"A middle-grade celebration of the unheralded people and stories that helped shape the game of basketball, from unsung pioneers to unforgettable moments of the game"--

Derrick Barnes is the winner of the 2018 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for outstanding new writer, and his picture book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut took home four honors at the 2018 American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards: the Coretta Scott King Author Honor and Illustrator Honor, the Newbery Honor, and the Caldecott Honor. Derrick is also the author of the New York Times bestselling picture book The King of Kindergarten, and the bestselling chapter book series Ruby and the Booker Boys. Derrick lives in Charlotte, NC, with his wife, Dr. Tinka Barnes, and their four sons, all of whom play sports.