped create the 2012 NBA Finals Preview at the New York Times, before accepting a part-time position at Grantland, which at the time was just starting. I left Harvard and academics in 2013 and went to work at Grantland full-time, where I stayed until the site was shut down in 2015. At that time, I accepted two jobs on the "team side" - 1) as the head analyst for Team USA Basketball and 2) as the Vice President of Strategic Research for the San Antonio Spurs. I still do work at Team USA, but left the Spurs in September of 2018 to return to writing and teaching.
