Professional basketball is no longer just an American sport. Fans tune in from 215 countries and territories worldwide, and nearly a third of all players were born and trainedoverseas. The book explores how basketball's global takeover could not have happened without France and its colonial legacies in Africa and the Caribbean. In her interviews with players, sports journalists, league directors, and coaches past and present, Krasnoff takes us back to the very beginnings of basketball and shows how remnants of the empire have shaped the game.

Dr. Krasnoff has lectured on global sports and sports diplomacy at New York University, University of London, George Washington University, Queens College, and Baruch. She has written for The Washington Post, The New Yorker, ESPN, and more.

*The term alley-oop is derived from the French term allez hop, the cry of a circus acrobat about to leap.

Reception at 3:30pm.

Larchmont Village Center (enter at the back of the library).